One of my favorite summer memories of Nevada is from a few years ago when we climbed into the car and made our way into the state’s interior. We explored the so-called ghost town of Unionville and then popped over to Kyle Hot Springs. This hot springs is Nevada to the core, with some old cattle watering tubs haphazardly strewn around the concrete, rock and mortar remains of a long-gone bathhouse, and historical as all get out. But as fun as that trek was, we’re lucky here in this corner of the Silver State in that we don’t have to travel halfway to Elko to enjoy some good ol’ geothermal soaking. Photo at left: Wikimedia Commons, Netherzone.
In fact, if you’ve ever driven Highway 395 south out of Reno to Hidden Valley and across Washoe Valley into Carson City, you’ve probably noticed the steam coming up out of the ground in the area just east of Galena. (Of course, some of us remember that as THE route between Reno and Carson, before the construction of Interstate-580. And how can 580 be an interstate, when it only runs from the Spaghetti Bowl to the south end of Carson City, meaning that the entire length of it is within the state of Nevada? Wouldn’t it make more sense to call it an INTRAstate? But anyway, back to the hot springs.) This is where you’ll find Steamboat Springs. While almost all of the hot springs areas were touted for their miraculous healing qualities, Steamboat Springs was actually built up as a medical treatment facility, and the current business there still goes by the name of The Healing Center and Spa. The massages and private tub rooms are currently accepting reservations, and the facility has a whole slew of protocols in place to provide for pandemic safety including sanitization, mandatory mask use and health checks. Photo at right: Facebook, Steamboat Springs Healing Center & Spa.
Those in the mood for a little more altitude with their hot springs can run up the hill and into the Tahoe Basin. Brockway Springs is a gated condo community in Kings Beach, built around a hot spring located near the edge of the lake. Known over the years as Warm Springs, Carnelian Hot Sulfur Springs and Brockway Hot Springs, it also went through incarnations as a hotel, resort, dining room and casino prior to its current identity. The actual spring itself is on private property owned by the resort, and unlike some other facilities in the area, the resort doesn’t offer day use to non-owners. But as the hot water flows to the lake, it does pool up slightly in a spot below the high-water line, and since Tahoe is a navigable body of water, that means below this line is open to the public. So if you are up to a little rowing or paddling action, the reward might be a nice soak at the edge of Big Blue. Photo at left: Facebook, Brockway Springs Resort.
Another hot springs you may have heard of – Sierra Hot Springs Resort – is located a bit of a jaunt northward, up in Sierraville, California, past Truckee. People have been using it as a getaway destination since the 1880s. There are a number of hot-water pools at this site, and in line with the philosophical beliefs of the resort, all of the pools are clothing-optional. But you’ll have to put this one on your to-do-later list, because the facility is closed for the pandemic duration. Photo at right: Facebook, Sierra Hot Springs.
The entire region is a geothermal hotspot (pun intended), so there are plenty more hot springs to be explored. For a sampling of some that you can find just a short hop to the south in the Carson area, click on over to EverythingCarson.com. My blog post there also features a trip down memory lane to Kyle Hot Springs, but it doesn’t take long for it to get into the good stuff and let you know what’s up with the Carson soaking spots.
About the Author Keith Rugg
R. Keith Rugg has worked on staff for a number of local publications, including Lake Tahoe Action Magazine, the Tahoe Daily Tribune and the Reno Gazette-Journal.
