So, you’ve finally got some extra time and hot springs have been on your mind. Good news ole chap, there are plenty of options for the intrepid soak-seeker!

Old man winter may be hindering access to many of Idaho’s geothermal delights, but not all of them.

The quintessential hot springs listed below are usually accessible during Idaho’s winter months. Just to be safe, make sure to check road conditions before rolling out.

Boise, Idaho Area Winter Hot Springs

Fairly accessible, family friendly, privately owned, with facilities of some sort and with a usage fee:

• Gold Fork Hot Springs - view all posts
• Miracle Hot Springs - view all posts (has private pool options)
• Roy Stone Hot Springs - view all posts

Accessible via short hike (snowshoes may be needed), family friendly, located on public land, no facilities, no fees:

• Bonneville Hot Springs - view all posts (snowshoes advised)
• Pine Flats Hot Springs - view all posts
• Kirkham Hot Springs - view all posts
• Hot Springs Campground - view all posts

There are, of course, many other public and commercial hot springs. However, the springs listed above are the most (relatively) accessible from the Boise area during the winter months.

First time hot springing in Idaho? Check out the guides, pick up all trash and don’t bring glass – and enjoy!

Pine Flats was awesome. Not the soak, but everything else. All of the pools except one tiny soaker up top were too cool (upper 90s) for school. It was just nice to hike around and look for signs of spring. Oh, and no trash to pick up is always a treat. After all of that hiking, it was time to return to Hot Springs Campground.

Read the complete trip report with pictures on IHS

Week after week slipped past, until finally, a Tuesday afternoon stepped out of the void and presented itself. It only took a second for me to realize just what exactly this meant. No time for dogs, but I needed an accomplice. Easy. I knew of a geothermal fiend that didn’t have BSU class on Tuesdays. So, I nabbed my soak-pack (a small sling-style backpack pre-loaded with day hiking and hot springing gear) and was out the door. Destination – Boise National Forest.

Afternoons like this are why Boise is such a great place to live. Forest to the north, high desert to the south. Open space. The great outdoors. Only 1 hour in either direction. Within 30 minutes I broke free of crowded roads and the vast expanse of the bustling valley. Another 30 minutes on highway 55 brought me into the thick of the forest, and Mile Marker 4 Hot Springs.

Skinnydipper was slammed, and I wasn’t in a mood to banter. A more subtle commune with nature was on my agenda. On down the highway. Thoughts of checking on Rocky Canyon and Little Anderson came and went. Then, I arrived at Hot Springs Campground. Took a look around, checked temps (100-101) and left. It looked good, but I needed more hiking.

Pine Flats was awesome. Not the soak, but everything else. All of the pools except one tiny soaker up top were too cool (upper 90s) for school. It was just nice to hike around and look for signs of spring. Oh, and no trash to pick up is always a treat. After all of that hiking, it was time to return to Hot Springs Campground.

The soak at HS CG was marginal. We cleared the area of trash and hopped right in. Well, turns out that 101 degrees during the day wasn’t too bad, but that 101 had turned into 99 after sunset and the ambient air temps had dropped right along with it. Add to that Red Spider Mites (RSMs), and the suck factor increased a bit. I’ve heard stories, but after many visits to HS CG with no RSM encounters I didn’t think much of it – until now. I have a theory that hot springers are inadvertently infecting the non-afflicted hot springs with RSMs. Ugh, another one to add to the list.

Last Saturday, December 20th, a group of 4 men and 2 women partied it up at Pine Flats Hot Springs in the Boise National Forest, which is located about 1.5 hours north of Boise, Idaho. The source and pools are only about a 0.35 mile hike from the official National Forest campground of the same name.

Pine Flats is a popular summer campground destination and is frequented occasionally during the winter months by locals. The hot springs pools are located in a variety of locations near and around the source, and are typically shallow and too cool for wintertime soaking. Despite being easy to reach, pools located above the river require a steep hike up jagged, loose rocks. These are normally the hottest pools, while the riverside soaks are usually much cooler.

From the way the story reads; the group got tanked, didn’t protect their clothes from the elements while soaking and then got disorientated on the hike back. Sadly, I’ve heard renditions of this same story all too frequently in the past, at least a few times each winter. This group was very fortunate that they all made it out alive.

Just a couple weeks ago I almost got into serious trouble at the very same hot springs. I wasn’t drinking, but still somehow managed to fall into the hot springs pool with all of my clothes on. In regard to the news article; there’s pretty much only one way in and out of Pine Flats… unless they were able to scale an ice-covered cliff or ford the near-frozen Payette River. My guess is that they missed the path back up to the parking area on the return hike and continued east along the river in Lowman’s direction. This is where the river gradually shifts back toward the Banks-Lowman highway. Not so in the other direction.

Long story short; 4 of the group ended up on the Banks-Lowman highway without much clothing on when spotted by a snowplow driver, who in-turn called in the Idaho State Patrol. ISP arrived, tracked down the other two, and brought them back into Boise.

Here’s a map of Pine Flats, you can see Lowman to the east. Note where the river moves toward the highway…

I’m really glad that everyone made it out ok. When events like these go bad, hot springs get closed down. Something the story neglects to mention, is that the hot springs pools at Pine Flats are currently NOT warm enough for a soak. I would imagine that they began the hypothermia-like chilling process as soon as they climbed into the pool. I can’t stress it enough, reliable (waterproof) water thermometers are a very important tool that should be in every hot springer’s arsenal. Optimal soaking conditions exist at 100 to 110 degrees, 102-106 is a great target range. Also, a good rule of thumb when in a hot spring pool: 1 beer = 3.

Read the guide to backcountry hot springs; contains gear list, safety info., etiquette and more…

KTVB actually used a few pictures I’ve taken of Pine Flats in the story video…

More: view pictures, video clips and past trip reports of Pine Flats Hot Springs

As always, check road reports, weather conditions and be prepared when attempting to visit backcountry hot springs during inclement weather seasons.

Be safe and have fun! Happy Holidays!

[where: Lowman, ID]

Hot Springs Name: Pine Flats Hot Springs
Additional Info: View complete listing on IHS
Near: Lowman, Idaho
Type: Public
NF: Boise National Forest

Trip Report

It had been a couple months. I was antsy to get out. So, I took off Friday evening for Pine Flats. There’s nothing quite like a hot soak under the stars in Idaho’s backcountry during winter. The gate into the campground of the same name was open, and I was able to drive down to the trailhead parking area with ease, not much snow/ice here… yet.

After the brief hike to the ’round the bend’ pool I began my routine. First, I started by dropping my non-waterproof digital thermometer into the pool. Then, I finished off by falling into the pool with all of my clothes on, coat, shoes and all. Not so smooth considering the air temperature was below 20 and I still had to hike back out.

I then proceeded to make another smooth move. I stripped down and immediately climbed into the pool… not fully knowing the temperature. After a few minutes of shivering I decided that it was around 96. Not good. At least my coat was somewhat dry, but my shoes and pants were drenched. Needless to say, I enjoyed my truck’s heater after the return speed-hike. All things considered, I ventured out because I needed a break from the norm. It turned out to be a pretty fun trip regardless. My soaking companion thought it was a riot. For some reason I neglected to see the humor in it until a few hours later.

A huge plus to the whole debacle was that I found Pine Flats to be trash-free for the first time in years.

[where: Lowman, ID]

Revisiting one of the first hot springs ever soaked. Features a short hike to secluded pools along the Payette River in the Boise National Forest.

View additional pictures, video clips and trip reports for Pine Flats Hot Springs in Idaho

[where: Lowman, ID]

05.14.08 Trip Report

Not much new to report here… all of the pools were too cool for a soak. The hottest clocked in at 98 degrees. *sigh* I miss the days when Pine Flats was a 5 star soak. I was unable to reach the pool around the bend due to runoff conditions. However, shortly before I left, I heard a report that the ’round the bend’ pool was also too cool for soaking.

Upon arrival, the campground was empty save for the newly arrived host that was visiting with people in a Forest Service truck. With approaching temps in the 80s, I imagine this will be the last time until September that you’ll find the campground virtually empty.

On a side note, I took a low-clearance car instead of my truck and slammed into a rock the size of a football that came down during a rockslide on the Banks-Lowman Highway (17). Spring thaw brings about conditions ripe for slides, please drive carefully.
Rating C

View additional pictures, video clips, ratings and trip reports for Pine Flats Hot Springs in Idaho

Here’s a pic from yesterday’s excursion to Pine Flats Hot Springs in Idaho… trip report to follow.

Not bad for a cellcam pic (my camera battery died).

From the FindHotSprings.com Forums:

• Frenchman’s Bend Hot Springs near Sun Valley Idaho in Great Shape After Forest Service Recovery

• Access condition updates for Hot Springs in the Lowman Idaho Area: Bonneville, Kirkham, Pine Flats and Tenmile