David Walley's Resort
By the HotSpringsFind editorial team · How we compile records · Reviewed September 2026
David Walley's Resort is a resort hot spring listed near Genoa, Nevada. Reported soak temperature: 101°F. See the visit fact sheet.
Current status
Nevada's oldest hot springs resort (1862) in Genoa, now a Holiday Inn Club Vacations (IHG) timeshare property — five mineral pools/seven soaking spots plus heated pool, sauna and steam open daily roughly 7:30am-9pm (to 10pm Fri-Sat); non-guests pay ~$55-65/person/day day-pass with reservations required and capacity capped; included for overnight guests via resort fee.
Checked September 2026 · verified on the operator’s site · 6 sources ↓
Staying overnight?
Stay at the resort, right at the hot springs.
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Before you go
- Status: Reservation or permission required — confirm via Visit Carson Valley — Nevada Hot Springs: David Walley's.
- Cost: Reported $65 — confirm current rates before visiting.
- Getting there: Developed resort — confirm operating hours and any reservation requirement.
- Water: Reported soak temperature 101°F — always test the water before entering.
- Rules: Reported clothing required; pets reported not allowed — confirm current rules.
- Conditions: check weather, fire closures, and land-manager alerts the week you go — mountain access changes seasonally.
- Reservations/permits: None — paid day pass or overnight stay
- Booking: Reservation required.
- Best time to go: Weekday mornings; winter après-ski and summer weekends are busiest
- Clothing reality: Swimsuits required — resort spa environment, no nudity.
- Kids: Allowed.
- Cell service: ok — download maps and tell someone your plan.
- Accessibility: Developed resort with terraced pool decks and steps between tubs; ADA rooms exist but pool-level mobility is limited — call ahead
- Day-pass ~$55-65/person — one of Nevada's priciest soaks; reservations required even for day use, capacity capped
- Overnight guests: hot springs access bundled into resort fee — 'free' only in that sense
- Credit-card statement shows 'Trading Places' (timeshare exchange operator) — can confuse guests
- $115 refundable damage deposit collected at check-in
- Timeshare property — expect sales-pitch invitations; check-in 4pm, check-out 10am (early)
- Kids allowed only in cooler pools; adults-only pool on site
- On-site 1862 Restaurant & Saloon may want dinner reservations
- Hazard: Some tubs kept very hot ('par-boiling' per reviews) — ease in
- Hazard: Source historically ~160°F — stay in plumbed pools only
About this spring
Nevada's oldest continuously operating hot springs resort (est. 1862 on the Emigrant Trail, Pony Express/Mark Twain era) — terraced outdoor mineral tubs (98-104°F) with Sierra views plus heated pool, spa and the 1862 restaurant. Nevada historical marker #120. Fee: ~$65 day soak (capacity-capped, reservations required); free for overnight guests. Reservations required even for day soaking; day access not always offered.
The springs emerge along a fault break at the base of the Carson Range on the Carson branch of the Emigrant Trail — the same corridor the Pony Express used. David Walley began charging 50 cents a bath, and in 1862 he and Harriet Walley built a $100,000 hotel-spa with 40 rooms, 11 baths, a swimming pool, ballroom, stables, gardens, and a resident physician and masseuse that drew Comstock millionaires. The 136–160 °F thermal water was promoted as a cure for 'rheumatism and scrofulous afflictions'; Mark Twain praised the springs in an 1887 letter.
The property sold for just $5,000 in 1896, operated as a hotel until fire destroyed it in 1935, and was rebuilt — the original cool cellar survives in the modern complex. In 1962, test holes drilled to 1,250 feet found thermal water up to 181 °F. Nevada Historical Marker No. 120 stands in the resort parking lot. The resort bills itself as Nevada's oldest still-operating hot springs resort, with terraced mineral tubs below Jobs Peak.
Directions & trailhead access
2001 Foothill Rd (NV-206), Genoa — ~1.5 mi south of Genoa, 20 min south of Carson City.
Nevada geothermal context
Nevada has more hot springs per square mile than any other state — Basin and Range faulting brings deep thermal water to the surface across nearly every valley. Most sites are primitive seeps and tubs on public BLM land reached by long, unmaintained dirt roads. Carry extra water, and watch for flash floods in desert washes during storms.
What a resort site means here
A resort spring is a commercial operation: developed pools or tubs with controlled temperatures, changing facilities, and usually day-use fees or lodging packages. Expect posted rules (swimsuits, quiet hours, age limits), staff on site, and in many cases required reservations — especially on weekends and holidays.
Best time to visit
October – April (Fall, Winter & Spring)Desert thermal zones experience high summer ambient heat. The cooler months from late autumn to early spring offer the most refreshing ambient conditions for open-air soaking.
Fact sheet
| Reported soak temp | 101°F |
|---|---|
| Source temp (historical) | 101°F |
| Trail access | Recorded coordinates — access unverified |
| Access fee | Reported $65 — verify |
| Clothing policy | Reported clothing required |
| Pet policy | Reported no pets |
| Geothermal data reference | NOAA Thermal Springs List (1980 archive) |
| Check land status | Visit Carson Valley — Nevada Hot Springs: David Walley's |
David Walley's Resort FAQ
Is David Walley's Resort open right now?
Nevada's oldest hot springs resort (1862) in Genoa, now a Holiday Inn Club Vacations (IHG) timeshare property — five mineral pools/seven soaking spots plus heated pool, sauna and steam open daily roughly 7:30am-9pm (to 10pm Fri-Sat); non-guests pay ~$55-65/person/day day-pass with reservations required and capacity capped; included for overnight guests via resort fee. (Status verified on the operator’s site, last checked September 2026.)
Is David Walley's Resort free?
David Walley's Resort is listed with reported fees near Genoa. Fees are reported; confirm admission, parking and permit costs with the site manager.
What temperature is David Walley's Resort?
David Walley's Resort has a reported soak temperature of 101°F and a historical source temperature of 101°F in survey records. Historical data may not reflect current conditions — always test water before entering.
Is David Walley's Resort clothing optional?
David Walley's Resort is listed as swimsuit-required in directory records. Confirm current rules before visiting, as policies change.
How do you access David Walley's Resort?
David Walley's Resort is a private venue with paid public admission. Confirm current hours, fees and booking requirements with the operator before visiting.
Stay at David Walley’s Resort
Rooms and villas are on site at the hot springs. Check whether your rate includes hot-springs access.
We may earn a commission from bookings through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Sources & references
- IHG — Holiday Inn Club Vacations David Walley's Resort — operator · 2026-09
- IHG booking policy text — $55/day/person hot springs fee — operator · 2025
- Visit Carson Valley — Nevada Hot Springs: David Walley's — official · 2024
- Hot Springs Atlas — David Walley's Resort — community · 2026
- Yelp — David Walley's Resort — community · 2025-06
Additional references for this record; a source link does not guarantee current conditions.
Details above were verified against the named sources on their listed dates — conditions change, so recheck before traveling. · How we verify our data · Report a correction
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