Mormon Bend Hot Springs

Mormon Bend Hot Springs is an undeveloped spring on the far bank of the Salmon River, about 8 miles northeast of Stanley. There is no bridge, no trail, and no developed pool: just hand-built rock and sand pools at the river’s edge, across from the Forest Service’s Mormon Bend Campground on Idaho Highway 75. Reaching them means fording the Salmon River on foot, possible only when the river drops in late summer and fall.

Go expecting a roadside pool and you will be disappointed, or worse, caught by a river that is not safe to cross. Go in with the right expectations and it is a memorable, solitary soak: the Stanley Chamber of Commerce lists Mormon Bend among the Stanley area’s hot springs, and the state rated the site little disturbed and largely natural. It stays that way because the river guards it most of the year.

Soak Stats

Location	South bank of the Salmon River at Mormon Bend, across from Mormon Bend Campground on Idaho 75, about 8 miles northeast of Stanley, Custer County
Coordinates	About 44.260, -114.838 (published surveys cluster within half a mile; the pools shift as they are rebuilt)
Elevation	About 5,900 feet
Soak type	Undeveloped natural spring: hand-built rock and sand pools at the river’s edge
Water temperature	About 100°F at the pools per the USGS thermal springs list, and variable; river water mixes in and conditions change by visit
Season	Late summer and fall, at low water only. Spring runoff destroys the pools and makes the crossing dangerous
Fee	No fee for the spring. The campground across the river charges a nightly fee
Reservations	None for the spring. The campground is first come, first served
Clothing policy	Swimwear is the practical norm: the pools are visible from the highway
Dogs	Allowed at the campground on leash. No facilities of any kind at the spring
Facilities	None at the spring. Across the river, the campground has vault toilets, potable water, picnic tables, and fire rings

Place Information

Address	No street address. The spring sits on the Salmon River opposite Mormon Bend Campground, Idaho Highway 75, about 8 miles northeast of Stanley
County	Custer County
Land manager	U.S. Forest Service, Sawtooth National Forest, Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Website	U.S. Forest Service: Mormon Bend Campground

Location, Map & Directions

From Stanley, drive about 8 miles northeast on Idaho Highway 75 and turn into Mormon Bend Campground. The spring is on the opposite bank; in low water season you can see the pool area at the water’s edge. Park at the campground or the highway side, then wade the river to the south bank. There is no bridge and no trail. The Idaho Conservation Data Center’s 1995 survey describes the source on the south side, with hot water running about 100 feet down a gentle slope to the river, a small primitive pool at the source, and a larger pool built just above the high water line.

The Soaking Experience

Set expectations first: these pools are rebuilt by visitors every year after spring runoff takes them apart, so what you find depends on who has been there before you and how the river has behaved. Expect shallow water. A first-hand account of a 2008 soak describes pools that were hot on top and cold at the bottom, with river water mixing in.

The water itself starts hot. State surveys measured the source spring at 131 to 135°F, far too hot to soak in, but by the time it reaches the river-edge pools it has cooled and mixed to roughly 100°F, the figure the USGS thermal springs list carries for this spring. Test the water carefully; temperatures vary by pool and by day. What the soak reliably offers is not perfect heat. It is a quiet bend of the Salmon River, the Sawtooths on the horizon, and a pool almost nobody else has crossed a river to reach.

Fees, Hours & Reservations

The spring itself has no fee, no permit, and no hours: it is undeveloped national forest land. Mormon Bend Campground across the river charges a nightly fee (check the Forest Service page for the current rate) and takes no reservations; its 15 sites, including one double site, are first come, first served, paid on site by QR code through the Recreation.gov app. The season typically runs April through September 30, with a 10-day stay limit.

Facilities, Lodging & Nearby

There is nothing at the spring: no toilet, no water, no changing area, nothing. Everything practical lives across the river at the campground, which offers vault toilets, potable water, picnic tables, and fire rings under lodgepole pine, plus a designated put-in and boat ramp for float boaters. The nearest town services are in Stanley, about 8 miles southwest.

History

Mormon Bend is a named bend of the Salmon River in the USGS Geographic Names Information System, and the bend saw mining-era work: a gold claim called the Mormon Bend Placer is recorded in the USGS Mineral Resources Database. Geologically, the spring belongs to a family of warm seeps and hot springs along the Salmon River near Stanley that lie along the Mormon Bend Fault. It enters the scientific record in 1970, and the Idaho Conservation Data Center surveyed it in August 1995. Why the bend carries the Mormon name is not recorded in the sources consulted.

Safety & Health

The river crossing is the whole safety story here. Ford only at low water, in late summer or fall, and treat the Salmon River with respect even then: it is cold, swift, and deeper than it looks. Never attempt the crossing during spring runoff or high water, cross with a partner, and turn around if the current pushes at your knees. A winter attempt documented in a trip report was abandoned for exactly this reason. At the pools, test the water before you settle in: the source water emerges hot enough to scald, and pool temperatures vary.

Best Time to Visit

Late summer into fall, once the river has dropped and visitors have rebuilt the pools after runoff. Spring and early summer are out, and winter is out for the crossing as well. If the pools are washed out or cooler than you hoped, that is the honest nature of this spring; enjoy the river bend and try a developed Stanley area soak instead.

Nearby Hot Springs

The Stanley corridor is rich in easier soaks. Basin Creek Campground Hot Springs and Elkhorn Hot Springs (Boat Box) sit in the same Salmon River country, and Sunbeam Hot Springs offers a developed riverside soak downstream near the Yankee Fork. More South-Central Idaho hot springs →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get to Mormon Bend Hot Springs?

Drive about 8 miles northeast of Stanley on Idaho 75 to Mormon Bend Campground, then ford the Salmon River on foot to the south bank. There is no bridge and no trail, and the crossing is only feasible at low water, in late summer and fall.

How hot is Mormon Bend Hot Springs?

About 100°F at the river-edge pools, per the USGS thermal springs list, and variable, since river water mixes in. The source spring upslope has been measured at 131 to 135°F in state surveys, far too hot to soak in; the pools are the cooled, mixed end of that water.

When is the best time to soak at Mormon Bend?

Late summer and fall. Spring runoff destroys the hand-built pools and makes the crossing dangerous, and the pools are rebuilt by visitors each year after the water drops.

Is there a fee for Mormon Bend Hot Springs?

No fee for the spring itself. Mormon Bend Campground across the river charges a nightly camping fee and is first come, first served.

Can I camp near Mormon Bend Hot Springs?

Yes, across the river at Mormon Bend Campground: first come sites with vault toilets, potable water, picnic tables, and fire rings, typically open April through September 30. There is no camping facility at the spring itself.