Sheepeater Hot Springs

Sheepeater Hot Springs is a cluster of undeveloped soaking pools on a high terrace above the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, at river mile 13 in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. It is the second hot spring on the river below the Boundary Creek launch, and one of the most reliable: the pools sit on a shelf behind Sheepeater camp, above the high water mark, so the river does not wash them out the way it does the riverside soaks.

There is no road anywhere near. Float trips reach the springs from camps at Sheepeater, Scout, and Joe Bump, and backpackers reach them on the Middle Fork Trail, which follows the river from Boundary Creek.

The Forest Service’s river guide notes the trade the river makes here: landing a boat can be a problem at low water, because the river runs wide and shallow past the camp, but the springs themselves are waiting on the terrace in almost any water.

Soak Stats

Location	Left bank of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River at river mile 13, on the high terrace behind Sheepeater camp, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, Valley County
Coordinates	44.628, -115.197 (USGS GNIS, Sheepeater Hot Springs)
Soak type	Undeveloped natural spring: several rock pools on a terrace above the river, fed by thermal seeps
Water temperature	No inventoried figure in the sources consulted. Guidebooks describe pools ranging from “super hot” to “just right,” so test each pool before you settle in
Access	Permitted float trip on the Middle Fork, or the Middle Fork Trail from Boundary Creek (about 13 miles). No road access
Season	The pools sit above the high water line and are not washed out at high flows. Visits follow the float season, spring through fall
Fee	No fee for the spring. Floating the Middle Fork costs a $4 per person per day recreation fee, plus a $6 lottery or reservation application fee in season
Reservations	A Forest Service float permit is required year-round. Control season launches (May 28 to Sep 3) are allocated by the Four Rivers Lottery on Recreation.gov
Clothing policy	Swimsuits required: Forest Service rules for the permitted river corridor prohibit public nudity
Facilities	None. Sheepeater camp is an undeveloped assigned river camp, and everything, including the portable toilet and fire pan every permitted group must carry, comes by boat or backpack

Place Information

Address	No street address. The spring is on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River at river mile 13, measured from the Boundary Creek launch, on the terrace behind Sheepeater camp
County	Valley County
Land manager	U.S. Forest Service, Salmon-Challis National Forest, Middle Fork Ranger District
Website	Recreation.gov: Middle Fork of the Salmon River (4 Rivers) permits

Location, Map & Directions

There are no driving directions to give. Float trips launch at Boundary Creek, below Dagger Falls, and river miles are counted from there. Sheepeater camp is on the left bank at mile 13, with Scout Camp at mile 12.7 on the upstream end of the same bar and bench; the springs are on the high terrace behind the camp, close enough that groups camped at Scout and Joe Bump (mile 11.8) also walk over for a soak.

The Forest Service guide warns that landing can be a problem at low water because the river is so wide and shallow here, so allow time to work a boat in to the bank.

On foot, the Middle Fork Trail follows the river from the Boundary Creek trailhead and passes the camp at roughly the same distance as the river miles. Camps on this stretch are assigned to each party at launch, and a soak stop does not require the camp to be yours for the night.

The Soaking Experience

Several pools are strung along the terrace, fed by thermal seeps, and they are not all the same temperature: the guidebook tradition on this river describes three pools ranging from “super hot” to “just right,” which is the normal pattern here, the pools nearest the source running hottest.

Work your way along them and pick your temperature rather than committing to the first one you find. The walk up from the river crosses slippery rock, and river guides who stop here warn their guests to take it slowly.

Because the pools sit above the river on the shelf, they hold their shape and their heat when the Middle Fork is running high and the gravel bar soaks downstream are underwater, which is why Sheepeater is the soak first and second night groups count on.

From the terrace you look out over the river, and the classic visit is the evening soak after the boats are unloaded, or an early morning one while the canyon is still in shadow.

Fees, Hours & Reservations

The spring itself is free: no fee, no ticket, no reservations for a soak. Reaching it is what is regulated. A Forest Service float permit is required to float the Middle Fork at any time of year, and launches during the control season, May 28 to Sep 3, are allocated through the Four Rivers Lottery on Recreation.gov. Floating costs a $4 per person per day recreation fee, plus a $6 application fee for a lottery or reservation.

Licensed outfitters run permitted trips all season for anyone who does not draw or does not boat. Hikers on the Middle Fork Trail need no float permit, but the river camps are managed for permitted river parties during the season, so plan overnight stops accordingly.

Facilities, Lodging & Nearby

There are no facilities of any kind: no toilet building, no drinking water, no trash service, and no cell coverage. Sheepeater camp is a flat bench and bar used by assigned float parties, who carry in everything, including the portable toilet and fire pan the permit requires, and carry everything back out. The nearest services of any kind are in Stanley, on the far side of a float or a long hike.

What the camp does have is company on the same bench system: Scout Camp in the timber at the upstream end, Joe Bump Cabin and its camp downriver at mile 11.8, and Fire Island camp at mile 13.8.

History

The Forest Service’s river guide lists the springs among the river’s points of interest as “Sheepeater Hot Springs, named for Sheepeater Indians.” The Sheepeaters were a sub-group of the Northern Shoshone who lived in this country and depended on mountain sheep for food, which is where the name comes from.

In 1879 this canyon country became the theater of the Sheepeater Campaign, the last military campaign against Native people in Idaho: troops under Captain Reuben F. Bernard came down into the Middle Fork by way of Loon Creek, fought at Vinegar Hill west of the river, and eventually negotiated the surrender of 51 Sheepeaters. The campaign echoes all down this river: Hospital Bar, the last hot springs camp at mile 52, supposedly got its name from wounded soldiers recovering there.

The springs above Sheepeater camp were soaking people long before any of that, and on a modern trip they still belong to the first nights of the float, the way they belonged to the river’s first people.

Safety & Health

The hottest pools here can scald: guidebooks describe the top pool as “super hot,” and there is no plumbing to turn down. Test every pool with a hand before you get in, and let a too-hot pool be. The rock between the river and the terrace pools is slippery when wet, and the walk is the one place on this stop where people actually get hurt, so wear shoes you can get wet and take it slowly.

Red spider mites have been reported at this hot spring, with a high activity level in our records, so keep clothing and towels off the rocks and ground around the pools; our red spider mite guide covers what they are and how to avoid taking them home.

Beyond the pools, this is deep wilderness: the river is cold and fast, help is days away in either direction, and every party travels self-supported. Soak sober, keep someone in camp who knows where you are, and leave the pools as clean as you found them.

Best Time to Visit

Any time during a permitted Middle Fork trip, which in practice means the float season from late spring through fall. Sheepeater’s advantage shows at the ends of the water year: at high water, when the riverside soaks like Trail Flat are washed out, the terrace pools here are unaffected; at low water in late summer and fall they are just as good, though the landing below camp gets shallow and tricky.

Most soaks happen on the first or second night of a trip, and a clear cold morning with steam coming off the terrace is the version people remember.

Nearby Hot Springs

The Middle Fork strings six named hot springs along its first 52 miles. Trail Flat Hot Springs, the first soak on the river, is about 6 miles back upriver at mile 7, a single riverside pool that only exists at lower water.

Downriver, the next named soaks are Sunflower and Loon Creek, and the run ends at Hospital Bar Hot Springs at mile 52.1, the last hot springs camp on the river. More East-Central Idaho hot springs →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sheepeater Hot Springs?

On a high terrace above the left bank of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River at river mile 13, behind Sheepeater camp, in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Valley County. The USGS GNIS coordinates are 44.628, -115.197.

How do you get to Sheepeater Hot Springs?

By river or by trail. Nearly everyone arrives on a permitted Middle Fork float trip launched at Boundary Creek, soaking from Sheepeater, Scout, or Joe Bump camps. The Middle Fork Trail from Boundary Creek also passes the camp at about 13 miles. There is no road access.

How hot is Sheepeater Hot Springs?

No agency or survey figure for this spring was found in the sources consulted. Guidebooks describe several pools ranging from “super hot” to “just right,” with the pools nearest the source running hottest. Test each pool before you get in.

Is Sheepeater washed out at high water?

No. The pools sit on a terrace above the high water mark, unlike the gravel bar soaks elsewhere on the upper river, so high flows do not cover them. The river itself still decides when trips can launch, and landing below the camp is hardest at low water.

Do I need a permit for Sheepeater Hot Springs?

The spring has no permit of its own, but floating the Middle Fork requires a Forest Service permit year-round, with control season launches (May 28 to Sep 3) allocated by the Four Rivers Lottery on Recreation.gov. Floating costs $4 per person per day plus a $6 application fee.