Less hurry. More ahhh.
Tecopa
hot springs.
Make the soak a reason to stop, not another task to squeeze in.
Tecopa is a small community in southeastern Inyo County, California, known for its mineral hot springs. It sits south of Shoshone, across the state line from our home base just outside Pahrump. Here is every place to soak:
- Tecopa Hot Springs & Campground: the county springs. Day passes, two bathhouses with separate men’s and women’s pools, nude bathing only.
- Delight’s Hot Springs Resort: day and night passes. An outdoor hot-springs pool and four private bathhouses.
- Tecopa Hot Springs Resort: overnight guests only. Five private tub rooms, open October through May.
- Shoshone Inn: a warm mineral-spring pool for inn guests, 10 miles north in Shoshone.
Passes, water temperatures, history and weather for each one are in our Tecopa hot springs guide.
The sweetest detour
China Ranch
& date shakes.
“Finally, a date everyone can agree on.”
China Ranch Date Farm sits among desert hills near Tecopa. Its date grove, bakery and shop make it a natural stop for a slower sightseeing day. The date shake is the obvious temptation; you can also browse the farm’s products and learn more about the place.
A small museum covers local history, early residents and the canyon’s past. It is a good companion to the scenery, especially if you want some context before exploring farther.
China Ranch: date shakes, shop & museumA stroll or a proper hike?
Nearby walks range from short outings to longer canyon routes. A bakery stop does not commit you to a long desert hike.
The farm’s hiking information recommends the cooler months.
China Ranch walking and hiking informationWater wrote this chapter
The Amargosa
landscape.
Green ribbons, pale hills and stories that run deeper than the road.
A river in the desert
Amargosa Canyon holds streamside vegetation and wetlands amid an otherwise dry landscape. This habitat supports birds and rare wildlife, including the endangered Amargosa vole.
The China Ranch Trail connects visitors with walking routes along Willow Creek and the Amargosa River. Dogs stay out of the marshes.
Amargosa Canyon visitor informationAncient lakebeds, trade routes and a railroad
The Tecopa basin includes landforms and deposits from an ancient lake. Water also shaped human history here: Indigenous communities relied on these desert waters long before later travelers followed the Old Spanish Trail through the region.
In the early twentieth century, the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad served remote mining communities. Along the Amargosa, the remains of earlier journeys add another layer to a landscape already full of geological stories.
Amargosa geology and cultural historyDowntown Tecopa’s watering hole
Death Valley
Brewing.
“The last cold one
before a whole lot of nothing.”
Death Valley Brewing has poured beer brewed in house in “Downtown Tecopa,” right on the Old Spanish Trail Highway, since 2014. It is open Thursday through Sunday, 1 to 8 PM, and the 2026 season opened October 1.
Expect a long tap list with local names: a prickly pear sour, the Amargosa Sunset red ale and Dan’s Original Sin, made with dates, apple and honey. There is pizza from Kit Fox’s wood-fired oven next door and Bavarian-style pretzels to go with it, a 9-foot antique pool table, darts, board games and live music.
Riding? Save the beer for when the riding is done.
Death Valley Brewing: taps, hours and eventsFeed the detour
Kit Fox
Café.
“We came for the scenery.
We stayed for another slice.”
Kit Fox Café is in downtown Tecopa on Tecopa Hot Springs Road, next door to Death Valley Brewing. Espresso, fresh-baked goods, sandwiches, soups, salads and wood-fired pizza, with vegan options and a corner of camping supplies. Its oven makes the pizza for the brewery too. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 8 AM to 7 PM.
Kit Fox Café’s latest updates Southeast Inyo visitor guide, 2026 China Ranch’s local food recommendationsA local dining update
Rhinestones
Steak House.
Formerly Steaks & Beers of Tecopa
Now in Pahrump, Nevada.
“No Michelin star.
Just the steak you’ll judge every other steak against.”
Our personal take: one of the best steaks we’ve ever had, and the benchmark for every steak since. It is the sort of meal that makes you look around and say, “How is this out here?”
If you remember Steaks & Beers of Tecopa, look for Rhinestones Steak House in Pahrump, Nevada. New name, new town—and still the steak we keep talking about.
Older articles and directory listings may still use the former name or show the Tecopa location.
Sleep near the steam
Where to stay
in Tecopa.
- Tecopa Hot Springs Resort: motel rooms, cabins and full-hookup RV sites, with private hot-spring tubs for guests. Open October through May.
- Tecopa Hot Springs & Campground: 30 partial-hookup RV sites and more than 200 dry camping sites, with the county hot springs included in your stay.
More on both at our Tecopa hot springs guide.
Tecopa Hot Springs Resort Tecopa Hot Springs & Campground
Leave some room in the day
A Tecopa day trip
from Pahrump.
Getting to Tecopa
From Pahrump, take the Old Spanish Trail Highway southwest into California. Tecopa is about 80 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, and Death Valley’s southeast entrance is about 10 miles beyond the hot springs. The springs are three miles down Tecopa Hot Springs Road, which leaves Highway 127 seven miles south of Shoshone.
Fill the tank before leaving Pahrump or Beatty
Start with a full tank in Pahrump or Beatty before heading into Death Valley. Remote fuel stops can be much more expensive. For budgeting, allow for the possibility of $10 a gallon in Death Valley; that is a planning allowance, not a live pump price.
There is gas just up the road from Tecopa in Shoshone, but expect to pay more than in the Nevada gateway towns.
Shoshone visitor guide and gas-station informationTecopa weather
The season runs October through May. Summer highs in this corner of the Mojave run 100 to 120°F; winter highs reach the 70s and nights can freeze. Carry water and food either way.
Tecopa forecast from the National Weather Service