This wild hot spring is one of the quintessential Idaho hot springs with its dangerous charm.
The too-small soak shack was also wonderful.
Soak shack on the cliff
Bonneville Hot Springs is located along Idaho State Route 21, near the junction with the side road to Sacajawea.
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Reference:Sacajawea Hot Spring - Hot Springs in Idaho
A Native American woman, Sacajawea, was chosen as the model for the portrait on the $1 coin. This undeveloped hot spring is attributed to her honorable name. Sawtooth Lodge On Idaho State Route 21, approximately halfway between Lohman and Stanley, turn onto the Grandjean Road. Its name comes from Emile ...
Access is easier from May to September, when the Bonneville Campground, managed by the Boise National Forest, is open.
This campground does not have electricity, water, or sewer, but it has 22 sites and the janitor on site.
The hot springs are a short 0.6 mile round trip hike from the north end of the campground.
If it is closed, an additional 1 mile round trip is required, but it is accessible all year round.
Day use is $5.00 (as of this writing).
Put the cash in the prescribed envelope and drop it in the mail.
The trail is basically flat and you won't get lost.
I walked along Warm Spring Creek, which flowed on my right.
I arrived when the view opened up and I could see a number of pools surrounded by rocks on the riverbank.
I spotted a shabby building that looked like a work shed on the ground colored by the hot spring deposits.
When I went inside, I found that it was a surprisingly small soak shack.
There was one iron cast iron tub in the room that was so small that I had to kneel to get into it.
It might be valuable to have this kind of man-made structure left at hot springs in a national forest.
The hot water and cold water were mixed in the tub, but the temperature was 115 degrees F, still hot.
It had a faint sulfur smell and was soft to the touch.
Even so, with only one tub, I could not keep monopolizing it forever.
There were always a certain number of visitors who came from the campsite.
There was the source of the springs on the mountain slope behind the soak shack.
There was a considerable amount of water gushing out, and I could feel the intense geothermal activity with my whole body.
As it should be, the Water temp reached 147 degrees F.
Be careful not to accidentally fall in.
Pools below the cliff
The boiling water that passed in front of the soak shack hot water hut turned into a waterfall and flowed down the hill.
A short distance from that point until it joined Warm Spring Creek was a 100% hot spring river.
Even though the water was gradually cooling naturally, it did not cool down easily due to the continuous inflow.
All the places where the rocks were stained orange were dangerously hot.
Eventually, I was able to soak only when the water was about to merge with the underground water from the stream.
I was concerned about the flying butterflies, but once I was fully soaked, I was good to go.
Fortunately, there were many pools surrounded by rocks left behind by previous soakers, so I had plenty to choose from.
The water here was lukewarm and relaxing.
I was very satisfied with Bonneville, which had a lot of Idaho-like attractions.
Summary
Bonneville Hot Springs, Boise National Forest, Idaho, U.S.
My rating
Type: Undeveloped (fee required)
Rule: Clothing optional
Chemical use: No
Water temp: Up to 147 degrees F
