Where to Park Your Camper Van Conversion in Tonopah, Arizona

Definitely off the beaten path.

El Dorado Hot Springs is the stop you're just not sure about.

The reviews say the water is lukewarm at best and that the stares from the male visitors are so penetrating that you can feel them looking in to your soul.

Reviews aside...

Being the daring traveler that I am, I figured this spot was worth a try.

I've gone to places before that I was sure were going to be dives and they turned out to be my very favorite little hole in the walls.

I arrived to find a sweet woman sitting outside with a propane heater behind her watching a movie on her phone at what looked like a folding table.

"Can I help you"

she looked at me and smiled.

I told her I was interested in a soak and she gave me my options.

1. $10 for an hour soak in the pool
2. $15 for a private tub
3. $30 to dry camp with use of the spa all night and a 3 PM check out the next day
4. $35 to plug in with use of the spa all night and 3 PM check out.

Although I originally told myself I wouldn't stay, $35 to plug in all night and charge up my goal zero battery and unlimited soaking seemed like a much better deal than the $10/1 hour option.

I paid my money.

Cozied up in my spot aptly named Dulce and returned to desert Pete for some well-needed soaking time.

When I arrived, there was a gentleman in the pebble tub which is supposed to be the hottest temperature, so I got into the round tin tub.

He said hello. I responded hi and proceeded to soak.

He then went on to try and initiate small talk. We exchanged a few words then I went quiet to continue my soak. He stayed in his pool for a bit longer, then said loud enough for me to hear that his pool was too warm and starting making his way out of the pool.

He then came and entered my small tub. Again we exchanged some pleasantries, and after a few minutes, I turned toward my things and away from him to fidget with my phone—it was finally time I learned how to do a post to Youtube and figure out how I could create some of those cool Youtube stories.

The gentleman then said the pool we were both in had gotten too cold and he returned to the hotter pool. I stuck around in the metal tub for another 10 or so minutes in silence then returned to my van for dinner.

The next morning I got up bright and early and returned to the pools, hopefully avoiding other soakers.

When I arrived, there was one man zenning out in one of the porcelain tubs. I got into a different porcelain tub and we soaked together in glorious silence.

At one point he looked over and noticed my faucet was slowly trickling out water and pointed out a knob I could use to adjust the water flow. I adjusted the knob so that water gushed into my tub and continued my beautiful soak.

Eventually, he left, leaving me the only soaker in Desert Pete—it was fantastic.

I walked around and took photos and videos of the beautiful desert landscapes and continued my soak.

Another man then came over and sat in the pebble pool.

"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm well, thanks."

That seemed to quiet him down for a bit, then he asked: "So what do you do for a living?"

A question I rarely ever get since setting out on van life.

I told him I was traveling and working on a book.

"Oh, you're a writer? I am, too!"

He then proceeded to tell me all about the writing conferences he's attended, that one time he got interviewed by an editor, and even recited one of his favorite pieces all with no input from me.

After about 15 minutes of his storytelling, I excused myself from the pool and returned to my van to prepare for the day.

My honest review of the El Dorado Hot Springs:

They're pretty spartan.

The water is about lukewarm in all the pools.

And it's likely if you sit around there for too long, some guy will show up and start yakking his head off.

Other than that...

it's totally worth a try!