Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs

Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs sits inside Lake Mead National Recreation Area, reached by a trail that drops through White Rock Canyon to a string of pools along the Colorado River, with a 20-foot fixed ladder where the hot-spring canyon meets the river. The National Park Service closes the trail every year from May 15 through September 30 for heat safety; during that window the springs stay reachable only by boat. Since May 2026 the Park Service has also posted a caution about high fecal bacteria levels in the water, covered below. More Arizona soaks, free and paid, are in our hot springs in Arizona guide; for other states, start from the hot springs locator map.

No sourced coordinates are on file for this spot yet — see methodology.

Fact box

Field	Detail
Coordinates	Approximate, trailhead on US 93 before mile post 4, south of Hoover Dam (NPS trail page)
Distance	5 miles out-and-back, or 5.69 miles for the full Arizona Hot Springs Trail loop with White Rock Trail (NPS)
Elevation change	About 750 ft with some steep scrambling; the National Park Service rates the hike very strenuous
Ladder	A 20-foot fixed ladder where the hot-spring canyon meets the river; "climb at your own risk" (NPS)
Water temperature	About 111–120°F at the source, cooling pool by pool downstream, per trail descriptions, not an NPS-published figure
Water quality	NPS caution notice, May 2026: fecal bacteria in water samples frequently reach high levels; limit body contact, wash up afterward, never put your head under
Seasonal closure	Trail closed May 15 to September 30 each year for heat safety (NPS); the springs stay reachable by boat during the closure
Entrance fee	Lake Mead National Recreation Area pass: $25.00 per private vehicle, valid 1 to 7 days; $20.00 per motorcycle, 7 days; $15.00 per person entering on foot or by bicycle, 1 to 7 days; $45.00 annual pass (NPS fees page, as of September 2026). The NPS lists the trail as a fee area
Dogs	Allowed on a leash of 6 feet or less (NPS)
Legal status	Public, Lake Mead National Recreation Area (National Park Service); trail closed seasonally, May 15 to Sept 30

The trail and the ladder

The trailhead sits along US 93 before mile post 4, south of Hoover Dam, and the route drops through White Rock Canyon toward a string of pools stepping down to the Colorado River (National Park Service, Arizona Hot Springs Trail). The Park Service lists the distance as 5 miles out-and-back, or 5.69 miles for the full loop that combines the Arizona Hot Springs Trail with the White Rock Trail, with about 750 feet of elevation change and some steep scrambling that earns the hike its "very strenuous" rating. A 20-foot fixed ladder stands where the hot-spring canyon meets the river; the Park Service's own guidance is blunt: climb at your own risk. Dogs are allowed on a leash of 6 feet or less. The Park Service lists the trail as a fee area; Lake Mead's recreational use pass is required to enter the recreation area.

Bacteria in the water

In a caution notice posted in May 2026, the National Park Service warned that fecal bacteria in water samples from Arizona Hot Springs frequently reach high levels that can transmit human disease. Its advice for anyone who still soaks: limit body contact with the water, wash up afterward and never put your head under (NPS, Lake Mead alerts and conditions).

How this guide was researched

This page was compiled from the National Park Service's official pages for the Arizona Hot Springs Trail, Lake Mead's alerts and current conditions, and Lake Mead's fees page. We haven't visited this site ourselves. Closure dates and the water-quality caution can change, and so can fees. Last checked September 2026.

Before you go

The National Park Service closes the Arizona Hot Springs, Goldstrike Canyon and White Rock Canyon trails every year from May 15 through September 30 for visitor and first-responder safety during extreme heat. Arizona, Goldstrike and Lone Palm hot springs all stay open and reachable by water during that window, even though the trails themselves are shut; the current notice sits on the park's alerts and conditions page linked above. Entry to Lake Mead National Recreation Area requires a pass: $25.00 admits a private vehicle for 1 to 7 days, $20.00 a motorcycle for 7 days, and $15.00 a single person on foot or bicycle for 1 to 7 days, per the park's fees page (as of September 2026); an annual pass is $45.00.

Heat is the everyday risk on the hike in, and the seasonal closure exists because of it. Outside the closure, carry more water than you think you need and start early in warm months. The wash and canyon bottoms here can also flash flood during summer monsoon storms, typically July through September, so check the forecast before setting out. Source water arrives at roughly 111–120°F per trail descriptions, well above safe skin contact, so test each pool with your hand before easing in and never assume a lower pool matches the one above it. Keep your head above the water throughout: the CDC recommends against submerging your head in warm, untreated freshwater because of the rare but serious risk of Naegleria fowleri (CDC, Preventing brain infection when swimming), and the Park Service's bacteria notice says the same thing for its own reasons. See our hot spring safety guide for more on burns and on water-quality risks like this one.

There's no charge for the soak itself, but reaching the springs means paying the Lake Mead entrance pass. Our free hot springs guide counts a spring as free only when the soak itself costs nothing, and it leaves out springs where an entrance or day-use fee covers the whole recreation area around them. The Lake Mead pass puts Ringbolt in that second group.

FAQ

Is Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs open right now?

Depends on the date. The National Park Service closes the trail every year from May 15 through September 30 for heat safety; outside that window it's open by trail, and during the closure the springs are still reachable by boat. Current alerts, including the bacteria caution, are on the park's alerts and conditions page.

How long is the hike to Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs?

5 miles out-and-back, or 5.69 miles round trip for the full Arizona Hot Springs Trail loop with the White Rock Trail, per the National Park Service.

Is there a ladder on the trail?

Yes, a 20-foot fixed ladder where the hot-spring canyon meets the river. The National Park Service's own guidance says to climb it at your own risk.

Is it safe to soak in Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs?

The National Park Service warns that fecal bacteria in the water frequently reach high levels. Its advice for anyone who still soaks: limit body contact, wash up afterward and never put your head under. Heat is the other risk, and the reason the trail closes each summer.

How much does it cost to visit Arizona (Ringbolt) Hot Springs?

Nothing for the soak itself, but entering Lake Mead National Recreation Area takes a pass: $25.00 per private vehicle for 1 to 7 days, or $15.00 per person on foot or by bicycle (NPS fees page, as of September 2026). The Park Service lists the Arizona Hot Springs Trail as a fee area.

We haven't visited these places ourselves, and every page says so rather than implying otherwise. Details are compiled from public land-manager, USGS and NOAA sources and cross-checked where possible; conditions, access rules and fees change without notice, so confirm with the managing agency before you go. Page last checked September 2026. Read our full methodology.