Saratoga Hot Springs — Attraction in Four Corners States

First time my husband and I went was memorial day weekend this year and it was great. We are used to natural hot springs so the mud didn't bother us. It's maybe a quarter mile walk, mostly paved from the parking lot to the hot spring. Nice overlook of the city in the distance. We went with our friends after driving 5 hours and wanted to relax. It was probably around midnight that we went.

This time we were on a week long road trip back home to Idaho and this was our final stop to soak and relax after a week of hiking and long driving. We were concerned because google maps says it's closed on weekends and sorta has weird hours listed, but we remembered that we had no issues last time. This time cops were in and out of the lot monitoring and by around 11pm they went all the way to the hot spring and were kicking people out. The bathrooms were locked up so we couldn't even change out of wet clothes. I'm wondering if something happened between May and now to make that necessary. We ended up having to drive 30 minutes out to a sketchy truck stop and then find a place to sleep for the night.

Overall, the hot spring is nice if you don't mind natural springs that aren't super super clean, but be careful if you're going there later at night. You'll probably...

This is a NATURAL hot spring, expect mud, moss, (maybe glass at the bottom) and living things in the spring. If you want something that’s cleaner you better look elsewhere like Crystal or Lava Hot Springs where’s it controlled and more like a community pool. The hiking experience was akin to a leisurely stroll, the hot spring had soft mud at the bottom and what I can see are baby fish, or possibly tadpoles, and stunning views of the mountains from the hot spring. The water was comfortably warm, with a mild sulfur scent, and varying temperatures on each side. The ambient 74-degree temperature, coupled with 18 MPH wings and 30 MPH gusts created a pleasant sensation when getting in and out. Upon my arrival at 4 pm, there were only three other individuals present until 5 pm came then there was a total of 24 visitors, altering the serene atmosphere with lively conversations and party like atmosphere. I recommend visiting this location if you are in the vicinity and wish to experience your first hot spring without traveling a great distance.

And I do recommend wearing water shoes so you don’t step on something you wouldn’t want to at the bottom...

Review and packing list: arrived about 7am on a Saturday no one else was there yet the ground was frozen from the cold but gets muddier with more people and heat lots of people leaving trash and towels and clothing (the walk is like 3 min back to parking please take out what you brought so others can enjoy this area) very pretty (better without trash) and the lake is right next to it -secludedish as you can't see the road but it's still close not deep but some areas are deeper than others -please dont wear glow sticks as they might leak into the water parking is at the park by the police station

Packing list chair (there's a place to hang towels but you'll need somewhere to put your stuff) big towels when it's cold out water to drink trash bag if you plan to make trash (and also to help clean up for the people that don't know how. I hauled out a jacket, towel and glow sticks left behind) THERES A TRASH CAN BY THE PARKING LOT USE IT -water jug to wash feet when you get out or just...