El Dorado Hot Springs In Tonopah Arizona - Desert View Pool
- Updated: January 04, 2015
- Post By: Matthew Hengst
El Dorado Hot Springs is an extremely laid back private hot spring located a short distance outside of Phoenix.
It a bit of a haul from Orange County but makes for a convenient stop for any trip out past Phoenix. It's located in Tonopah AZ (not to be confused with Tonopah NV with the awesome clown motel.)
I've been here a few times first visiting for a quick hour long soak on the way back from the New Years 2015 trip and later coming back for an overnight stay in October of 2015 right before I had knee surgery.
I've also stayed overnight at the Sunset Pool but for my money it's hard to beat Desert View.
El Dorado isn't that far off the 10 freeway and was easy enough to find. There's actually a lot for sale next door that advertises hot springs so anyone wanting to invest there you go.
The first time there we wandered in and found the front desk and talked to one of the assortment of laid back individuals that run the place. And Tom the Turkey.
He kept inching sideways towards us and fluffing up. The guy behind the desk showed us that if you clap he gobbles. Kristen found this somewhat less endearing...
When we went back later Tom was nowhere to be found. The guy at the front desk said he'd been given as a pet to a young girl with autism but I suspect he may have become someone's dinner...
You can reserve a pool for $15 an hour per person or get an overnight for $50 a person with a $100 minimum. The overnight stays are from 9 pm to 9 am so the timing is a bit inconvenient.
They also have public pools, tent camping sites, RV hookups, and bunkhouses available for varying costs though I've only ever taken advantage of the private pools.
Most of the facility is a dirt parking lot with the best pools being at the back of the property.
Inside Desert View you have 3 walls and an open side pointing towards the desert. There are christmas lights strung up along the walls that you don't have access to so be aware it won't be completely dark if you spend the night in here.
There are two lounge chairs that are comfortable enough to sleep in and a fire pit at their foot. There's also a few miscellaneousg chairs and tables in the trees.
The open section looks out on an undeveloped swath of desert and we never saw any signs of anyone out there.
The main pool is fed through a PVC pipe and drains off the far end where there's a runoff area filled with little fish. It's quite appealing looking and large enough for a decent sized party.
It wasn't as hot as we expected but as it turned out it was a nice temperature to be able to actually spend time in the water. This was an issue when we came in the winter one time as it wasn't warm enough to be truly comfortable.
There's also a tub and a shower the later of which we couldn't figure out how to get running.
The hourly soak was a pleasant way to break up the drive but the overnights have been my favorite. Pull in at 9 pm, start a fire, cook a nice dinner out under the stars, and relax in the tub until the wee hours of the morning. The nice thing about leaving at 9 am is you have time to cook breakfast and enjoy the tub again!
2 comments
Awesome place. I tell everyone that I know vacationing in Arizona. That this is better than the over-commercialised experience that I had at the Grand Canyon.
ReplyDeleteI agree! This place is a hidden gem
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