Goldbug Hot Spring

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—temperature

A natural thermal spring.

Scale30/60

Documentation14/20

Character10/20

The details

Soak: Temperature unrecorded
Area: Dubois
Coordinates: 44.905, -113.929

Get directions →

About Goldbug Hot Spring

Goldbug Hot Spring is a natural hot spring in Idaho.

At that temperature it's temperature unrecorded — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.

Plungeworthy rates Goldbug Hot Spring 5.4/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Six-odd terraced pools fed by a hot cascade, hung on a canyon shelf with the Salmon River valley spread below — the best view from any soak in Idaho, and it charges admission in sweat: a two-mile climb gaining 1,350 feet, steepest at the end.

Getting there

Trailhead: Warm Springs Trail off US-93 near Elk Bend, south of Salmon
Parking: Small dirt lot; fills on weekends
Road: Paved highway, short gravel spur
Hike: 4 mi round trip, 1,350 ft of climb (hard)
Heads up: The first quarter mile crosses private land on an easement — stay on the path and leash dogs through it. Bridges and steps are maintained; the grade is honest work.

When to go

Spring and fall are ideal — the climb is brutally exposed in July heat, and winter ice makes the steep sections genuinely hairy. Pools run hotter or cooler by season and by which one you claim.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None — free
Dogs: Allowed; leash required on the lower private-land stretch
Hours: None posted
Camping: Not at the trailhead or within 500 feet of the pools; primitive camping allowed above the highest pool
Warnings: No facilities, no cell service. Swimsuits recommended — the upper pools have a clothing-optional tradition but families climb this trail too.

Researched from BLM — Goldbug Hot Springs · Wikipedia — Goldbug Hot Springs. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Goldbug Hot Spring recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.