Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.

We’ve been to so many amazing hot springs: Saturnia in Tuscany (Italy), Strawberry Hot Springs (Steamboat Springs CO), Orvis Hot Springs (Ouray CO), etc. We generally love hot springs. But a hike and a hot springs in one? Phew – what’s not to love about that?

We stayed in Salmon (ID) on a Sunday, where many businesses were closed. Our original plan was to wake up super early the next morning and catch the hot springs at sunrise. But because there wasn’t much to do in Salmon, we decided to go near sunset the day before. This allowed us time to skedaddle (is that word still used? 🙂) to our next destination early – the Grand Tetons.

Parking at the trailhead is limited but we were lucky to catch someone pulling out right as we were pulling in. Parking is right by the trailhead that’s depicted below…

The entrance is pleasant, with a wooden fenced walkway leading to dense over brush and bridge crossing over a partially hidden river. There’s also a restroom just beyond the bridge. Here’s a better look…

The hike almost immediately starts out with switchbacks. These aren’t bad unless there’s excessive heat. After the switchbacks, you walk a flat trail winding around the hillside…

Looking back, this is a good view of the valley you drove through to get there…

This iron gate you pass through is cool but I’m not sure its purpose…

You continue walking awhile through a valley and near a creek with dense trees and brush. You hear waterfalls more than once and there are primitive campsites. At a little over the halfway mark you start seeing some of these waterfalls as you ascend…

The real fun begins when you cross over this bridge…

The hike is just about straight upward from here! But you’re constantly hearing waterfalls as you take water breaks. Hard to complain about that! We turned around and snapped a photo as the sun was falling below one of the hills…

When you’re quite close to the hot springs you see this beautiful little spot…

Pretty amazing, huh? You haven’t seen nothin’ yet. 🙂 These brutal steps are the next thing on your journey…

Thankfully they only last a short period of time. We eventually walked around some boulders as we began to see the actual hot springs. We walked to the top where there’s a bridge and ho-lee-crap…😍…

Hot springs with an amazing mountain view. Is that utopia? I’d say ‘yes!’. The next series of pictures are the different hot springs and waterfalls…

It’s every bit as peaceful and beautiful as it looks. We found this hot pot to be the best temperature – probably close to 100-102 degrees.

One sense I can’t share with you on the hike is the wonderful mountain scents. You just have to experience this for yourself…

I’m not sure how this picture skewed but I’ll take it! Haha. Someone mentioned a cave on this hike. I’d call this a “cave”. But it was still cool. One final video showing the utopian beauty of this place…

She’s a beaut!!!!

We originally planned to head back after nightfall but those steep switchbacks made us nervous (even with a headlamp). So we headed back at dusk. Here’s Jason posing like he’s all cool heading back (of course, he is not 😂)…

What a beautiful view to hike to as the sun goes down. The moon decided to show up…

And right as it was nestled between these two hills, I snapped a photo…

We made it back past dark but our headlamp helped guide us through.

This hike was a religious experience. I would recommend it to anyone who can treat it right. I hope that person is you. ♥️

Total Distance/Time: 3.82 miles in 1 hr 43 min (excludes soak time)
Calories Burned: 1,062
Trail Type: Out-and-back
Trail Features: Hot springs, switchbacks, steps, Creek, waterfalls, rolling meadows, hills
Best Time to Hike: Morning or evening; March-May/September-October
Difficulty Rating: 7.5/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 44.8980199, -113.9573199
Trail Tips:

• When To Go: This place is not exactly a secret. I would recommend visiting early in the morning or in the evening to guarantee a parking spot and smaller crowds. The proverbial ‘avoiding holidays and weekends’ advise is probably a wise move, although we went on Labor Day weekend around dark and there were roughly 10 people there. Not bad. By the time it was almost dark though, there were only 4 of us.
• Difficulty: Yes, this hike is under 4 miles but don’t expect it to be a cake walk. The switchbacks and elevation changes are pretty significant given the distance. Bring water and take your time.
• Pot Selection: There were two pots midway up next to a giant boulder and log that we felt were perfect. The further up you go, the hotter the pots were (from our experience). Soaking in a waterfall hot springs is such an amazing experience.