Looking to spend a night, MAYBE two in the central Idaho wilderness, and have my heart set on visiting my first backcountry hot spring! Suggestions?
So far I'm looking at bear valley near Stanley, but all of central idaho is virgin territory to me. If its within a few miles of some awesome views, even better
Check out Ketchum. It is awesome.
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A quick search brought up Frenchman's Hot Springs near Ketchum. I'm hoping for something that has to be hiked into though.
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I recommend the Library and/or the internet (possibly Amazon) and maybe REI if you have a local store. There are many "Hot Springs" guide books and it is important to do the research if you are going to travel, hike, and put in some effort. For example, around Bend, in Central Oregon, you might see a hot spring listed near Paulina Lake. And without any other knowledge you might imagine a comfortable soak. But the reality is, the "hot spring" there is mostly a scummy pool about six inches deep.
The guide books often have trail maps, distance from trail head, etc. And Idaho is FULL of hot springs. So you can plan to visit multiple site on your trip. I don't remember the name, but I recall hiking to one one (from the guide book) - maybe near Riggs. It was about a quarter mile from the road pull out. The "spring" was a nice pool sized for chest deep soaking. I pretended I was a old time Mountain Man who had just come across this wonder after wondering about in the snow (there was about 8 inches of snow on the ground). I had planned to spend the night without sleeping bag or shelter. I'd soak in the water until I was pretty warm, then I'd get out until I was cooled off a bit - and repeat. But after an hour or so, I realized that by morning, of even just a few hours more, I'd turn into a prune. So I dressed, hiked back to the car and was on my way - but it was a glorious hour or so, by myself, looking up at the trees and sky, soaking in warm water while surrounded by snow.
Wishing you a great time.
I play pretend mountain man while in the wilderness, as well!
I started reading what seems to be a great guide not too long before reading your post! "Hiking Hot Springs in the Pacific Northwest: A Guide to the Area's Best Backcountry Hot Springs (Regional Hiking Series)", by Litton, Jackson
A great excerpt:
"The state of Idaho contains more than twice the number of geothermal gems than the fifty-three described in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia combined! This is truly an amazing fact. The 109 hot springs shown on the Idaho map are all located in prime hiking areas in national forests. Nearly a third lie either near the edge or well within the boundaries of protected wilderness areas. Still, surprisingly few backcountry buffs visit the “Potato State.” Even the spectacular Sawtooths, congested by Idaho’s standards, seem deserted to hikers accustomed to fighting the summer crowds in the Cascades or Olympics."
Best part, it's now on my kindle, which is my backcountry indulgence, so I can read about potential following soaks, while on my upcoming soak
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