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Every Hot Spring

Kirkham Hot Springs

Kirkham Hot Springs is a hot spring with developed pools near Lowman in Boise County, Idaho. Water at the source is recorded at 149°F (65°C), hot enough to scald. Records place it on public land. Fees and entry: $5 per vehicle day-use fee.

149°F65°C recorded at the source
Scalding at the source. Do not enter without a cooled, mixed pool.

Kirkham Hot Springs is a Forest Service day-use site on the South Fork Payette River just east of Lowman on State Highway 21, with soaking pools and small steaming waterfalls at the river's edge. It is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., charges a $5 per vehicle fee, and allows no overnight camping.

Facts

Coordinates
44.0728, -115.5448 (Google Maps, OSM)
Source temperature
149°F (65°C)
Access
Public land
Type
Developed pools
Fee
$5 per vehicle day-use fee
Clothing optional
Not recorded
Nearest town
Lowman
State
Idaho
Data sources
NOAA NCEI, OpenStreetMap, Wikipedia, Wikidata, Official sources (linked below). See sources

Map

Larger marker is Kirkham Hot Springs; smaller markers are other springs within 50 miles.

Quick answers

Can you soak at Kirkham Hot Springs?
Records place Kirkham Hot Springs 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 Kirkham Hot Springs?
The hottest recorded reading at the source is 149°F (65°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.
Is Kirkham Hot Springs free?
Fees and entry: $5 per vehicle day-use fee. Fees change, so confirm before you go.
Where is Kirkham Hot Springs?
Kirkham Hot Springs is near Lowman in Boise County, Idaho, at coordinates 44.0728, -115.5448.
What other hot springs are near Kirkham Hot Springs?
The closest listed springs, in straight-line distance, are Haven Lodge Hot Spring, under 1 mi; Pine Flat Hot Springs, 7 mi; and Pine Flats Hot Springs, 7 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/kirkham-hot-springs

Merged from

  1. NOAA NCEI Thermal Springs List (archived 2025): survey location and source temperature, public domain
  2. OpenStreetMap: mapped feature and its tags, ODbL
  3. Wikipedia: short description, CC BY-SA 4.0
  4. Wikidata: name, county and website, CC0