Soaking it Up in the Lava Hot Springs

As we plotted our journey west, we decided to go a bit off course to visit southern Idaho. Last year we only had time to get through northern Idaho and missed a few places on our list.

Looking for places to stop, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho got my attention on the map, and within a few minutes of looking, I knew this was where we were stopping for a night! We had first visited a hot springs while in Iceland in 2016, and I had been on the hunt for one we could visit stateside ever since, but the timing hadn’t been right on our journey.

We looked at RV Parks and campgrounds in the area, but since it’s a popular summer destination, the options were low and the prices were high. Luckily, The Dyrt (an app for finding boondocking spots) showed us a fishing area with overnight spots that were first come, first serve, but free! Since it was midweek, we lucked into finding one that we fit into with no problem. It’s only a couple miles out of town, and right along the river. There are trails to the terraced waterfalls and it even has picnic tables, fire pits and a pit toilet in the day use area!

Once we got set up and it cooled down (nights were freezing in the desert, even though it was quite hot in the day time), we left Luna to nap in the rig and we headed into town with our suits, towels and toiletries.

There are a few places to choose from to soak in the hot springs and some of the hotels and spas offer day passes. We just went to the Lava Hot Springs Hot Pools in the center of town since they were $8 a person, were family friendly and were open from 8AM-11PM. They offered lockers for $1 and had changing rooms and showers. They do also have suits and towels to rent if you are traveling through and don’t have your own.

We enjoyed soaking in the various temperatures of mineral pools and chatting with people. After about an hour, we were feeling better and hot, so we hopped out, showered, and headed out. We stopped to read many of the signs to learn that indigenous tribes had traveled through using these for medicinal purposes and in the winter, and that it was a frequent stop for travelers.

We also learned about how it was heated from the lava tubes below (geothermal) and these didn’t have sulfur, so lacked that rotten egg smell. It was amazing how good we felt after. Writing this a few days after our visit, some pains I’d had for years still aren’t bothering me–they are on to something!

It’s a neat area to explore, including the cave entrance at the hot pools, the history of the area dating back to the indigenous tribes that visited, and the botanical garden next door we stumbled across when BJ went to grab a newly placed geocache at its entrance.

We headed back to camp and enjoyed the cool night weather. We were also treated to incredible views of the Milky Way and thousands of stars, thanks to it being Dark Sky Country, and a clear New Moon night. BJ got some great shots with the professional camera, so hop over to the photography store page to check them out!

If you have longer to stay, there are many trails to hike, and you can explore the town and enjoy a river tubing experience, too!

Find more information about the Hot Pools, options and seasonal hours at their website Lava Hot Springs.

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