Queens River Hot Spring
Queens River Hot Spring registers 123 degrees Fahrenheit according to recent USGS measurements, with an alkaline pH of 9.6 and low mineral content. It sits roadside along West China Basin Road in the Boise National Forest at 5,080 feet elevation, just 250 feet from the gravel surface in the rugged Queens River drainage.
This is high, remote forest country even by Idaho standards. The area receives over 15 feet of snow annually, and the landscape is a mix of lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, and open meadow. The spring emerges near the road cut, its water clear with a slightly slippery, alkaline feel from the sodium-dominant chemistry. The old mining town of Atlanta sits a few miles away, reachable by rough forest roads.
The Queens River area lies within the Atlanta lobe of the Idaho Batholith, where Cretaceous granite hosts numerous thermal features. Water chemistry shows very low calcium at 3.2 mg/L alongside 48 mg/L sodium, indicating long residence time in silicate rock with minimal limestone contact. The spring's heat source is residual plutonic warmth channeled upward through fracture networks.
West China Basin Road provides direct access, though conditions vary with season and maintenance. Atlanta Cabin, a reservable historic Forest Service rental about 3.7 miles away, offers overnight accommodation in a 1933 CCC-built structure. The road to Atlanta is long and rough from any direction. Plan for self-sufficiency and check current road conditions before departing.
Is Queens River Hot Spring worth visiting?
Best for
- Easy day trips
- Overnight camping trips
The water at Queens River Hot Spring is alkaline (pH 9.6).
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Overview Atlanta Cabin is located in the old mining town of Atlanta, Idaho, at an elevation of 5,800 feet. It is part of a historic ranger station compound built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Forest Service in 1933. This compound, known as the Atlanta Ranger Station Historic District, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The roads to the cabin are generally well-maintained, although there are some rough washboard sections. Guests can drive to the cabin, but shoul...