Entry No. 57 — the Boise file — filed under: soak

Bonneville Hot Springs

A quarter-mile walk along Warm Springs Creek through the Boise National Forest leads to user-built rock pools and a rustic soak shack with a cast-iron tub fed by piped thermal water. It's far enough off Highway 21 that traffic noise disappears, leaving just the creek and, after dark, a thick scatter of stars overhead. The springs stay open year-round even when the adjacent campground gates close, making it a genuine wild soak rather than a developed resort.

The move: Time a clear-night arrival, hike in by headlamp, and sink into a creekside rock pool with the Milky Way directly above.

📍 Before you go Roughly 75+ miles from Boise on mountain Highway 21; soap and nude soaking are prohibited here, and winter access adds about a mile of hiking when the campground gate is closed.

• 📍 Lowman
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Forest Rd near Bonneville Campground, ~19 mi SE of Lowman off ID-21, Boise National Forest

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24