It is not often that you find a hot spring pool as quaint as this one.
The structure from the dance floor to the pool was also excellent.
Old-fashioned dance hall
If you are heading from Idaho Falls to Missoula on I- 15, you might want to take a short detour to Jackson Hot Springs.
Facing the almost ghost town-like main street, Jackson Hot Springs was old but carefully maintained.
This hot spring was one of the ones "discovered" by the Lewis and Clark expedition, as mentioned in the article for 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, ...
Clark, one of the first white Americans exploring overland from the East Coast to the West Coast, discovered the boiling water on his return trip in 1806.
He wrote in his diary that he cooked meat in the hot water.
In 1884, ownership of the hot springs was first acquired; in 1950, a rancher in Jackson Hole purchased the facility and undertook extensive renovations.
While management has changed in 2018, the lobby with its old-fashioned bar and fireplace is still there.
It was a lovely space, which surprised me when I stopped by for a walk-in.
Walk-in for the pool was available at the hotel front desk.
The price was $10.00 per adult (as of this writing).
To access the showers and changing rooms, go upstairs.
A little further back, on the mezzanine floor, was the entrance to the pool.
Greenish water trickles down
The pool was said to be indoors when it was first built, but now the roof has been completely removed.
One simple, large pool underneath a string of electric lights.
It would be romantic at night.
It was surrounded on all sides by historic wooden walls, so I could not see outside.
There were four outlets on the wooden box-like structure, and only one of them was working.
The water temp was as hot as 124 degrees F.
The hot water, which is 136 degrees F at the gushing point, seems to be piped and cooled naturally.
Compared to the size of the pool, the amount of water input was small, so the overall temperature was lukewarm at about 102 degrees F.
The pool gets deeper as you move away from the water outlet, and it shows greenish color.
I heard that it was chlorinated, but I did not smell it.
It would be safer to have disinfection from a hygienic point of view, since the water input was too small.
Now, I remembered that there was an information board about the geothermal springs at the entrance of the building.
I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood.
Behind the pool were a row of log cabin style cabins.
In the back of the buildings, I saw another facility, the Jackson House Vacation Rental, which also used the thermal water.
Far beyond that, I found the source of the springs.
Too bad I could not get any closer!
Summary
Jackson Hot Springs, Jackson, Montana, U.S.
My rating
Type: Walk-in, Lodging
Rule: Clothing required
Chemical use: Detected
Water temp: Up to 136 degrees F
