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Hoodoo Hot Springs, Lake and Mine

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

August is a great time to visit the White Cloud Mountains, located in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA), northeast of Stanley, Idaho.

Hoodoo Hot Springs is also located in the White Clouds, and is near multiple backcountry trailheads to alpine lakes that are anywhere from a 2 mile jaunt to a 20 mile expedition to reach.

While Hoodoo Lake is a mere 2 miles/2K ft hike, the trail is … rustic to say the least. Twists, snags, deadfall, huge boulders, jagged cliffs, scenic waterfalls and incredible views of the White Clouds; this hike has it all.

Bring lots of water, there’s any icy cool lake waiting at the top and a stellar soak at the bottom near the haunted Hoodoo Mines. J/K. Or, am I?

The access road, appropriately numbered FSR 666 is a tire killer. I made it in and out ok, but 3 of 6 other vehicles that drove into the area took on flat tires.

And, the bugs! Were insane! I’ve been out here a few times a few different years and this one took the gold. Luckily, I had a mesh shelter that I finally got to put to the test … it was so awesome to be able to take a bug break, especially when eating. At least it was only during the day, shortly after nightfall they thinned out quick. High altitude has that effect.

The hike to the lake was a surprise challenge. The reward at the top made it more than worth the brutal scramble during 90 degree heat. And, the hot spring at the bottom felt good on the muscles and took the chill out of the evening mountain air.

| Posted in idaho, sawtooths, slate creek, snra, stanley, white cloud mountains | 2 Comments »

Natural Hot Springs – Big Mountain Views

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Stanley, Idaho is well-known for being a tad chilly. It has even been, at times, the coldest place in the United States. My good friend that works at Denali National Park will surely contest this.

So, you might be thinking – why on Earth would anyone want to spend spring break in such a place? Well, for starters, Stanley is quiet and engulfed by the mighty Sawtooth Mountains. Other benefits include: hot springs (of course), lack of people, snowshoeing, incredible scenery, wildlife and yes – homemade blackberry pie (this one was a bonus).

One evening spent soaking and gazing at the Sawtooths involved watching a live episode of the playful coyote. In this episode, the coyote romped and rolled around in crunchy snow amongst a gaggle of nervous Canadian Geese. Much better than any talk box show I could think of.

This particular natural hot springs is rather deluxe, and is only available to guests of the Mountain Village Resort. Which I ended up calling ‘Mountain View’ a few times in the video clip. It’s rather difficult not to think ‘Mountain View’ up in Stanley when surrounded by the majestic Sawtooth Mountains.

In a nutshell; staying at the Mountain Village Resort was better than expected thanks to friendly staff, clean rooms and good food (homemade pie!). I can also imagine that cleaning up their guest-use hot springs facilities is quite the chore. I thought it was rare to see a garbage can at a hot springs. Despite the presence of the receptacle, many guests still opted to throw their trash everywhere else. One would hope that those visiting areas like this would be least likely to be trash mongers. One would hope.

Here’s the skinny on Mountain Village Resort; includes additional pictures and video.

Stanley, Idaho Map

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