Winter Hot Springs Road Trip to Idaho
Hot Springs will always be a natural wonder for me especially during wintertime. It’s simply amazing to be soaking in a hot natural pool surrounded by snow covered views.
Idaho is probably the best state for visiting hot springs as there are so many of them of different shapes and sizes because of Idaho’s unique geothermal location.
Sharing locations of hot springs is frowned upon because they often get trashed by some people. I personally think that educating and leading by example is a better way to go about it. These places are not secret anymore, and I think we can all enjoy them as long as we protect and preserve these special places.
One of the hot springs we visited was heavily trashed with beer cans, bottles, a dirty diaper, forgotten clothes and towels, and all kinds of stuff. We brought garbage bags, collected the trash and packed it out. It really doesn’t take that long, and I know a lot of you already do it too. Let’s keep cleaning and keeping natural places we love pristine so that they stay opens and enjoyable for generations to come. I hope that by teaching my daughter from a young age she will learn not only to no litter but do something about it when she see it.
Here are our favorite hot springs from this trip.
Boat Box Hot Spring
This hot spring is definitely the most unique looking from all I’ve visited before. It’s a small metal tub that looks like a cauldron. It would fit probably three adults, and it was perfect for our family. There is a pipe that comes out from a side of the hill that fills the tub with really hot water. When we got there it was too hot for us to get inside. Luckily, you can move the pipe to the side, let some hot water out from a spigot at the bottom of the tub, and bring some ice cold water with the bucket, which is normally always there, from the river. My husband even managed to bring a big chunk of ice from the river to help get the temperature just right for a perfect soak. I really liked Boat Box hot spring but the tub is small so just know you will have to possible wait you turn if occupied but there are 2 or 3 rock lined natural shallow hot pools below the tub that you can relax in also while waiting you turn.
This hot spring is located only about a 10 minute drive from Stanley along the Salmon river, and is right off the highway. There is a pull out big enough for 2-3 vehicles.
Mountain Village Resort Hot Spring
We normally don’t like to pay for the hot springs, but since we were already in Stanley we decided to soak in this hot spring too. It’s $25 per hour to use this spring, and normally you can have up to 8 people there (4 people now, due to COVID). It’s a short walk from the Mountain Village Lodge to a small barn that contains a manmade pool that fills up with hot water from a natural spring. There are also two changing rooms inside, and as you open the barn doors you will have a very nice view from the pool. I found this spring to be a little too hot for my liking, so I don’t know if I will visit it again. But overall it was a nice experience and I definitely enjoyed the location and the views there.
Kirkham Hot Springs
Kirkham Hot Springs are definitely a hot spot. They are well known and visited year around, because this location along the South Fork of the Payette River is simply stunning and also easily accessible. The geothermic area is massive resulting in, a lot of pools… maybe 12? They located in two different areas referred to as the upper pools (by the Campground/Bathrooms (more information below)) and lower pools ( down the stairs by the river ) and have varied temperatures to choose from. There is also hot water cascading down the cliff into a small pool that makes a perfect natural hot shower.
These hot springs are located east of Lowman, Idaho, along State Highway 21. The Kirkham campground located right by the hot springs, but it is closed until further notice visit their website for updates and information.
Goldbug Hot Springs
These hot springs were my favorite and the most picturesque. Everything about these springs was great: awesome views, a lot of pools with different temperatures, the right depths of the pools, and also a very comfortable bottom of the pools covered with small rocks. Obviously, I am not the only one who thought these springs were great as they stay pretty busy. We did get lucky though as most people were leaving when we arrived, so we had the pools to ourselves for a while until another group arrived. While other hot springs on our road trip required only a short walk, you actually had to hike to get to the Goldbug Hot Springs. It’s 2 miles one way and the hike was very nice and enjoyable with all the fresh snow around. Most elevation gain was at the switchbacks right at the beginning, and right before reaching the springs. I would rate this hike as moderate. Some spots got a little icy so I would recommend bringing micro-spikes for your shoes and trekking poles when visiting during winter time. Goldbug hot springs are located south of Salmon, Idaho on highway 93, and the turn off is near mile marker 282.
My Book:
About Me
Hi, My name is Natasha Moon. I am a blogger, photographer, traveler and an adventure mom. I consider nature and experiences in the outdoors to be a much needed therapy for me and my family. I hope you can find inspiration and motivation on my blog.
Recent Instagram Posts
