Downata Hot Springs

Downata Hot Springs is a family-run commercial hot springs resort in the countryside south of Downey in South-East Idaho, where you can swim, soak, eat, and stay the night all in one place. The resort is built around a natural hot spring — known to the first settlers as Marshall Springs — that flows at about 600 gallons a minute at 109 degrees and gravity-feeds the resort’s pools. The centerpiece is a big, flow-through recreation pool for swimming and slides, backed up by quieter hot soaking pools for relaxing, a PoolSide restaurant and snack bar, a spa, and a campground and lodging spread that ranges from RV sites and tent camping to cabins, yurts, tepees, and Conestoga wagons.

Facilities

• 300,000-gallon recreation pool, built in 1929, flow-through and fed by the hot spring; chlorinated; about 93°F, warmer (upper 90s) on Thursdays after a fresh fill
• Three slides in the recreation pool, plus large hill slides in summer (including the Black Hole slide; 48″ minimum height for the big slides)
• Hot soaking pools, flow-through natural mineral water, roughly 99–105°F depending on season; no swimming or splashing, and no food or drinks in the hot pools
• 10-person hot tub with jets on the recreation-pool side, open in summer
• Sauna, partly heated by hot spring water (adults only, signed release required)
• Water playground, open in summer only
• PoolSide Snack Bar & Restaurant — breakfast, lunch, and casual and formal dinner service on the days listed under Hours
• Down~at~Spa — massage (55 minutes $99; 85 minutes $135 at time of research) with an infrared sauna in the Tranquility Room; a hot-pool soaking pass can be added for $10
• Campground and RV park, pavilions ($100/day to reserve a reunion/party pavilion), picnic areas, playground, lighted volleyball court, horseshoes
• Indoor showers, dressing rooms, and lockers ($3 plus a $2 refundable key deposit); suit and towel rentals
• Handicap access — ramps into the recreation pool and the large soaking pool
• Gift shop / main office store, equipment rentals

Hours

Hours are seasonal and limited outside summer, and the resort itself tells lodging guests to check pool hours before reserving — always confirm on the official site or by phone before a trip. At time of research the official dining page lists: PoolSide Snack Bar open Friday and Saturday, noon to 8 pm; breakfast Friday and Saturday, 8 am to 11 am; dinner (reservations required for the formal dining area) Friday and Saturday, 5 pm to 8 pm, with hot pools open until 10 pm and quiet soaking only from 8 pm to 10 pm.

Rates

From the resort’s official 2025 price list:

• Ages 2 and under: $3 (includes a swim diaper if needed)
• Recreation Pool & Slide Pass: $12 (guest rate $11); Monday–Thursday $10, holidays excluded
• Hot Pool Pass: $12
• Everything Pass (recreation pool + hot pools, one day): $22 summer / $20 winter
• Evening rate (last three hours of the day): $8 (not available on the winter hot-pool pass)
• Two-day Recreation Pool Pass: $22 (no hot pools)
• Poolside observation pass: $5
• Dinner & After-Dinner Soak deal (formal dining room): 2 for $52 plus tax and gratuity; children’s deal also offered
• Campground (tax not included; check-in after 4:00 PM; swim passes not included): 20/30 amp with water, under 32 ft $50; 20/30 amp no water $45; 50 amp with water, over 32 ft $60; 50 amp no water $55; basic site, no water or power $35; tent with power $40; additional tent $20; tepee $89; extra vehicle pass $10/night

Overnight Accommodations

You can stay on site in just about any style: small cabins (up to four guests), medium cabins (up to six), and rental houses including the Bunk House, Ranch House, and Hadley House; yurts; six tepees with four cots, power, a fire pit, and a picnic table; Conestoga wagons (Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend); the Cowboy Hangout; and the Deer Den (May 15 to October 1), plus RV sites with 20/30 or 50 amp power and water (water available April–October, no sewer — dump station in Downey) and tent sites. Lodging check-in is after 4:00 PM and check-out is 11:00 AM; swim passes are not included in lodging or campground rates. Most lodging is available year-round except the tepees, RV trailer, Deer Den, and Conestoga wagons. No smoking in any lodging; no pets in lodging except Yurt 4 and the Deer Den, with a pet cleaning deposit. Wi-Fi is available in most lodging units (fee and password at the main office) but not in the campground. Multiple-night stays in the same unit receive a 10% discount.

Directions

Downata Hot Springs, 25900 S Downata Road, Downey, ID 83234 (mailing: PO Box 185, Downey, ID 83234), about 3½ miles southeast of Downey on US Hwy 91. Phone: (208) 897-5736. Email: info@downatahotsprings.com. Official website: www.downatahotsprings.com

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How much does it cost to soak at Downata Hot Springs?

From the resort’s official 2025 price list, a Recreation Pool & Slide Pass costs $12 (Monday–Thursday $10, holidays excluded) and a Hot Pool Pass is $12. An Everything Pass covering the recreation pool and the hot pools for one day runs $22 in summer and $20 in winter, an evening rate for the last three hours of the day is $8, and children ages 2 and under are $3.