Trail Creek Hot Springs
- Free
- 2 hr 43 min from Boise
- Roadside
Creekside pools about 19 miles from Cascade on the Warm Lake road, reached by a short, steep descent from a roadside pullout. Some pools are reinforced with concrete, and pipes let cold creek water in to adjust the temperature. Visit Idaho features it as a winter soak, when the path down is snow-covered.
- Price
- Free
- Nearest town
- Cascade
- From Boise
- 2 hr 43 min
- Hike (one way)
- Roadside
Plan your visit
Hours & season
| Season |
|
|---|
Tickets & booking
| Price | No fee stated by any official source |
|---|---|
| Access | Free public access |
On site
| Lodging | No |
|---|---|
| Land manager | USFS |
Not stated by the land manager: swimwear, ages, dogs.
Soak responsibly
- Pack out everything, including food scraps and toilet paper. Use WAG bags where required.
- No soap, shampoo or sunscreen in the pools; rinse away from the water.
- Check permits and closures with USFS before you go.
- Keep groups small and give others space. Respect posted dog and camping rules.
Water temperature
This venue doesn't publish pool temperatures.
Mineral profile
Total dissolved minerals
221 mg/L
Lightly mineralized · Sodium–sulfate (sodium sulfate water)
- pH
- 9.7
- Temp at source
- 124°F
- Lithium
- 0.04 mg/L
- Fluoride
- 2.6 mg/L
Lab analysis of the source water at “15n 06e 17dcc1s” (0.3 mi from Trail Creek Hot Springs), sampled 1980 by the USGS and partners (data). Pool water may be cooled, mixed or treated, and spring chemistry is generally stable over decades. We report measurements only; we don't make health claims.
What's here
- creekside pools partly reinforced with concrete
- pipes bring in cold creek water to adjust temperature
- short steep descent from a roadside pullout
- Boise National Forest
Getting there
- From Boise2 hr 43 min98 mi
- From McCall1 hr 24 min47 mi
- From Boise (BOI)2 hr 50 min102 mi
Typical driving time without traffic or snow.
| Elevation | 5,578 ft |
|---|---|
| Road |
|
| Trail |
|
| Parking | Roadside pullout |
Things to do near Cascade
Campgrounds
Trailheads
Straight-line distances. Campground and trailhead data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby springs
Vulcan Hot Springs
A geothermal area on Vulcan Creek in the Boise National Forest, reached on Vulcan Hot Springs Trail #072 from the Tyndall / Vulcan Trailhead. The trailhead has a vault toilet and five dispersed campsites but no drinking water. The source springs are near boiling, so soaking is only possible where creek water has cooled them.
Gold Fork Hot Springs
A privately run soaking site on Gold Fork Road east of Donnelly, with six rock-formed, flow-through pools and a sandy children's pool. Admission is cash only, there is a two-hour soak limit, and no reservations are taken. Winter hours run Wednesday to Monday, with Thursdays set aside for guests 18 and over.
Boiling Springs
A geothermal area on the Middle Fork Payette River about 24 miles north of Crouch on Forest Road 698, next to a Forest Service campground and the rentable Boiling Springs Cabin. Recreation.gov describes soaking in the hot springs beside the cabin, and the USFS says the springs are a short walk from the trailhead parking. The main spring is near boiling, so test the water before getting in.
Vulcan Hot Springs: 5 mi · Gold Fork Hot Springs: 10 mi · Boiling Springs: 19 mi
Sources (3)
· checked November 2026
Prices, hours and rules are checked against the official site and land-agency pages. Spot something out of date? Let us know.