A Blissful Getaway at Quinn’s Hot Springs in Paradise, Montana
Quinn’s Hot Springs in western Montana is one of those rare places where the website does NOT do it justice.
After seeing some images of the pools at Quinn’s Hot Springs on social media, I thought it looked quite nice. I went to the website and couldn’t find a whole lot about the layout of the hot spring resort and exactly what the vibe was.
Plus some of the photos across review sites like TripAdvisor didn’t add up and looked like different properties. This, I would later learn, is because the resort was completely revamped a couple years ago and given a MAJOR glow-up.
While perusing Quinn’s site, however, I did notice accommodations were already mostly booked up for the summer and that was in April. This made me assume the locals of the region knew something I didn’t quite know yet despite being a Montana travel writer!
So when I came upon one night that had a cabin available which also coincided with my planned trip through Montana’s Glacier Country at the end of June, I quickly booked it so I could report back here what the deal is with Quinn’s Hot Springs.
In short: Quinn’s Hot Springs is stunningly scenic and relaxing, fairly priced, and ended up being one of my favorite places to stay in Montana!
Where Exactly is Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort in Montana?
Quinn’s Hot Springs is located near the tiny town of Paradise, MT, about an hour north of Missoula.
To get to it, you’re forced off the main interstate and onto a backroad highway, that also happens to be one of the prettiest stretches of road in Montana.
You’ll pass a bunch of farmland and some lowland mountain passes, and then suddenly you’re in a valley where there is nothing else except Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort, unfolding like a rustic hidden gem right alongside the Clark Fork River.
Both sides of the lodge are flanked by tall mountain peaks, covered in pine trees. The lodges and cabins are nestled against the side of the mountain or next to the river, depending on which side you’re staying.
Is Quinn’s Hot Springs Family-Friendly? What About Romantic for Couples?
I stayed at Quinn’s Hot Springs with my two daughters (ages 5 and 8), and now this off-the-beaten-path accommodation is giving some serious competition to Missoula’s C’mon Inn as my girls’ favorite hotel in the world.
So yes, it’s great for kids.
But it also somehow manages to be a perfect pick for a romantic getaway.
Family AND couple friendly? How does that work, you might be wondering. Well, let me explain.
One reason it was harder to find a booking for my little trio was because we had to book a cabin on the south side of the resort. That’s because all the cabins and lodges to the north side are adult-only.
If you think this makes it sound like Quinn’s isn’t that kid-friendly then, let me assure you, this separate adult-only designation for certain areas and pools is actually GREAT for traveling families.
As a parent, you no doubt understand the relaxation that can come from being in kid-free zones, while also loving vacationing with your kids at other times. Because of this, I especially appreciated the way Quinn’s Hot Springs handled the kids or no kids debate.
Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort is separated in two by the main road that cuts through the valley (Rte 135).
On one side of the road are the main aspects of the resort: the lobby and reception area, the restaurant and bar, the all-important pools, plus a long row of duplex cabins that are available to families.
On the other side of the road is the adults-only area. I don’t think that necessarily means kids are completely banned from this area (like if you want to walk them over to look at the river), but you cannot book one of the riverfront lodges or cabins if members of your party are minors.
What are the accommodations like at Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort?
We stayed in the Bighorn cabin. As mentioned earlier, these cabins next to the Hot Springs are duplexes, but they were still extremely spacious. Lots of room to move about, store suitcases, and lounge on the front porch.
I also appreciated that we could drive our car right next to the stairs on our side of the porch. This made loading and unloading the car a breeze.
While these rooms are not in the luxury category of accommodations, they are extremely clean for being in the middle of the mountains and have comfortable mattresses and bedding.
Duplex Cabin Amenities
My girls were quite elated to see there was a television after being without one at Many Glacier Hotel. I couldn’t really find any channels with kid shows on, but they seemed happy just to watch one episode of Fixer Upper before they went to sleep.
Wi-Fi was also available much to my surprise because it felt so remote. Though really Quinn’s is just an hour north of Missoula and 20 minutes east of St. Regis (both of which are good places to stock up on groceries and snack items if you don’t want to only eat at the dining room or bar during your stay).
The duplex cabins also have a door adjoining the two sides that can be unlocked and opened for larger families or groups traveling together. There is also an accessible duplex with a ramp located closest to the Hot Springs.
The rooms of the adults only side look out over the Clark Fork River. If you’re on a budget or traveling with a group of friends you might enjoy getting rooms in the River Lodge, which has a main foyer area and rooms with balconies overlooking the river or (for another bit of savings) non-river rooms on the other side. You must have a room key for this lodge in order to access the lobby door.
If you’re on a romantic weekend or honeymoon, you might prefer the privacy of one of the riverfront cabins. The wooden swing on the porch of each cabin looked especially swoon worthy.
Insider Tips for River Side Cabins
All the cabins are great with gorgeous views, but when checking them out, these cabins stood out to me:
- Sacajawea: this luxury cabin has extra space from neighbors on one side with a really nice view. It’s at the end of the row of luxury cabins and is the closest to the road leading between the two sides of the resort.
- Charlie Russell and Chief Joseph: Luxury cabins with extra space from neighbor on one side plus
- Canyon View: this standard cabin has a lovely wrap-around porch.
The adults-only lodge and cabins feel so peaceful. In the 15 minutes I was hanging out on that side of the road I even saw a bald eagle swooping down over the river.
The one downside of staying on this side of the resort is that you do have to walk a little bit farther to get to the Hot Springs, but I wouldn’t say it’s more than a 5-minute walk, depending exactly where you’re staying.
You can always wear one of the extremely comfy spa rooms provided for you in the room to keep yourself cuddled up on your walk to and from the hot springs.
If being on the other side of the road closer to the pools is important to you, then you do have another adults-only lodge option: the Glacier Lodge. You won’t find river views from this lodge, but you will be close to the pools and right across from the restaurant and bar.
A small number of accessible or pet-friendly accommodations are also available.
—> See more photos and reviews for lodging at Quinn’s here!
Adult-only areas also extend to the hot spring pools. Let’s get to how that’s done plus more information about the pool in the next section.
The Pools of Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort
Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort is home to seven thermal spring-fed pools all nestled against each other and situated against the side of the mountain.
I was completely wowed by the layout of the Hot Springs and the way they seem to stack upon each other with each level getting hotter (with the exception of the cold plunge pool) while the mountain scenery encircles you. The views were truly incredible to take in while lounging in the pools.
Changing rooms are available right next to the Hot Springs. A gate on the other side of the pools area allowed for quick access to the bar where you could order drinks to take back up to the Hot Springs.
No outside food or drink is allowed within the Hot Spring enclosure. You can bring a water bottle and fill it up with a spring water fountain next to the Hot Springs entrance or take one of the paper cups of water provided for you.
Quinn’s Hot Springs has a large main pool that is heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The highlights of this pool are its size, lower temperature, and the series of waterfalls cascading over the rocks on the mountain side of the pool.
My daughters and I also enjoyed the fun little islands located within the big pool. These islands can provide a bit of privacy if you’re a couple or as a place to put your drinks (or where you can pretend you’re a lounging mermaid if you’re a kid, like my daughters!).
The big pool is open to all ages and so is the smaller pool to its left. Cascading up the side of the hot springs are the other pools, which get hotter in temperature as you move up higher – with the exception of the frigid cold plunge pool.
These pools all differ in age restrictions, with one being five and older, a couple being 14+ (including the plunge pool) and the top one being 18+.
My two elementary age kiddos were not pleased about the age restriction for the cold plunge pool since they have developed a fondness for that thanks to the Bozeman Hot Springs, but besides that they were completely fine with the age restrictions.
They enjoyed frolicking around in the big pool and playing in the waterfalls with little breaks to get a little hotter in the two smaller pools open to their ages.
As for me, I actually liked the fact that not all of the pools are open to kids due to the way the pools are set up.
With the stacked layout of the pools, I was able to sit in a couple of the hotter ones while still being in clear sight of my children from up high, or even just over a small ledge from them. If I needed to, I could just quickly jump over that ledge to get to them.
The key thing is that they understood they were not allowed to come over to my side, allowing me some relaxation, while they were swimming around in the big pool all within my line of vision. I loved it!
For those who prefer quieter times at the pool aka no kids yelling and jumping, there are adult-only only times in the pools from 7am-8am and 10pm-11pm.
Eating and Drinking at Quinn’s Hot Springs
Being practically in the middle of nowhere, you might be wondering about where to get food. Quinn’s has solved this by pairing up a higher-end dining room and a laidback bar with pub fare as its onsite dining solution.
Harwood House
I loved our dinner at the main dining room call Harwood House, located in a building just behind the reception house for Quinn’s Hot Springs. The vibe was very friendly and welcoming with rustic decor and local ingredients on the menu, including meats from nearby ranches.
The service was a bit slow, but everyone who worked there was so nice and friendly. And besides, we had nowhere to be in the middle of the mountains! (But something to keep in mind with younger kids who might have trouble sitting for longer meals – bring some extra things to color or play with; a set of crayons for coloring the kids menus was provided to us which was nice.)
An especially lovely surprise for my family was being seated next to one of the windows in the main room, which had a hummingbird feeder hanging right outside it. Throughout the course of our meal, we were able to watch dozens of hummingbirds visit that feeder and a few others located within view of our table.
We were charmed for sure, and it definitely helped my kids stay entertained while we waited for our food, so consider requesting one of those tables if possible.
Quinn’s Tavern
Right next door to the dining room, with an adjoining hallway, is Quinn’s Tavern, which has a wide bar, many hightop tables, and a couple pool tables. If you’re looking for a casual meal, this is the place to go.
It’s also of course the place to go if you just want a tasty cocktail or other libation.
Other Perks of Staying at Quinn’s Hot Springs
Pool Use After Check-Out Time
One cool thing is that check out is at 11 AM but you’re allowed to still use the Hot Springs until 1 PM the day of checkout. This is all automated with the wristbands that are given to you at check-in.
Convenient Wristbands
These wristbands also open your door to your room so you don’t have to worry about keys while you’re visiting the pools.
The adult ones are more like a watch wristband that you can take on and off, while the kids ones have to stay fastened. I put them on the girls just tight enough that they wouldn’t fall off in the pool, but they could still take them off to sleep so that worked well for us.
Massages
If you like some pampering, there is a small little massage hut on site where you can get a massage or facial or other relaxing spa treatment.
Welcoming Lobby with Gift Shop
Inside the lobby, you’ll find a gift shop with some local trinkets and souvenirs plus some snacks and drinks you can take back to your room. Coffee is available in the lobby and the entrance to the Hot Springs throughout the day.
Playground
Quinn’s has a playground located just down a bit from the lobby and hot springs entrance. We had easy access to it from our cabin much to the delight of my kids.
It was especially nice to tell them to go play on it while I was packing everything up the morning we were checking out since I was able to still see them from the front window and porch of our cabin.
A Bit of Mining History
There’s a huge hole in the side of the mountain that is hard to miss when walking toward the duplexes from the lobby or pools. It is closed off and one of the employees said it’s the entrance to a former mine.
Can You Visit Quinn’s Hot Springs Even if You’re Not Staying Overnight?
You sure can! There are day passes available during specific 4-hour time slots. These times are from 8am-12pm, 12pm-4pm, and 4pm-8pm.
Another hot spring resort you may enjoy checking out if you’re traveling closer to Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park instead of Missoula and Glacier National Park is Chico Hot Springs. Read my full review of Chico Hot Springs here.
You can also get more ideas for thermal soaking with our Top Hot Springs in Montana article.
