Hot Spring Campground
Hot Spring Campground takes its name from the 124°F thermal source that surfaces at 3,120 feet along the Banks-Lowman Highway in Boise County. The spring sits roadside just east of Garden Valley, with natural soaking pools formed where hot water meets the South Fork Payette River directly across the road from the campground.
The South Fork Payette River dominates the scene here, running fast and cold through a forested canyon while thermal water seeps down the riverbank into rock-lined pools at the water's edge. Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir shade the canyon slopes, and the highway follows the river's curve through the drainage. Annual snowfall approaches 80 inches, but the relatively low elevation keeps winters milder than in the higher backcountry. Rafters and kayakers frequently pass through the rapids in view of the soaking pools.
The Banks-Lowman corridor follows a geothermal fairway along the South Fork Payette River where multiple hot springs surface through fractured granitic rock. This spring's highly alkaline pH of 9.0 and sodium-dominated chemistry, with 77 mg/L sodium and negligible magnesium at 0.1 mg/L, indicates deep-source water rising along canyon-bottom faults. USGS measurements showed 42°C with a small discharge of 0.01 cubic feet per second. The highway has connected Boise to the Stanley Basin since the early twentieth century.
Hot Springs Campground is 1.2 miles away and accepts reservations. The spring itself is about 140 feet from the road, making it one of the most accessible soaks along the Banks-Lowman corridor. Source water at 124°F is too hot for direct contact, but the riverside pools where thermal and river water blend offer temperatures that vary with river level. Higher river flows in spring create cooler pools; late summer produces the warmest soaking conditions.
Is Hot Spring Campground worth visiting?
Best for
- Hot spring soaking
- Easy day trips
- Overnight camping trips
The water at Hot Spring Campground is alkaline (pH 9.0).
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Overview Hot Springs Campground is located just east of Garden Valley, Idaho along the Banks-Lowman Highway at an elevation of 3169 feet. Visitors enjoy rafting, kayaking, fishing on the South Fork Payette River, and soaking in the hot springs at the river's edge. Recreation The South Fork Payette River is across the road from the campground, offering fishing, whitewater rafting, and kayaking. A natural hot springs soaking pool is located on the river directly across the road and down a...