South-Central Idaho holds the deepest bench of hot springs in the state, stretching from the Boise National Forest and the Sawtooth Mountains down to the Snake River plain. River soaks like Kirkham, Bonneville and Pine Flats line the Payette River canyons north of Boise, backcountry pools hide along the Middle Fork of the Boise River and around Stanley and Atlanta, and developed resorts, including Miracle and Banbury near Buhl, The Springs in Idaho City and Silver Creek Plunge, make soaking easy in any season. Winter access varies sharply with elevation: low canyon pools can be reached year-round, while high forest roads close with snow until late spring.
Basin Creek Hot Springs — also known as Cove Hot Springs — is a cluster of rocky, user-built pools along the Salmon River east of Stanley, Idaho, a short hike from the Highway 75 parking area past Basin Creek Campground. It comes with an honest caveat up front: on repeated visits over the years these pools have been found semi-submerged and too cool to soak, so treat this one as a low-water gamble rather than a sure thing.
Banbury Hot Springs near Buhl, Idaho, is now owned by Miracle Hot Springs and reopened in 2026, offering a large general pool, individual private pools and lodging.
Skinnydipper Hot Springs is a natural hot springs above the Banks-Lowman Highway in the Boise National Forest, reached by a steep 0.5-mile hike. It is closed to all use under a BLM closure order extended through February 2027.
Snake Pit Hot Springs is a small, primitive natural hot spring on the edge of Stanley, Idaho, near Valley Creek. Its single silty-bottomed pool is free to soak in, with no facilities, in the shadow of the Sawtooth Mountains.
Boiling Springs Hot Springs sits beside the historic Boiling Springs Guard Station at the end of a forest road north of Crouch, Idaho, in the Boise National Forest. Its rock-walled pools are fed by one of the most powerful geothermal sources in the Garden Valley backcountry.
Twin Springs Resort is a rustic, off-grid hot springs resort on the Middle Fork of the Boise River northeast of Boise, established in 1898. Riverfront cabins from $160 per night each have a private hot tub, with a shared sauna for guests.
Silver Creek Plunge is a remote mountain hot springs resort in the Boise National Forest north of Crouch, Idaho, built around a large geothermal pool kept near 100°F. Cabins, A-frames and campsites make it a Garden Valley base camp; day swim is $15 for adults.
Bonneville Hot Springs is a natural hot springs in the Boise National Forest, 19 miles southeast of Lowman, Idaho, reached by a 0.25-mile trail along Warm Springs Creek. User-built rock-walled pools and a private soak shack with a cast-iron bathtub sit below the Bonneville Campground.
Fire Crew Hot Springs is a set of user-built, rock-walled soaking pools on the Middle Fork of the Payette River in the Boise National Forest, north of Crouch, Idaho. The road is snow-covered until about late May, and the pools submerge during spring runoff.
Kirkham Hot Springs is a popular Forest Service hot springs on the South Fork of the Payette River near Lowman, Idaho, known for its shallow rock pools and hot waterfalls. Day use is free; the site is open 7 AM–9 PM with no overnight camping.