Sharkey Hot Spring
Off National Forest Development Road 185 outside Salmon, Sharkey Hot Spring surfaces hot, in the 120s, on Bureau of Land Management ground under the Salmon Field Office in Lemhi County. The listing shows open access, and the water is a few hundred feet off the road. The source is above comfortable soaking as it leaves the ground, so plan on testing it before committing.
Open BLM land at around 5,400 feet, eighteen miles or so from Salmon. A forest development road runs within a few hundred feet, which makes this a drive-up. Snow is moderate by Idaho standards, under eighty inches most winters, and the area is dry, with yearly precipitation under twenty inches. Average temperature over the year lands in the low forties. No fee shows in the record.
December through February are the months on file as best, which fits a roadside spring with modest snow. Agency Creek Campground is about five miles away. Temperature and chemistry both come from a USGS sample taken in August 1980, so the figures are decades old and the spring may behave differently now. Water in the 120s burns skin with time; ease in.
The USGS carries Sharkey as a monitoring site. Its one published sample dates to 1980.
The water at Sharkey Hot Spring is slightly alkaline (pH 8.0).
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Agency Creek Campground (4 campsites) is located along the Lewis and Clark National Backcountry Byway, near the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. At the top of the pass, there is a memorial to Sacajawea. This secluded, arid area offers a variety of recreation activities including camping, biking, hiking, hunting, OHV riding, picnicking and wildlife viewing. Please be respectful of cultural and historical items found here.
Sharkey Hot Spring sits at 5,440 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 22% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Sharkey Hot Spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water runs hot, so extra hydration is key. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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Springs Near Sharkey Hot Spring
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Slightly Alkaline Springs (pH ~8.0)
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