FAQs - Hot Springs Trail
Get to know the Hot Springs Trail, a multi-sport adventure trail to 100 hot springs.
How long is The Hot Springs Trail?
The HST is comprised of 4 parts, totaling 2,421.4 miles.
Part 1: The Coast Connect Trail
303.8 miles
Part 2: The High Sierra Hot Springs Trail
329.6 miles
Part 3: The Nevada Trail
607.3 miles
Part 4: The Idaho Soaktennial Trail
1,180.7 miles
Are the section guidebooks the same as the official guide?
Yes, the main guidebook is the summation of these 4 section guidebooks.
How many hot spring areas does this trail visit? 100
There are 64 wild, 22 semi-developed wild, and 14 resorts.
Are each of these 100 hot spring areas usable?
No, 4 of them are located on private property, and are closed to the public at this time.
Are each of the 100 hot spring areas along this trail, 'on-trail'?
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58 of these areas are located on-trail, requiring no extra effort to visit.
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31 are visited by completing out & back hikes of various lengths.
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And finally, 11 of these areas are located *off-trail.
*Mileages for these off-trail areas has not been included in the overall hiking mileage; however, these areas will be visited 'on-trail' if following the recommended resupply and multi-sport options.
What are the current trail tread percentages?
XC (off-trail) = 4.9%
Existing Trails = 45.3%
Jeep or ATV Roads = 11.56%
Dirt Roads = 15.84%
Gravel Roads = 8.10%
Closed Roads = 1.26%
Paved Roads = 8.28%
The majority of XC miles are encountered in Nevada, as ridge-running.
The majority of paved and gravel road miles are found in the final section of the Nevada Trail and sections 1-3 of the Idaho Soaktennial Trail. These sections can be hiked but are also legal to pedal and are therefore recommended for bike-packing.
Is this trail easy to hike?
With proper gear, adequate health, and backcountry navigation/survival skills, yes, but if any one of these is missing, it may be difficult in places.
WATCH: How Hard is the Hot Springs Trail?
How many resupply opportunities are there? 47
Part 1: CCT - 11
Part 2: HSHST - 9
Part 3: NVT - 6
Part 4: IST - 21
How many Farmer's Markets are accessible from this trail? 16
4 are held immediately along the trail.
5 are held within 0.5m of the trail.
7 are held along an official resupply option.
Are permits required anywhere along this trail?
Yes, in the High Sierra. Get a free, self-issued interagency backcountry permit, en-route, in either Kernville (if going Nobo) or Mammoth Lakes (if going Sobo).
Is this really a National Scenic Trail?
No. It's a proposal for one.
Why? Were you hoping it was?
You see, some people want this trail to stay wild, for it to be an adventure that only the hard-cores can do - people who can navigate by map alone, climb steep grades without switchbacks, and handle a little road walking here and there.
However, there are also people who want to see this trail become an NST, for it to be used as a way to help prevent these springs from getting overgrown or overrun by riff-raff. They want to see it used as a leveraging piece to restore the old corridors and trails utilized by this route, in connecting these springs. They also want to see trail badges here & there plus a few new trail segments get built that would eliminate some of this trail's road mileage for thru-hikers.
What would you like to see?
Either way, I'd love your feedback.
Where can I find additional information about this trail?
For answers to the deeper questions, get my free INSIDER'S GUIDE TO THE HST.
