Onseya guideNear San Diego, California · 10 destinations

Hot springs near San Diego

Every open spring within about a three-hour drive, ordered by how long it actually takes to get there. From the resort pools of Murrieta and Glen Ivy to a restored desert hotel at Jacumba, a county park in the Anza-Borrego Desert and the mineral-water hotels of Desert Hot Springs — real road times, so you can see what fits a day and what’s worth an overnight.

Within reach10

Under 2 hours4

Closest1h 04m

Jump toOne to two hours Two to three hours FAQ

There are no hot springs within an hour of San Diego, but four are within two hours. Murrieta Hot Springs, about an hour north, and Glen Ivy in Corona are large resorts with many pools; Jacumba Hot Springs is a restored hotel in the desert near the Mexican border; and Agua Caliente County Park in the Anza-Borrego Desert has geothermal pools and a campground from fall to spring. Two to three hours out are the hotels of Desert Hot Springs near Palm Springs. Below, every open spring grouped by drive time. See also hot springs near Palm Springs and hot springs near Los Angeles.

Drive time 02

One to two hours

North to the resort pools of Murrieta and Glen Ivy, east to the restored hotel at Jacumba Hot Springs, and into the Anza-Borrego Desert to Agua Caliente County Park.

Murrieta

Murrieta Hot Springs Resort

Murrieta1h 04m from San Diego

Murrieta Hot Springs Resort

A mineral springs destination since 1902, Murrieta Hot Springs reopened to the public in 2024 after a renovation. The resort describes its water as 100% natural geothermal, spread across family-friendly and adults-only pools with cold plunges, a sauna and a historic bathhouse. Day passes run 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and overnight guests can soak around the clock.

Drive: 1h 04m from San Diego
Water: —
Price: Hot Spring Day Pass from $109; Twilight Pass (from 4pm) from $59; Local Resident Day Pass from $59 with local ID; children 2 and under free
Lodging: Resort hotel rooms and suites
Clothing: Required

PoolsSpaSaunaRestaurantPets Ok

Official site →

Jacumba Hot Springs

Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel

Jacumba Hot Springs1h 10m from San Diego

Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel

Reopened in 2024 after a restoration, this historic hotel in a desert town near the Mexican border says its geothermal spring water reaches the pools untreated. Pass holders can use the Ritual and Solstice pools at 96 to 101°F, while the indoor Echo Room is for hotel guests. All pools are 21+, and Long Shadow restaurant is on site.

Drive: 1h 10m from San Diego
Water: 90–103 °F
Price: Ritual Pool Pass from $25, Solstice Pool Pass from $50, Ritual Star Soak (evening) Pass from $20; pool access 21+ (official /pages/pool-pass, checked 2026-10-12)
Lodging: Hotel of about 20 rooms for adults 21+ (hiddensandiego.com); suites, casitas with private soaking tubs, The Lodge, The Village House and La Ranchita guest house (official homepage); off-site casitas allow children and pets
Clothing: —

PoolsRestaurantSpa

Official site →

Corona

Glen Ivy Hot Springs

Corona1h 28m from San Diego

Glen Ivy Hot Springs

Visitors have soaked here since 1860, when the place was known as Temescal Sulphur Springs; it took the Glen Ivy name in 1880. Today the day-use spa near Corona has 19 pools, with mineral baths fed by a natural geothermal source at about 104°F, plus Club Mud. Reservations are required, and guests must be 18 or older.

Drive: 1h 28m from San Diego
Water: 104 °F
Price: Day pass from $75 Mon-Fri / from $95-$105 Sat-Sun (October 2026), from $75 / from $85-$95 (November-December 2026); Deal of the Day from $65 on select days; evenings-only $60 (Fri-Sun, October 2-25)
Lodging: —
Clothing: Required

PoolsSpaSaunaRestaurant

Official site →

Julian

Agua Caliente County Park

Julian1h 55m from San Diego

Agua Caliente County Park

Geothermally heated springs supply this 910-acre San Diego County park in the Anza-Borrego Desert, which has an outdoor swimming pool, a children's wading pool and an indoor spa at about 102°F with adults-only hours. About 140 campsites, some with RV hookups, and cabins are available. The park is open from Labor Day weekend through Memorial Day, closing for summer.

Drive: 1h 55m from San Diego
Water: 90–102 °F
Price: —
Lodging: County campground: about 140 tent and RV sites (some with hookups) and camping cabins
Clothing: —

PoolsCampingCabinsKids Ok

Official site →

Drive time 03

Two to three hours

Longer drives: the small hotels of Desert Hot Springs and the Spa at Séc-he near Palm Springs and Glamis North near the Imperial dunes.

Palm Springs

The Spa at Séc-he (Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza)

Palm Springs2h 16m from San Diego

The Spa at Séc-he (Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza)

Owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, this Palm Springs spa draws on the tribe's Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring, called Séc-he, Cahuilla for the sound of boiling water. Its Taking of the Waters day pass centers on 22 private mineral baths at 105°F, plus salt caves, steam, sauna and a cold plunge. Guests must be 18+.

Drive: 2h 16m from San Diego
Water: 105 °F
Price: Taking of the Waters day pass $135 Mon-Thu / $165 Fri-Sun and holidays; with a spa service of $200+ the pass is $25 / $35
Lodging: —
Clothing: Mixed

PoolsSpaSaunaRestaurant

Official site →

Desert Hot Springs

Azure Palm Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs2h 17m from San Diego

Azure Palm Hot Springs

Two private wells feed this adults-only Desert Hot Springs resort, whose 100-by-40-foot main pool is billed as the largest mineral water pool in Southern California. Jetted mineral spas run 99 to 104°F, and a one-acre desert garden holds free-flowing tubs and a reflexology walk. Guests stay in 22 suites with private mineral tubs; day passes also cover two Finnish saunas.

Drive: 2h 17m from San Diego
Water: 104 °F
Price: Oasis Day Pass $79 plus $1 per pass for the city's children's program; $10 off the pass when booking a spa treatment
Lodging: 22 spa suites with private in-room mineral water tubs
Clothing: Required

PoolsSpaSaunaRestaurant

Official site →

Desert Hot Springs

Tuscan Springs Hotel & Spa

Desert Hot Springs2h 17m from San Diego

Tuscan Springs Hotel & Spa

Water for this Italian-inspired boutique hotel comes from a 350-foot well that the hotel says is volcanically heated to 117°F. A large hot mineral pool, two mineral Jacuzzis and a dry sauna serve 16 rooms, and guests must be 21 or older. Four-hour day use is sold, and any treatment at La Bella Spa includes the pools.

Drive: 2h 17m from San Diego
Water: —
Price: Day use of pools and dry sauna $50 per person for 4 hours; pool use free with any spa treatment at La Bella Spa
Lodging: 16 boutique hotel rooms (Garden and Mountain View Private Terrace), continental breakfast included
Clothing: —

PoolsSpaSauna

Official site →

Desert Hot Springs

Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa

Desert Hot Springs2h 17m from San Diego

Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa

Local lore links this resort to Al Capone in the 1920s and 1930s, and by the 1950s it was a Hollywood retreat. Its official history says the springs emerge naturally at over 100°F from an aquifer described as 600 years old. Day Retreat and Mineral Soak passes are offered, with limited availability.

Drive: 2h 17m from San Diego
Water: —
Price: —
Lodging: Rooms and suites (67 per hotspringsguides.com)
Clothing: —

PoolsSpaRestaurant

Official site →

Desert Hot Springs

Sam's Family Spa Hot Water Resort

Desert Hot Springs2h 17m from San Diego

Sam's Family Spa Hot Water Resort

More than 175 full-hookup RV sites, motel rooms and five tiny homes make up this family-oriented resort, where four chlorine-free hot spring pools, one indoor, are drained and refilled every morning. The operator says the water is geothermal, drawn from the Desert Hot Springs aquifer. Day passes, sold first come, first served, also cover a swimming pool and sauna.

Drive: 2h 17m from San Diego
Water: 104 °F
Price: Day pass $25 Mon-Fri / $30 Sat-Sun and holidays, ages 4 and under free, pets $10
Lodging: Motel rooms, tiny homes, RV sites
Clothing: —

PoolsSaunaCampingPets OkKids Ok

Official site →

Niland

Glamis North Hot Springs Resort

Niland2h 55m from San Diego

Glamis North Hot Springs Resort

Near Niland and the Glamis dunes, this RV resort cools hot spring water, which the operator says emerges at 160°F, for two therapeutic pools and 14 chlorine-free hot tubs; two family pools are chemically treated. Guests stay in full-hookup RV sites, camping cabins or tent sites, and day passes are offered. Operation is seasonal.

Drive: 2h 55m from San Diego
Water: —
Price: —
Lodging: RV sites, camping cabins, tent/dry camping
Clothing: —

PoolsCabinsCampingKids Ok

Official site →

Reference

Frequently asked

Quick answers on getting from San Diego to a soak — the closest options, day trips, adults-only pools, the Agua Caliente season and lodging.

What is the closest hot spring to San Diego?

Murrieta Hot Springs Resort is the closest, about 1h 04m by car north of the city. The resort sells day passes and has family pools as well as adults-only areas. Jacumba Hot Springs, a restored desert hotel near the Mexican border, is about as close — about 1h 10m east. There are no hot springs within an hour of the city.

Which hot springs are a day trip from San Diego?

4 of the springs on this page are within a two-hour drive: Murrieta Hot Springs, the pools at Jacumba Hot Springs, Glen Ivy in Corona and Agua Caliente County Park in the Anza-Borrego Desert. Murrieta, Jacumba and Glen Ivy sell day passes; Glen Ivy requires a reservation.

Which hot springs near San Diego are adults only?

Glen Ivy admits guests 18 and older, and all the pools at Jacumba Hot Springs are 21 and older. Murrieta Hot Springs has family pools and adults-only areas, and Agua Caliente County Park is a family campground with a children’s wading pool.

Is Agua Caliente County Park open all year?

No. The county park is open from Labor Day weekend through Memorial Day and closes in the summer heat. It has a geothermally heated outdoor pool, a wading pool for children, an indoor spa and a campground with RV sites and cabins.

Which hot springs near San Diego have lodging?

Murrieta Hot Springs is a resort hotel where overnight guests can soak around the clock, and Jacumba Hot Springs is a restored historic hotel with suites and casitas. Agua Caliente County Park has a campground and cabins. Farther out, most of the Desert Hot Springs pools near Palm Springs belong to small hotels.