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.
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