One of Idaho’s most stellar soaks, which has been around for years, is no more. Portions of the lip from the overhang (above the pool) were broken off and are among the rest of the ruins once known as Loftus Hot Springs. I’ve heard rumors over the last few days it was destroyed and was sent the following pictures (thank you Heather!).
Still not sure who the responsible party is… I’ve heard it was the FS and have also heard that someone is attempting to redesign the pool.
Judging by the pictures it looks like Jackholes have visited recently, or are potentially involved. Could a pick-ax really cause that type of damage? Were explosives involved?
Please chime in if you’ve got some intel! I’ll post here and on the Facebook page for Idaho as information becomes available.
Hunters Hot Springs may soon no longer be available for soaking, as it is currently under threat from the Town of Lakeview and PacificCorp by geothermal power generation development.
Sadly, the log-dammed pool at mighty Vulcan is no-more due to a wildfire that rampaged the area. In fact, the entire surrounding area has been closed for the last 3 seasons due to wildfire restoration efforts. Basically, the wildfire super-heated the earth around Vulcan… flattening the area where the old log-dammed pool used to snugly fit. New pool designs will have to be creative to say the least.
The video below shows Vulcan in all of its former glory, in addition to the surrounding area – which has since mostly burned.