Basin Creek Campground Hot Springs

Basin Creek Campground Hot Springs is a small set of rocky, user-built pools on Basin Creek off Highway 75 east of Stanley, Idaho — with one big asterisk: the campground it is named for was wiped out by flooding in 2006 and never rebuilt. The pools remain, with heavily silted bottoms and temperatures that fluctuate from too cool to piping hot, but plan on dispersed camping elsewhere along Highway 75.

The Pools

Rocky user-built pools with heavy silt bottoms. Temperatures swing widely between pools and visits: on a 2005 visit the source pool ran well above 115°F, the lower pool around 109°F, and the lowest about 96°F, while other visits found the main pool too cool to soak. The pools submerge during high water and spring runoff rebuilds — and wrecks — them season after season.

Access

The springs historically sat behind campsite #4 of the old campground, reached by a trail from the site, with alternate access via the dirt road on the other side of Basin Creek. With the campground gone and the bridge washed out in the 2006 flooding, expect access conditions to differ from older descriptions.

Seasonal Notes

Pools submerge during high water. Summer and fall are the listed seasons.

Camping

There is no camping at the hot springs — the campground is gone. Plenty of official campgrounds line Highway 75, with primitive camping options in the area as well.

Basin Creek Campground Hot Springs in Idaho