Wild Horse Hot Springs

As you may remember from last year, one of our favorite extracurricular activities was visiting the public hot springs around Yellowstone. And after our first full week at work, we were really Jonesing for a nice, relaxing soak! So we were thrilled to discover that although they’re a bit further away, there are a few hot springs in the greater GNP area that should fit the bill. So after a morning of hiking along the shores of Lake McDonald, we made the 96-mile trek to Wild Horse Hot Springs, located in the town of Hot Springs, MT, which is part of the Flathead Reservation, and checked ourselves in for a nice, hot bath!

But first, let’s cover some basic questions:
Are there springs? Yes! Right now they have six small, yet communal, pools. Pools #7-14 are currently being rehabbed, so you will most likely share your pool with people you don’t know, although it was early enough in the season that we had ours to ourselves.
Are they hot? Yup! The springs are powered by the Mother Dragon artesian geyser. One stream in each pool is continuously flowing at 95-98 degrees. The other stream runs about 125-128 degrees and can be shut off at your discretion. And even on a 50-degree day, we kept ours turned off for most of our 2-hour soak.
Are there horses? You bet! We counted seven in all, and they were magnificent!
Are they wild? Unclear. While they roam wild on the property, the property itself is confined by a fence and a cattle grate. And the horses look extremely well cared-for: trimmed hooves, shiny coats, bright eyes. And the lady who drove in ahead of us got out of her vehicle and walked right up to the Clydesdale. So I’m betting they are not actually wild. But they were only tangential to our enjoyment anyway.

So back to the hot springs… we thoroughly enjoyed our soak and the water looked clean enough. But this was the most rustic setting we’ve ever experienced. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, lol! The soaking area is pretty much al-fresco, with chicken wire around the perimeter to keep the horses and dogs out of the pools. The dogs roaming the property, BTW, definitely looked wild. But who wants to go to a place called Wild Dog Hot Springs?

The overall ambience of this place really just had me in stitches all day! Many moons ago, I was in my high school production of Man of La Mancha, which, as you may know, was set during the Spanish Inquisition. And I really think that this was the just the kind of scenery that our director was looking for! Each pool looked like you were walking down into a tiny flooded basement. All that was missing was a floater! And the open-air roof and chicken-wire fence just added to the whole experience.

But the most amazing part was this: a few minutes into our soak, the attendant passed around waterproof menus for the sushi truck parked next to the pool! You can actually sit in your pool and order lunch and snacks using your cell phone! Now if you had told me five years ago that one day I would be sitting in a hot spring in the middle of an Indian reservation in Montana ordering sushi hand-made by a Japanese lady from a food truck that looks like this, I would have said, “No way!” Which is also exactly what I said on this particular day! Whadda you think I am, NUTS?! So instead, I ordered us some tempura Oreos. Which were amazing!! And as far as anyone knows, the worms have not eaten my brain.

All kidding aside, this was a great place and we had a wonderful time. But when our family comes to visit next month, we’ll probably take the opportunity to check out the more upscale springs. Stay tuned!