Turkey Creek Hot Springs

Gila Wilderness, Gila National Forest (north of the town of Gila)

Turkey Creek Hot Springs is a string of soaking pools along a narrow side canyon of the Gila River, on the southern edge of the Gila Wilderness. Desert Lavender, a hiking blog that has written about it several times, says the water “bubbles out of the ground at 165°F, and there are literally dozens of soaking pools.”

Islands, citing AllTrails, puts the round trip at 8.3 miles, but it’s slower than the number suggests.

The hike

The trailhead is at the end of the road north of the town of Gila. HikeArizona’s guide describes driving west from Silver City on U.S. 180, then NM 211 and NM 153, which becomes Forest Road 155, about 8.5 miles of rough dirt ending at the Gila River, with a few pull-offs and no facilities. Desert Lavender’s November 2025 report said the road “had deteriorated” badly, with a bare rock shelf and steep drop-offs.

From the road’s end, HikeArizona says to follow the trail about 1.3 miles up the Gila River to the Turkey Creek junction, with three river crossings. Islands describes a washed-out road and a crossing where the water can run high, so bring a change of shoes. The Forest Service lists this as the downstream end of the 32.6-mile Gila River Trail.

Turkey Creek Trail #155 heads up the side canyon. In Desert Lavender’s 2008 account, the main trail switchbacks up the ridge between Turkey Creek and Skeleton Canyon about 3 miles from the trailhead, and the way to the springs leaves it to follow the streambed. That’s where it gets rough: boulder hopping, scrambling on loose scree, and a pool under a rockfall where you crawl through and drag your pack. Islands calls the opening the Keyhole; Desert Lavender’s 2025 group nicknamed it “the birthing canal.” The springs start about half a mile past the rockfall, according to the 2008 report, with hot water seeping out along a quarter mile of creek. Islands says creek water cools it to soaking temperature in many pools.

At a small hot spring in a side canyon near camp, Desert Lavender’s November 2025 group found water so hot they could stay in only a few minutes. They also reported a yellow sulfur wall, a deep pool below a waterfall “well over my head,” and a sign at one spring reading “You Will Die.”

Above the springs, Turkey Creek Trail climbs for about 28 miles in all toward McKenna Park and the West Fork, HikeArizona says, and Gila Trails Info lists its first 5 miles as logged and brushed in 2025. A commenter in an October 2025 Backcountry Post thread suggested a loop up Turkey Creek, over the Granny Mountain Trail, and back down the lower Gila.

For a longer trip on the river itself, see the Gila River Trail.

Tips

Check the Gila’s flow before you drive in. Don’t try to drive across the river.
Bring water shoes and dry socks for the crossings.
Pack light and compact. You’ll pass your pack through the rockfall tunnel.
Test the water before you get in. Some sources are scalding.
Go in cooler months. HikeArizona lists April, May, September, and October as preferred.
Expect company on weekends. Desert Lavender found many people camped along the Gila on a Sunday night.

Camping

No permit or pass is needed in the Gila Wilderness for individuals; organized groups need a Forest Service permit. NPS asks you to camp at least 200 feet from any spring, hot or cold, and from streams and trails, on high ground with no sign of past flooding. Hang food at least 10 feet up. Forest Order 03-06-00-25-002 limits stays to 14 days in 30. The Gila lifted fire restrictions on July 20, 2026. Treat all water.

Inside Intel: Desert Lavender’s November 2025 group based themselves in a grove of Arizona sycamores beside the Gila about three miles from the trailhead, then moved to Turkey Creek near the Skeleton Canyon junction. Islands mentions a camping area along Turkey Creek about 2 miles up. In 2008 the same blog found “a fine selection of campsites” farther upstream from the springs.

Trail facts

Distance: 8.3 miles round trip (AllTrails, via Islands)
Route type: Out and back
Difficulty: Strenuous for the distance; scrambling and a tight rockfall passage
Campsites: Dispersed; along the Gila and on Turkey Creek
Water: Gila River and Turkey Creek (treat it)
Permits: None for individuals
Bear and food storage: Hang food (NPS)
Dogs: Allowed under control (NPS)
Trailhead: End of Forest Road 155 at the Gila River, north of Gila, NM
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

November nights by the Gila:

Desert Lavender's November trips here based camp under sycamores beside the Gila, so pack a bag rated for late-fall nights. See the sleeping bags testers rate.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.