Bear Valley Hot Spring
Bear Valley Hot Spring hides at 6,210 feet in the Boise National Forest, requiring a 2.5-mile hike to reach. Recent USGS measurements recorded 149 degrees Fahrenheit despite the original survey listing it merely as "warm," making the actual thermal output far more impressive than the name suggests.
The approach crosses high mountain meadows and dense forest in one of Idaho's snowiest regions, where annual snowfall averages over 14 feet. At this elevation, the growing season is short and the landscape shifts between deep winter silence and brief summer green. The spring emerges in a forested drainage where steam may be visible from a distance. The nearest road feels far away, and the only company tends to be the occasional elk herd moving through.
The spring's highly alkaline chemistry, pH 9.5 with sodium-dominant mineralization and almost no calcium, indicates deep circulation through the Idaho Batholith's granitic basement rock. Valley County sits atop one of Idaho's most geothermally productive zones, where Cretaceous-era intrusions created fractured pathways for heated groundwater. Banner Creek Campground, 10 miles away, provides a primitive base with five sites.
The 2.5-mile hike demands route-finding skills and backcountry preparedness. Snow closes this area from October through mid-June in most years. Water at 149 degrees Fahrenheit is dangerously hot at the source. Banner Creek Campground is first-come, first-served with vault toilets but no drinking water. Bring everything you need and a good topographic map.
Is Bear Valley Hot Spring worth visiting?
Best for
- Overnight camping trips
The water at Bear Valley Hot Spring is alkaline (pH 9.5).
A nice campground along Highway 21 in the trees with a small creek running through. Campground has 5 campsites with picnic tables and fire rings with cooking grills. The campground amemities include a vault toilet. No drinking water is available and the campground is limited to trailers and motorhomes up to 32 feet long; there are no hookups within the campground.