Idaho Hot Springs Home

Boise Area

Public Soaks

Public Map

Pay Soaks

Pay Soak Map

Guides

Videos

 

Other Areas:

GPS Coordinates
GPS

Hot Springs with Red Spider Mites
SPIDER MITES

Idaho Road Conditions and Reports
TRAVEL CONDITIONS

Search IHS
SEARCH

IHS Site Map
SITEMAP

Home: Idaho Hot Springs: Hot Springs Campground
  Public Hot Springs

Hot Springs Campground in Idaho


Season: All Type: R (roadside)
Boise National Forest Overall Rating: C
3,100 ft Water Temperature: 95º to 100º
Garden Valley Area Usage Level: Heavy to Moderate

Picture Viewer

HS CG Qualified
02.23.10 Very nice

HS CG
02.23.10 Excellent view

HS CG
02.23.10 Sparkle


04.08.07: Soker Grrl presenting...


04.08.07: The big pool


04.08.07: Overhead shot


04.08.07: Let it flow


04.08.07: Warm Shower


Hot Springs Campground as it was in 1984! Special thanks to Randy for the photo


01.30.05: Looking great - but too cool for soaking!


08.26.02: Main Pool


08.26.02: Two-Seater (brrr)


08.26.02: River-Nested Pool (brrr)


Up | Down | Top | Bottom

[ View the 11.12.07 Hot Springs Campground Video Clip ]
 

General Description
Campground hot springs, located on the other side of the seasonally busy Banks-Lowman highway from the aptly named Hot Springs Campground, features one large soaking pool that sits in the base of an old structure. Hot water is piped into the pool from old pipes that remain from a historical bathhouse. The bathhouse's structure can bee seen from the pool and is closer to the Payette River. There is a second pool, but the water temperature is luke warm. However, this particular pool is actually designed to be a stand-up shower - perfect for a warm summer day! The pools are shallow, with rock lined walls and are sand/gravel bottomed.
 

Dates Visited: Trash Levels: Bug Levels:
04.09.14 moderate none
02.23.10 low none
11.12.07 EXTREME none
04.08.07 low none
01.30.05 low none
03.27.03 low none
08.26.02 - 08.27.02 low none
03.2002 low none

Water Clarity:
Clear to Semi-Clear

Visibility:
High

Odor(s):
None Noticed

Wildlife Sighted: Deer and Elk

Seasonal Information
Be wary of the mud and rock slides that are a common occurrence along the Banks-Lowman Highway. Otherwise, HS CG is accessible year around! Check road reports!

Camping
Boise National Forest camping is right across the street.

Trip Reports, Accessibility and Usage Updates

04.09.14
CG HS was in decent shape with temps checking in around 100, which is fairly typical at this roadside soaker. There was a camper parked in the pullout with folks sitting outside on their lawn chairs enjoying the unseasonably warm spring weather.
Rating C+

02.23.10
The soak at HS CG was marginal. We cleared the area of trash and hopped right in. Well, turns out that 101 degrees during the day wasn’t too bad, but that 101 had turned into 99 after sunset and the ambient air temps had dropped right along with it. Add to that Red Spider Mites (RSMs), and the suck factor increased a bit. I’ve heard stories, but after many visits to HS CG with no RSM encounters I didn’t think much of it – until now. I have a theory that hot springers are inadvertently infecting the non-afflicted hot springs with RSMs. Ugh, another one to add to the list.
Rating D

11.12.07
Dang. This place was the most thrashed and trashed I've ever witnessed. My gut feeling was that the parking lot and campground directly across the highway that was full of hunters had something to do with that. I really hope not, but why the crap won't they clean it up? The temperature clocked in at 101, but I didn't stick around to soak more than my appendages. Hot Springs Campground is a decent soak, but with so many other stellar soaks in the neighborhood, why?
Rating D

04.08.07
Things are looking good around these parts! A larger pipe with increased flow has replaced the old, providing for much needed additional flow, which means the pool is a bit hotter. The area was clean, the soak stellar and the views of the Payette sealed the deal. I wish my visit to Little Anderson hot spring was more like this. The good folks that soak here take excellent care of the hot springs.
Rating B+

01.30.05
I would have ranked this soak an 'A', but the water in the main pool just wasn't warm enough for prolonged soaking. However, someone has been hard at work redesigning the pipe that feeds the main pool (see pic above); which has yielded to a dramatic increase in flow. The sunny day, snow speckled landscape and lack of people made up for the few extra degrees I would have preferred.
Rating B

03.27.03
Perfect. We came, we soaked... we enjoyed. On this day we watched a bunch of deer graze across the river (where the hot spring on the other side feeds a few select property owners... just look for the steam) as the sun came down. Water temps were around 100º. We also met the man responsible for tending the pools and adding the sandbags, thanks friend. He apparently lives in Crouch and has been hot springing for years. He had some great stories to tell as well.
Rating A-

08.26.02 - 08.27.02
CG was pretty nice this time around. Someone has been putting in some hard labor carting down all the new sandbags that were used to reinforce the pools. We discovered a second and third pool after further exploration this trip. The second pool is only big enough for two, and was too cool for a comfy sit. Forget the third pool dug out right next to the river... BRRRRR! The main pool (large enough for a group of people) provided us with a decent soak despite being below the temperature I usually prefer. All in all, a nice surprise.
Rating C+

03.2002
Might be a decent soak during a different time of year. The water in the pool looked pretty stagnant and was cool to the touch. It's in a prime location for a quick dip though. Located right off the Banks-Lowman Highway near Crouch. Just look for the campground (same name) and you'll have to take it from there.
Rating X

Average Rating: B-

Traffic Updates

04.20.06
No vehicles in either the pullout or campground when passing both times; once in the morning and once in the evening.

02.04.06
I witnessed no vehicles in the pullout or campground when passing by either time.

01.01.06
Empty pullout in the AM; 1 truck and a couple soakers in the PM.

06.24.05 & 06.25.05
Entire campground and parking lot FULL

09.25.04
Wow! This place was slammin! Scores of tents and RVs loaded the campground almost to capacity. The hot springs looked to be in good condition.

06.05.04
The campground was about half-full - a steady supply of drivers, campers and kayakers packed the pools to the brim.

04.24.04
A HUGE group of people occupied nearly every faucet of the entire campground! Wow!

04.08.04
There was a couple in a van leaving the hot springs when I passed early in the morning.

05.13.03
Vacant, as was the campground across the street. This is a good time to steal away a private soak at this steamy roadside attraction.

02.22.03
Usually CG HS doesn't see much action in the cooler months but today for some reason it was getting plenty. A quick headcount revealed at least 20-30 iced-up tent campers... that's actually more than I've ever seen during the prime soaking season.

[TOP]



PUBLIC BATHING NOTICE

No Soap, Shampoo or BIO-Soap/Shampoo Allowed in Hot Springs! Avoid Being Fined!

Public hot springs are not bathing facilities and do not have 'plumbing' like that of commercial, improved hot springs. Soap and shampoo (including biodegradable soap and shampoo) do not completely breakdown naturally. This pollutes our water systems (ingested by fish, animals, humans) at or near the source. This is also illegal in most wilderness and public lands areas.

Home  |  About  |  Contact  |  Copyright  |  Privacy  |  Blog

Report Poachers in Idaho: 1-800-632-5999

IdahoHotSprings.com on Facebook!