Natural hot spring pool accompanied by nostalgia.
I felt the remnants of a culture that is being lost.
Aging buildings
Less than an hour drive from Idaho Falls.
Green Canyon Hot Springs is located upstream from Teton Dam, which caused one of the worst dam breach in 1976.
It is a natural hot spring pool surrounded by quiet woods, with a campground and RV park (full hookups).
Can you see the exposed white rock surface behind the buildings?
It is limestone from which hot spring elements have precipitated.
Pincock Hot Springs, the predecessor of Green Canyon Hot Springs, was located on top of that hill.
This place first appeared in history textbooks in 1812.
The Oregon Trail was used by pioneers migrating to the Pacific Northwest.
The expedition that pioneered the Oregon Trail, Robert Stewart, and his party, are said to have soaker here.
The development of the hot springs paralleled the development of the nearby town of Sugar City.
The limestone needed to build a sugar mill in 1903 was mined around the hot springs.
The Pincock family, who owned the land, later completed a swimming pool with geothermal water in 1912.
In later years, the owners were replaced, the pool on the hill was discontinued, and in 1947 it was reborn as a modern resort at its current location.
This was the beginning of Green Canyon Hot Springs.
Inside the aging pool house.
Picnic tables were arranged in a row just inside the entrance.
No admission fee is required for this area.
This structure is probably designed so that parents can monitor their children swimming.
This is a snack bar.
They sold candy and soft drinks.
Past the side of the snack bar was the reception desk for the pool.
As of writing, $9.75 for adults.
I changed into my swimsuit in the separate men's and women's changing rooms, which had quaint wooden partitions.
Separate pools for children and adults
There was one huge indoor pool, 120' x 50'.
The bottom was sloped and the changing room side was shallower.
The water temp was lukewarm, about 97 degrees F.
There was minimal chlorine disinfection.
A place where kids can swim year round, even during the cold winter months.
Perhaps that is the true nature of the U.S. hot springs.
In 1985, a hot pool for adults was added.
It was outside surrounded by walls and had a framework at the top that could be covered by a plastic roof.
There was also a cold pool to cool down the burning body.
It was fed by the cold water of 55 degrees F for two soakers.
In the hot pool, thermal water poured from a natural-looking water outlet.
At the water outlet, the water temp was kept at 109 degrees F.
The temperature of the entire hot pool was approximately 106 degrees F.
The water was clear, colorless, tasteless, and odorless.
No children made noise around the hot pool and I was able to take my time facing the water.
It was a place of cultural value, too good to be left behind and forgotten.
Summary
Green Canyon Hot Springs & Resort, Newdale, Idaho, U.S.
My rating
Type: Walk-in, Lodging (campground)
Rule: Clothing required
Chemical use: Yes
Water temp: Up to 115 degrees F
