Stanley Hot Springs, Natural thermal pools in Idaho County, United States.
Stanley Hot Springs is a series of thermal springs in the Selway–Bitterroot Wilderness of Idaho County, Idaho, at an elevation of 1,092 metres. The geothermally heated water emerges at 106 °F (41 °C). The springs lie in a wooded valley where the surrounding terrain rises to 1,679 metres.
The hot springs are reached from the Wilderness Gateway Campground via Trail #211, about 26 miles east of Lowell on U.S. Route 12. A bridge over Boulder Creek washed away in the winter of 1998–99 and the USFS has not announced plans to rebuild it; since 2021 hikers ford the creek and cross a log jam to a center island, where a rope-strung log spans the last stretch.
The name comes from the Stanley family, early settlers of the Selway valley, and the pools are reached by fording Boulder Creek where the footbridge was washed out in the winter of 1998–99. The Forest Service has not rebuilt it, so bathers cross on a log jam and a rope-lined log to the center island.
Visiting requires a hike along marked trails through mountain terrain, so sturdy footwear and appropriate clothing for changing weather are essential. Since there are no facilities at the site, you will need to bring everything you might need, including water, snacks, and towels.
The footbridge over Boulder Creek washed away in the winter of 1998–99 and the Forest Service has not rebuilt it. Hikers now ford the creek and cross a log jam a little downriver from the trail site, zigzagging over logs wedged in place to a center island, where a rope-strung log spans the last stretch.
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