THE PAYETTE RIVER, IDAHO

 

The Middle Fork of The Payette River is located in the Boise National Forest. This site provides an adventure bouncing along the back roads, then hiking and fording a river several times; with a soothing reward at the end of your long trail: hot springs. Boiling Springs, Moon Dipper, Pine Burl and Bull Creek await the deliciously weary traveler on the south bank of Dash Creek before they spill into the Middle Fork of the Payette River. Each hot spring has primitive rock and log pools which allow you to mix cold river water with the hot mineral water of the springs.

DIRECTIONS: First, purchase a map of the Boise National Forest from any ranger station and then follow Forest Service Road 698 north from Crouch to the Trail Creek Campground and Boiling Springs USFS guard station (about 20 miles of unpaved road). From there, hike north another 2 miles or so on the clear, but unmarked, path along the river to where the springs appear on the map. Since you will need to ford the river several times, be sure to wear shoes that can get wet (and maybe a change of clothes).

SITE REVIEWS:

 

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997
From: "Dennis Williams" (williams@serv.net)
Subject: Pine Flats Hot Springs (Idaho)

Pine Flats is on a state campground on the South Fork of the Payette River about five miles west of Lowman. It is unbelievable and accessible! The guide book that I used ("Hiker's Guide to Hot Springs of the PNW") says bathing suits are required, but that seemed to be unheeded the day I was there.

I visited in October, 1996 on a Sunday after the first snow. That undoubtably cut down on the number of visitors, but it was during hunting season, so there were lots of people out shooting animals. It's a short hike from the campground parking lot downstream to the rocky bluff that is the source of the hot water. It trickles out everywhere and forms numerous pools. The best pool was hard to reach--one has to either climb over the rocky bluff or cling to the sheer rock at river's edge for about 50 feet to get around the bluff. The river is deep here--you don't want to fall in. The pool on the other side is worth the effort.

I got there about 11 in the morning and snow was still on the ground around the pool. The pool is big enough for a small group to be comfortable, deep enough to lounge up to your shoulders, and the frosting on the cake: a 50 foot waterfall of HOT water cascading over the top of the bluff into the pool where you are soaking. What an experience to stand under this waterfall in the sub-freezing are, looking across the river to snowy trees!

The nudity prohibition didn't seem to be enforced in October when I was there, but if you visited in the summer, I'm sure it would be different.

I highly recommend visiting this hot spring. The only better one I have ever soaked in was Three Rivers on the Owyhee River in SE Oregon, but it was 30 miles of terrible BLM dust (not dirt) road and a three mile hike. As when visiting all hot springs, if you go to Pine Flats PLEASE bring a garbage sack with you, pack out everything you brought in, and pick up the trash left by the less thoughtful.

From: "Bill Brassfield" (billb@cyberhighway.net)
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997

There are others that I did not mention on highway 17 about 5 miles from lowman is a campground called Pine Flats Nice camping and fresh water. Take the trail due west you can't miss it, about 200 yards down the mountain comes alive with hot springs. My count was around 25 soaking pools. Althought you can't see the road I advise bathing suits here during the day.

The other is on highway 21 the other side of lowman it is called Kirkham hot springs one of the more popular places. Just off the highway this campground I rated poorly

The hotsprings is over crowded in daylight hours and bathing suits are advise for both day and night, see the sheriff up there gets his kicks off of the nude bathers.

From: "Bill Brassfield" (billb@cyberhighway.net)
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997

I thought I wood take the time and describe the hotsprings on the payette river for you.

Moon Dipper hot springs is about three miles from the boil springs campground area.

There are two hot spring pools. the first one is no more than a wading pool but with a little effort in can be a good pool but the water is 120 to 160 so you must be careful where you sit. In the same area about fifty feet above the Burl Pine hot springs is Moon Dipper. Sitting next to a creek you can regulate the temp. of the water. I backpack into these all summer long. Clothing is opitional at both. At the start is Boiling Springs Guard Station it was build in the fifty's and you can rent it. There are many pools station and here you must have bathing clothes.

Below on the same road to these hot springs is a resort called Silver Creek Plunge. There are cabins to rent and many campgrounds. If you would like more about these hotsprings contact me billb@cyberhighway.net or bbrassfield@juno.com

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