Jerry Johnson Hot Springs

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—temperature

A natural thermal spring.

Scale30/60

Documentation14/20

Character10/20

The details

Soak: Temperature unrecorded
Area: Hamilton
Coordinates: 46.463, -114.872

Get directions →

About Jerry Johnson Hot Springs

Jerry Johnson Hot Springs 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 Jerry Johnson Hot Springs 5.4/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

A cedar-forest amble off the Lochsa's suspension footbridge ends at terraced pools along Warm Springs Creek — the Northwest's archetypal forest soak. Shallow, rock-lined, hot where the source enters and tempered where the creek mixes in.

Getting there

Trailhead: Warm Springs Pack Bridge, US-12 between mileposts 152 and 153
Parking: Two-car trailhead lot (one reserved for stock) — realistically, the highway shoulder
Road: Paved
Hike: 2.5 mi round trip, 260 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: Flat walking; the lower pools come first, upper terraces a bit beyond.

When to go

Any season — US-12 stays open, and a snowy-bank soak here is a northern-Idaho rite. Spring runoff cools and sometimes floods the creekside pools; late summer and fall are steadiest.

It's the most-loved spring in this half of the state. Weekday mornings or eat the crowd.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None
Dogs: Leashed on the trail; out of the pools
Hours: Day use 6am–8pm — rangers patrol and write citations after hours
Camping: Jerry Johnson Campground on US-12 near the trailhead (first-come, June–October)
Warnings: No facilities at the trailhead; slick rock at every pool edge. Clothing-optional tradition persists, especially early and late — suits are still the safe default.

Researched from USFS — Warm Springs Trailhead · USFS — Jerry Johnson Campground. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs 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.