Sawtooth Lodge at Grandjean

At the end of Grandjean Road, where the gravel runs out at the edge of the Sawtooth Wilderness, Sawtooth Lodge has been soaking travelers since 1927. The lodge is a private, historic outpost on the South Fork of the Payette River: log cabins, yurts, tent meadows, an RV park, a restaurant, and a geothermal pool held at 104°F with stock tank tubs beside it. Pool access comes with every overnight stay.

The Grandjean name covers two soaks, and they are easy to confuse. The natural rock pools on the river, signed as Sacajawea Hot Springs, sit about a mile and a half from Grandjean Campground and already have their own listing on this site. This page covers the lodge. Grandjean Road is snowbound in winter and often impassable until mid or late May, so the lodge keeps a summer season.

Soak Stats

Location	Grandjean, on the South Fork Payette River at the edge of the Sawtooth Wilderness, Boise County
Coordinates	44.159353, -115.167591
Soak type	Developed geothermal pool and stock tank soaking tubs at a historic lodge
Water temperature	Pool at 104°F, fed by the Grandjean geothermal system
Season	Summer only; Grandjean Road is not plowed in winter and is often impassable until mid to late May
Admission	Pool access included with overnight stays; day use is not advertised, so call the lodge to ask
Reservations	Cabins, yurts, meadow and RV sites book through the lodge; Grandjean Campground is first come, first served
Access	Drive-up in summer: ID-21 to Forest Road 524 (Grandjean Road), then about 6 to 7 miles of gravel
Land & management	Private lodge inholding in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area; surrounding land is Sawtooth National Forest
Facilities	Restaurant, small store, showers and restrooms; no Wi-Fi by design, and visitors report no cell service in the canyon

The Soaking Experience

The soak is simple and hot. The lodge keeps one developed, hot springs fed pool at 104°F, with stock tank tubs beside it for a smaller, quieter seat. The water is mineral rich, bathing suits are required, and pool access is included for overnight guests, right in every cabin booking. The setting does the rest: ponderosa pine, the river running past, and wilderness trailheads at the end of the road.

The pool area is also the newest part of a very old lodge: after the 2024 Wapiti Fire reached the property, the lodge renovated its geothermal pool, and recent guest reviews mention new tubs.

Location, Map & Directions

From Boise and Lowman, follow ID-21 east about 20 to 22 miles past Lowman to Forest Road 524, signed for Grandjean, then take the gravel Grandjean Road about 6 to 7 miles to its end. The road is narrow and washboarded but passable for ordinary vehicles in summer, and no hike is needed: the lodge sits about a mile past Grandjean Campground. From Stanley, allow about 50 minutes: roughly 35 miles on ID-21 plus the same gravel. In winter the road is not plowed, and access is by snowmobile, ski or snowshoe only.

Place Information

Address	Sawtooth Lodge, Forest Rd 700, Lowman, ID 83637 (Boise County)
Phone	208-259-3331
Email	hello@sawtoothlodge.com
Website	Sawtooth Lodge

Fees, Hours & Reservations

The pool is a guest amenity first: access to the geothermal pool and lodge facilities is included with every cabin, yurt, meadow and RV booking, and stays book online through the lodge website or by phone. The lodge does not advertise day use, so if you are passing through, call 208-259-3331 before making the drive and ask what is currently offered. The lodge posts no fixed season dates; its season follows the road.

Facilities, Lodging & Nearby

Sleeping options run from historic log cabins (some built in 1927, with wood stoves or propane heat, bedding and towels provided) to yurts and glamping, two tent meadows, and an RV park with daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal spots. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with scratch cooking, craft beer and wine, and a small store covers essentials and ice. There is deliberately no Wi-Fi. Days fill easily: horseback rides through the lodge’s outfitter, trailheads straight into the Sawtooth Wilderness, and fishing on the South Fork Payette.

Camping

The Forest Service Grandjean Campground is about a mile from the lodge: 31 sites in old growth ponderosa pine, 10 set up for horse campers, with vault toilets and potable water. All sites are first come, first served, a camp host is typically present through mid September, and the Idaho Centennial Trail and Baron Creek trailhead leave from the campground.

History

The valley carries the name of Emile Grandjean, a Danish trained forester who homesteaded in the South Fork Payette country, joined the Forest Service in 1905, and became the first supervisor of the Boise National Forest. The original Grandjean Ranger Station stood on what is now the lodge property, in a cabin built about 1909. In 1927 Harriet “Babe” Hanson, a legendary pack string leader known as “Cougar Babe,” established Sawtooth Lodge as a hunting lodge. Preservation Idaho traces ownership from Hanson through the Roden and Lockett families to Headwater Holdings, who have been restoring the lodge since 2017.

The hardest test came in 2024, when the Wapiti Fire burned through the Grandjean area. The lodge survived, losing a yurt and several roofs, then renovated its geothermal pool as part of its resurgence. For a building raised in 1927, it has earned its soak.

Safety & Health

The pool is a full 104°F, so soak in rounds, cool off between dips, and stay hydrated. The bigger planning point is remoteness: with no Wi-Fi and no cell service reported in the canyon, download directions before you leave ID-21, tell someone where you are going, and check road conditions in the shoulder seasons. Bathing suits are required in the pool and tubs.

Best Time to Visit

July and August are the sure bet: dry road, full restaurant hours, and warm evenings made for a 104°F pool. June is quieter but depends on when the road opens, so call ahead. September brings cool nights and thin crowds. From late fall until the road reopens, Grandjean belongs to the snow.

Nearby Hot Springs

The natural companion soak is Sacajawea Hot Springs, the river pools a mile and a half from the campground; go before spring runoff, when high water can cover them. Back down ID-21 toward Lowman, the corridor stacks up more stops: Pine Flats Hot Springs, the terraced pools at Kirkham Hot Springs, and Bonneville Hot Springs. More South-Central Idaho hot springs →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sawtooth Lodge the same as Grandjean Hot Springs?

Mostly, with one catch. The developed Grandjean soak is the lodge pool, and guides often title it “Sawtooth Lodge at Grandjean Hot Springs.” Locals have also used the name for the natural river pools, signed as Sacajawea Hot Springs and listed separately on this site. This page covers the lodge.

How hot is the water at Sawtooth Lodge?

The lodge holds its geothermal pool at 104°F, with stock tank tubs beside it fed by the same spring system. The lodge describes the water as mineral rich.

Can I soak at Sawtooth Lodge without staying overnight?

Pool access is included with every overnight stay, and the lodge does not advertise day use on its website. Call the lodge at 208-259-3331 before you drive in and ask what is currently offered.

When is Sawtooth Lodge open?

The lodge runs a summer season set by the road: Grandjean Road is not plowed in winter and is often impassable until mid to late May. The lodge posts no fixed dates, so check its website or call ahead.

Can I camp near Grandjean?

Yes, two ways. The lodge itself has two tent meadows and an RV park alongside its cabins and yurts. A mile away, the Forest Service Grandjean Campground offers 31 first come, first served sites (10 for horse campers) with vault toilets and potable water, in season.