Seeing how Nevada is the state with the hottest springs, over 300, I’m surprised that after soaking all over the western United States. that we haven’t soaked here yet. Till now.
The 2nd closest spring to Reno and lake Tahoe, is in Carson City. Carson City is about a half hour drive from Reno, which is the closest major city, and international airport. Carson City is the state capitol and a former silver and gold mining town. Carson hot springs has been in operation since the 1880s. It’s a simple spring with a layout like a public pool. There are 4 outdoor pools with naturally heated, untreated water. Inside there are 9 private indoor pools in individual rooms for an extra charge. The facility also has a sauna and concessions up at the front desk. The cost for the outdoor pools is $17. You can find out more at https://carsonhotsprings.com/
Right next door is both a restaurant and a brewery. We were in the mood for steaks so we headed across town to Red’s old 395 grill. The steaks and barbeque were both tasty,
Our 2nd hot springs stop of the trip, was a surprise to me, I didn’t know where we were going, just told where to drive. Not far from Carson City, maybe 20 min, is the small town of Genoa. We had to stop here to ask directions because the google map directions to our stop, led us to a field of cows. The friendly people in the Genoa general store told us it was just 2 miles down the road. That led us to Wally’s 1862 hot springs resort. It’s actually owned by Holiday inn, but you wouldn’t know it, because it looks like a group of condos, not a hotel, and only a small sign near one entrance. Besides the newer condo like resort buildings, there are several old historic buildings on grounds such as the historic lodge which was built in 1862, and is now the restaurant. It’s a beautiful rustic dining room with good food, we had the pasta which was huge and flavorful. There are several of the original building still there. The restaurant and resort are nice but the hot springs is the main reason people go. There is a large heated mineral pool and five mineral spas with temps from 98-104, and all-natural water which is replaced every few hours. The smaller pools have foot rests in the middle of them so you can sink down deeper in the water. Also, there are separate men’s and women’s saunas and steam rooms, as well as a full line of spa services.
The grounds are beautiful with the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background and the steaming wetlands just beyond the property. The site is quite historic with the pony express having run right through it, and several famous guests have stayed in its past such as Mark Twain, who claimed its waters healed him and he left without needing his cane. To find out more about Wally’s 1862, check here https://holidayinnclub.com/explore-resorts/david-walleys-resort . It’s only an 18-mile drive from Wally’s to South Lake Tahoe, which is a beautiful place to visit and eat after your soak.