The 10 Best Hot Springs in Idaho

Kirkham: a hot waterfall spilling into Payette riverside pools, straight off Highway 21. The gateway Idaho soak — go fall through spring to dodge both crowds and high water.

Goldbug: six terraced pools hung on a canyon shelf with the Salmon River valley below, paid for with a 1,350-foot climb. Idaho's best view from hot water.

Jerry Johnson: cedar forest, a suspension bridge over the Lochsa, and terraced creek pools. Day-use only and patrolled — the rangers mean the 8pm close.

Burgdorf: an 1870s resort of log cabins and gravel-bottomed pools at 6,100 feet, reservation-only — and snowmobile-only all winter, which is the version worth planning for.

Trail Creek: boulder pools with a swing-away hot pipe, a hundred steep yards below the road. The locals' winter soak — bring microspikes for the icy scramble.

Sunbeam: rock pools in the Salmon River itself below a 1937 CCC bathhouse, eleven miles from Stanley. Late summer, low water, mountain light.

Bonneville: creekside pools and a cast-iron tub in its own soak shack, a quarter-mile stroll from the campground. Midsummer's busiest backcountry soak.

Rocky Canyon: ford the Middle Fork Payette (rope provided) and the cascading pools on the far bank are yours. Late-summer water levels only — the crossing is the gatekeeper.

Lava Hot Springs: five terraced mineral pools run by a state foundation since 1919, odor-free and open 363 days. The polished end of the Idaho spectrum.

Zims: the Nez Perce Tribe's family plunge near New Meadows — soaking pool, big warm swimmer, snack bar. The easy one, and that's the compliment.