Buckhorn Hot Springs

Buckhorn Hot Springs is a hard-to-find soak on Buckhorn Creek in the Payette National Forest, in the Warm Lake/Yellow Pine area. A gradually inclined 5-mile hike — gaining more than 1,000 feet on an overgrown old forest road — keeps use low at a meadow- and forest-edged spring with a rock-walled pool and a stand-up hot shower.

Red spider mites have been reported at this hot spring, so keep clothing and towels off the rocks and ground around the pools.

Pool Condition

Hot water from the source flows down part of the hill into a hollowed-out lodgepole pine, then into a rock-walled pool with a sandy, rocky bottom. A second source outflows into a raised wooden gutter that acts as a stand-up shower, with near-perfect temperatures. The pool runs hot (105–115°F at the source) and may need cold creek water bucketed in to temper it.

Seasonal Notes

Accessible all year. In winter, traveling the Warm Lake Highway requires a 4×4 to get through safely, and winter trail travel requires snowshoes. During spring runoff the meadow can submerge and creek crossings become risky — crossing swollen Buckhorn Creek on fallen trees is genuinely dangerous; consider waiting for lower water.

Camping

Two large campsites — likely set up by hunters/outfitters — sit next to the main trail, and the trail down to the hot springs starts from them. A smaller, very plush campsite lies on the meadow’s border, roughly 50 yards from the pool, on an island cut by Buckhorn Creek. Plenty of additional Boise and Payette National Forest camping is nearby.

Buckhorn Hot Springs Soak Stats

• Access Type: Hike (5 miles, 1,000+ ft elevation gain)
• Public Land: Boise & Payette National Forests
• Elevation: 4,900 ft
• Water Temperature: 105–115°F
• Water Clarity: Clear when used semi-frequently; algae otherwise (easily cleaned out)
• Visibility: Low
• Odor(s): Slight sulfur
• Nearest Area: Warm Lake / Yellow Pine
• Wildlife: Deer, elk, monarch butterflies, bats
• Usage Level: Low (semi-moderate seasonal use)