Preis Hot Spring
Preis Hot Spring surfaces at 106 degrees Fahrenheit alongside Carrie Creek Road in Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest, less than 100 meters from the pavement. Its alkaline water registers a pH of 9.6 with notably low calcium and elevated sodium, pointing to deep geothermal circulation through the granite batholith underlying Camas County.
The spring sits at 5,670 feet in the rolling sagebrush uplands between the Soldier Mountains and the Smoky Range. Big Smoky Creek cuts through the valley below, its cottonwood-lined banks visible from the source. The water emerges clear and sodium-rich, with a faint mineral slickness on the rocks. Summers are short here; the area averages nearly nine feet of snow annually, and winter temperatures regularly drop well below zero.
Carrie Creek Road provides direct access, making this one of the easier backcountry springs to reach in the Sawtooth zone. Bowns Campground sits about 3.4 miles away with 10 first-come, first-served sites along Big Smoky Creek. Roads may be impassable from late fall through spring due to heavy snowpack.
Camas County's thermal features trace to the Idaho Batholith, a massive Cretaceous-era granitic intrusion that still holds residual heat at depth. The Sawtooth National Forest manages this spring on federal land. USGS sampling confirms 41 degrees Celsius, consistent with original 1980 NOAA records, suggesting a stable geothermal source feeding the surface expression.
The water at Preis Hot Spring is alkaline (pH 9.6).
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Bowns Campground, located 25 miles east of Featherville and 18 miles north of Fairfield, is a developed campground composed of 10 units along Big Smoky Creek. Two of the camp sites are double family units. Camping, fishing, hiking, and picnicking are popular activities. Campground amenities include picnic tables, fire rings, drinking water (seasonally) and restrooms. Miller Creek Trail (#087) starts just south of the campground and is open to motorcycles.
Preis Hot Spring sits at 5,670 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 23% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Preis Hot Spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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