Broadwater Hot Springs, Montana: Pools & Temps Guide

Where Broadwater Hot Springs is

Broadwater Hot Springs & Fitness sits at 4920 West US Highway 12 in Helena, Montana, on Ten Mile Creek in the Rocky Mountains west of downtown. The drive from Helena is roughly five miles, about ten minutes, which makes it one of the most accessible soaks in the region and an easy add-on to a day in the capital.

The setting is a built-up pool and fitness campus rather than a wild riverside pool, so plan for a resort-style visit: paved access, a restaurant on site and a short walk from parking to the pools. The property is handicap accessible and the walk around it is easy, which matters if you are traveling with grandparents or young children.

Getting there and parking

From Helena, take US-12 W/Euclid Ave and continue on US-12 W for about 3.8 miles, then turn right onto Old Broadwater Lane; the destination is on the right. That route puts you at the entrance without any forest-road driving, so a standard car is fine in any season and you do not need a high-clearance vehicle.

Parking is on site, and once you are out of the car the pools, restaurant and fitness building are within a short walk. If you are combining the soak with a longer Montana road trip, Broadwater works well as the first or last stop of the day because you are back on US-12 in minutes.

The pools

Broadwater has three outdoor hot spring pools plus a hot tub and a cold plunge, and they are not interchangeable. The Springs Pool is a 30-by-70-foot freeform saltwater pool, 3 to 4.5 feet deep, with bench seating around the perimeter; the Soaking Pool is 24 by 60 feet and 3 to 5 feet deep, also bench-lined. Both are kept between 97 and 102°F, which makes them the right choice for a long, quiet soak.

The Recreation Pool is 25 by 70 feet and 3 to 10 feet deep, held between 89 and 93°F, so it is cooler and better for swimming, playing with kids or cooling off between hot soaks. The hot tub runs 101 to 104°F and the cold plunge 60 to 70°F, giving you a deliberate hot-cold sequence if that is what you came for.

For families, the Recreation Pool is the practical base camp: shallower than its 10-foot maximum in most of the pool, cooler than the soaking pools and separate from the quiet bench-lined pools. Adults who want heat should head to the Springs Pool or Soaking Pool first, then use the cold plunge between rounds.

Water temperatures from source to soak

The natural artesian well feeding Broadwater runs between 148 and 152°F seasonally, and the water is cooled and managed before it reaches the pools. That source heat explains why the soaking pools hold 97 to 102°F even in cold weather, but it also means the water coming out of the ground is scalding: never submerge your head in untreated geothermal water, and test any pool with your hand before committing.

Published temperatures are a guide, not a guarantee: pools are managed and can be adjusted, so treat the numbers as your planning baseline and confirm the day's conditions at the front desk. If you are heat-sensitive or soaking with children, start in the Recreation Pool at 89 to 93°F and move up gradually.

Fees, hours and day-use rates

Broadwater publishes day rates and membership options separate from its pool and restaurant hours, so check the rates page for the current day-use price before you go and budget for a meal if you plan to stay for dinner. The site is day-use only, with no accommodations on the property.

Hours vary by season and by whether you are using the pools, the restaurant or the fitness center, and holiday hours are posted separately. Confirm the pool hours and day rate with Broadwater Hot Springs & Fitness before you drive out, especially on holidays or if you are planning an evening around live music.

Rules and posted etiquette

This is a clothing-required, family-oriented facility, and the resort is not pet friendly, so leave dogs at home and pack a swimsuit. Follow the posted pool rules on site for children, glass and food; the staff enforces them pool by pool.

Because the complex includes a fitness center and a restaurant, the rhythm is more health club than wilderness soak: shower before entering the pools, keep voices low in the soaking pools and use the Recreation Pool for splashing. If you want a quiet, adult-oriented soak, go early on a weekday rather than during a family evening.

The Springs Taproom & Grill and poolside dining

The Springs Taproom & Grill is on site, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, with 2-for-1 drinks on Saturdays and Sundays with breakfast. That makes Broadwater a full-evening stop: soak, dry off, eat, and stay for music rather than driving back into Helena for dinner.

Restaurant hours differ from pool hours, so check both before you plan a late soak around a meal. If you are soaking with kids, an early dinner after the Recreation Pool works better than a late seating.

Live music Thursdays and weekend shows

Live music is part of the Broadwater routine: most shows run Thursday evenings from 7 to 10 PM, with occasional weekend shows through the year, featuring local favorites, touring musicians, acoustic sets, DJs and full bands. The patio is large, and you can listen from the pools, the fire pits, the lawn or a lawn chair you bring yourself.

If music is the reason for your visit, build the evening around it: soak first, eat at The Springs, then settle in on the patio with the mountain view. Weeknight shows are calmer than weekend ones, and bringing a lawn chair gives you more flexibility than relying on patio seating.

Fitness center, sauna, steam room and racquetball

The 25,000-square-foot facility includes a gym, fitness classes, private training, swim lessons, a sauna, a steam room and racquetball courts, so a visit can be a workout plus a soak rather than a soak alone. If you are traveling and want to keep a routine, check the class schedule before you arrive and build the pool time around it.

For a pure hot springs trip, the sauna and steam room are optional extras; for locals or long-stay visitors, they make Broadwater a repeatable stop. The cold plunge pairs naturally with the sauna and hot pools if you like contrast bathing.

Best time to go: crowds, seasons and Montana nights

Broadwater runs year-round, and the outdoor pools stay hot through Montana winters, which makes it a strong cold-weather option when mountain roads to primitive springs are uncertain. Summer evenings and Thursday music nights draw the biggest crowds, so a weekday morning or early afternoon gives you the quietest soak.

Winter visits need warm layers for the walk between the pool and the building, plus footwear that handles ice in the parking lot. In summer, bring sun protection for the patio and plan to move between the hot pools and the cooler Recreation Pool to stay comfortable.

Camping and lodging near Helena

Broadwater is day-use only, so you will sleep elsewhere: Helena has the widest range of hotels and rentals, and the drive back to town takes about ten minutes. Campers should look at public land and private campgrounds around Helena and the surrounding mountains; check availability and seasonal closures with the specific campground before you commit.

If you want a Montana hot springs road trip rather than a single soak, use Helena as a base and branch out from there. The state has a deep bench of developed and primitive soaks, from resort pools to forest-service pools, and our guide to hot springs in montana helps you pick the next stop.

Nearby springs to combine on a road trip

Broadwater is a natural first or last stop on a Montana hot springs loop because it is close to Helena and open year-round. From there, Bozeman Hot Springs, Montana is a developed, multi-pool complex south of Bozeman with a long history and a different, more resort-like feel; it suits travelers heading toward the Gallatin Valley.

For a longer loop, Chico Hot Springs, Montana pairs a historic hotel with hot pools in the Paradise Valley, making it a good overnight counterpoint to a day-use soak in Helena. Farther west, Quinn's Hot Springs Resort in the Clark Fork valley offers another developed option when you are crossing the state toward Idaho, and our Idaho hot springs guide picks up the route from there.

Primitive seekers should look at Elkhorn Hot Springs, Montana in Beaverhead County, where the soak is more rustic and the setting more remote than Broadwater. Pick Broadwater for facilities and a meal, Elkhorn for a wilder day, and string them together only if you are comfortable with long Montana drives.

Leave No Trace at Broadwater

At a developed pool like Broadwater, Leave No Trace mostly means packing out what you bring in, keeping glass out of the pool area and following the posted rules on food and drink. Towels, water bottles and lawn chairs should leave with you, and the fire pits and lawn should look the way you found them.

Plan Your Helena Soak

Broadwater Hot Springs is the Helena soak that fits into a normal day: five miles from town, three outdoor pools at different temperatures, a hot tub, a cold plunge and a restaurant on site. Go on a weekday morning for quiet water, or on a Thursday evening for music and dinner, and check the rates and hours with Broadwater Hot Springs & Fitness before you drive out.