Benton Hot Springs

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—temperature

A natural thermal spring.

Scale30/60

Documentation14/20

Character10/20

The details

Soak: Temperature unrecorded
Area: Mariposa
Coordinates: 37.802, -118.532

Get directions →

About Benton Hot Springs

Benton Hot Springs is a natural hot spring in California.

At that temperature it's temperature unrecorded — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.

Plungeworthy rates Benton Hot Springs 5.4/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Thirteen private plumbed hot tubs scattered across a high-desert ghost-town homestead near the Nevada line — each tub its own site, many with camping attached, all reservation-only. No day use, no drop-ins: you book a tub under the cottonwoods and the night sky does the rest.

Getting there

Parking: On-site, guests only
Road: Paved to Benton
Hike: 0 mi round trip (easy)
Heads up: The Inn (bentonhotsprings.us) is the operator — distinct from the similarly-named nonprofit preserving the historic townsite.

When to go

Year-round; winter nights run cold and starry at 5,600 feet, which is precisely the appeal of a private 104°F tub.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Reservation-only: tub campsites from ~$75/night, rooms $209–270; inn guests get 24-hour soaking tubs
Hours: Guests only
Camping: The tub-side campsites are the camping
Warnings: Don't drive out hoping for day use — none is sold.

Researched from Inn at Benton Hot Springs — tubs. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Benton Hot Springs recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.