Hot Spring Hunting in Idaho

by Dan Grec · October 3, 2009

The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa

I feel such a connection to people these days I get a bit choked up saying goodbye to Jeff and Andee. I’ve always found goodbyes pretty crappy and this one is no different. Driving East on interstate 84 I can’t stop thinking that it might be a very long time before I see them again. I really hope not.

Interstate driving. I’d forgotten how endless and soul sucking it can be. Remind me not to do this again. The highlight comes when I pass the following sign:

45th Parallel. Halfway between the North Pole and The Equator

‘Ooo! Equator.’ ‘I’m going there.’
I think out loud to myself, grinning from ear to ear and struggling a little with the idea.

I’ve only seen the Western, coastal side of Oregon so being this far East is fascinating. The West is entirely different – very arid and barren. I drive through Hells Canyon, an amazing place that makes me think I’m in a desert.

Hells Canyon

It turns out that Idaho has the vast majority of the hot springs in North America, something that caught my attention a few years ago when I good hooked on springs. I’ve been wanting to make a trip across the state in search of hot water for a long time and that time is now. I plan to move East across the state, taking people’s advice on which spring I should visit next. I don’t know how long it will take or how many springs I’ll see and that’s the best part

I start out with Council Mountain Hot Spring – a solid 2 mile hike is required up to the spring. Massive amounts of extremely hot water are coming out of the side of a rock face and flowing down to mix with a creek.

Hike to Council Mountain Hot Spring

The mixing pools are fast moving, bubbling swirling affairs that are not unlike a hot tub. Between the pools the rocks are coated in slime and moss making for some fun natural hot water slides from pool to pool. If this is what I can expect from hot springs in Idaho then bring it on!

Council Mountain Hot Spring

I move a little further East and camp at White Licks Hot Spring. Two old shacks cover concrete holes in the ground that have both a hot and cold water feed. Not my idea of a good hot spring, but a beautiful little campground on the side of a creek.