A 4-day adventure through Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming combining remote wilderness hot springs, ghost towns, and Yellowstone's thermal features.
Duration
4 days
Distance
~400 miles
Difficulty
strenuous
Vehicle
high clearance
Best Season
Summer to early fall (July-September)
Start at Kirkham Hot Springs along the Banks-Lowman Highway — multiple pools cascading down a cliffside above the Payette River. Continue to Bonneville Hot Springs via a dirt road. Camp at Kirkham Campground.
Drive east through Targhee National Forest to Yellowstone National Park. Visit the Lower Geyser Basin, Fountain Paint Pot, and Grand Prismatic Spring. Soak at the Firehole River Swimming Area (natural hot spring-fed river).
Exit Yellowstone north to Gardiner, MT. Drive through Paradise Valley to Chico Hot Springs (historic resort). Visit Norris Hot Springs (riverside pools). Overnight at Chico.
Drive west through the Madison River Valley. Stop at cliff-side springs and enjoy the Montana scenery. Return to Bozeman or continue to Idaho.
The Northern Rockies Wilderness Soak is for adventurers who want to combine remote hot springs with some of the most dramatic landscapes in the American West. This 4-day trip takes you from Idaho’s cliffside springs through Yellowstone’s geothermal wonderland and into Montana’s historic hot springs resorts.
The itinerary requires a high-clearance vehicle for some stops and includes camping in national forests and Yellowstone. The reward is soaking in pools that most travelers never see, from cascading cliffside springs to a natural hot spring-fed river inside a national park.