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Every Hot Spring

Hot Spring Campground

Hot Spring Campground is a primitive, undeveloped hot spring near Garden Valley in Idaho. Water at the source is recorded at 124°F (51°C), hot enough to scald. Records place it on public land.

124°F51°C recorded at the source
Scalding at the source. Do not enter without a cooled, mixed pool.

A natural hot springs soaking pool sits on the South Fork Payette River directly across the Banks-Lowman road from the Forest Service's Hot Springs Campground, just east of Garden Valley.

Facts

Coordinates
44.0540, -115.9070 (Google Maps, OSM)
Source temperature
124°F (51°C)
Access
Public land
Type
Primitive (undeveloped)
Fee
Not recorded
Clothing optional
Not recorded
Nearest town
Garden Valley
State
Idaho
Data sources
NOAA NCEI, Official sources (linked below). See sources

Map

Larger marker is Hot Spring Campground; smaller markers are other springs within 50 miles.

Quick answers

Can you soak at Hot Spring Campground?
Records place Hot Spring Campground on public land. That is not a guarantee of current access: closures, fire restrictions and road conditions change, so check with the land manager before you go.
How hot is Hot Spring Campground?
The hottest recorded reading at the source is 124°F (51°C). That is the outlet temperature, not a pool temperature; water cools as it flows away from the source. Water this hot can cause serious burns, so test any pool by hand first.
Where is Hot Spring Campground?
Hot Spring Campground is near Garden Valley in Idaho, at coordinates 44.0540, -115.9070.
What other hot springs are near Hot Spring Campground?
The closest listed springs, in straight-line distance, are Donlay Ranch Hot Spring, 3 mi; Corder Hot Spring, 3 mi; and Dan Hodges Hot Spring, 4 mi.

Before you go

  • Temperatures are measured at the source and can be far hotter than any soaking pool. Test with a hand before stepping in.
  • Access, fees, and road conditions change. Verify with the land manager or owner; "public" here reflects survey records, not a current right of entry.
  • Water in natural springs is untreated. Keep your head above water and avoid soaking with open wounds. Some springs carry Naegleria fowleri risk.
  • Pack out everything, including soap residue. Many springs have been closed because of trash and overcrowding.

Sources

Dataset last rebuilt October 11, 2026. Not yet checked on site by a person. Access, fee, clothing and closure details appear only when a source below states them. How this data is built.

Checked against

  1. USDA Forest Servicefs.usda.gov/r04/boise/recreation/hot-springs-campground-and…

Merged from

  1. NOAA NCEI Thermal Springs List (archived 2025): survey location and source temperature, public domain