Verde Valley Hot Springs

Gangsters and hippies alike had a warm spot for the hot springs secluded at the end of this trek -- just be ready to hike up your pants at the river crossing.

In the 1920s, visitors flocked to the Verde Hot Springs Hotel, located about 22 miles south of Camp Verde, to bathe in the 98- to 104-degree mineral water that was its signature attraction. During Prohibition, L.A. gangsters -- not Al Capone's Chicago mob, as local lore would have it -- found a different way to soak guests there, using the secluded location for drinking and gambling; lookouts were perched atop the long grade leading to the Springs to get a jump on any inquisitive lawmen. A fire on Christmas Eve 1958 leveled the hotel and the land eventually reverted to the U.S. Forest Service. In the swinging '60s, the spot became a favorite of naked hippies "getting back to nature."

Neither goons nor flower children greet hikers on the trail to the lovely Springs today. The only impediment now is the Verde River; on the day we visited, a 5-ft. 5-inch hiker was waist-deep when making her way across.

The main trail to the Springs crosses the river just once, but is fairly drab; an unmarked alternative has three crossings, but adds the one pretty view on the previous page. A tip: After the river crossing on the main trail (the third crossing on the alternative path), go left, toward the palm trees (yes, palm trees), not right.

While there isn't so much to see on the way in, being at the Springs is magical -- and you can't reach it by car. Take the hike soon if you want to see the lovely waterfall at the beginning of the trail; it comes from the runoff of the 96-year-old Childs-Irving Power Plant, and will dry up when the plant closes on Dec. 31. Bring a raft or inner tube, and rather than hiking back, simply let the river carry you home.

DIRECTIONS: Take Hwy 179 to I-17S to Exit 287. Go left on AZ-260 to Fossil Creek Rd. (FSR-708). Turn right and go southeast approximately 15 miles, then south on FSR-502, continuing about 7 miles to Childs, Ariz. Park in the camping area near the Verde River. Walk the trail upriver past the Childs-Irving Power Plant to a dirt road, then follow it to the river crossing marked with stones. Cross the river and go back downstream about a quarter-mile. Total hike is about one mile, including the river crossing.

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