Hot Springs Campground Pool
95–100°F
Pool temperatures
Short walk
Easy access
Free
No fee reported
A free, roadside soaking spot on the South Fork Payette River, just east of Garden Valley on the Banks-Lowman Highway. A staircase leads from the road down to a large rock-walled pool fed by piped hot water from a former bathhouse, plus a cooler second pool and shower. It is busy on summer weekends.
01 · Before you go
Plan your visit
What to expect on the ground: rules, facilities and when to go.
- Camping nearbyThe Forest Service Hot Springs Campground has 8 single sites and 3 group sites, and the pools are directly across the highway. A third-party listing describes it as seasonal.
- Toilets & drinking waterAlso parking
- BusyWeekdays, because the site is very crowded on weekends in summer.
- Free to soakSoaking at the riverside pools is reported as free. Camping in the campground is a separate paid service, and the group sites are listed at about $106 per night.
Best time to go. Weekdays, because the site is very crowded on weekends in summer. The pools are close to river level, so check conditions in high water.
02 · Live
Conditions
Access status, weather and hazards. Closure feeds are checked automatically every morning.
Access
No closures reported
No closure, fire or weather warning found in Forest Service, wildfire (NIFC) or National Weather Service feeds. That isn't confirmation it's open, so check with Boise National Forest.
Checked 14 Oct · updated daily
The Forest Service page listed the campground as open when checked. Check the Boise National Forest alerts page before going. NOAA's 1980 listing gives a source temperature of 124 F, while soaking temperatures are reported lower.
You must cross a busy state highway on foot to get from the campground to the pools. Source water is hot, and pool temperatures vary. The river is next to the pools and runs high in spring runoff. A trip report from 2005 described the pools as too cool for soaking at that time.
03 · Route
Getting there
Nearest town: Garden Valley.
- 1
From Boise, drive north on ID-55 and turn onto the Banks-Lowman Road (ID-17), then continue to just east of Garden Valley.
- 2
Hot Springs Campground is on the highway.
- 3
The pools are on the river side, across the road from the campground.
- 4
Park in the roadside pullout and take the staircase down to the riverbank.
44.0540, −115.9070 · nearest town Garden Valley, ID
04 · Where to stay
Stay nearby
Start early and stay close. Places to stay near Garden Valley, from campgrounds to cabins.
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