I have never been to a primitive hot spring, but it was as amazing as I imagined it! From the parking lot, walk on the bridge over the river and make a right. There's a sign that helps direct the way. Continue on a forest trail, bathing in the scents of the woods. There's some muddy areas, so watch out! Soon, you can see clouds of steam, which are the hot springs. The first one looked amazing as the spring cascades down a rock face into the spring pool, although the path down looks treacherous and it was already occupied by clothing-optional people. I think if I wanted to wear my birthday suit, I would pick this spring as it's hard to see from the trail and offers privacy. Past that spring is an area on the river bank that has several pools, and if you go beyond that a larger and final pool. The springs do not smell sulfurous at all. I was thinking it might smell like the springs in Yellowstone, but they're much better and you can get in and soak to your heart's content! read more

Jerry Johnson Hot Springs - Springs trailhead - Hiking Near Me - Elk City, Idaho

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What a great little hike! This area is beautiful and it's a semi-intermediate hike from the trail head to the hot springs. The first thing you will do is cross an old wooden bridge. Make a right once you cross the bridge and the trail will take you to the hot springs. The hike itself can be pretty rocky, with lots of tree roots sticking up out of the ground to watch for. There is some incline to it in parts, but overall this is a fairly nice hike. The hot springs isn't very large, but is a very relaxing spot to rest up in. The water is the perfect temperature year round and once in, I find I don't want to leave. It can be hit or miss on the amount of people you will find there. We've never seen too many people at once, and twice have gone there to find we were the only people there. If you are debating on whether to go, I say "Do it!" The natural beauty surrounds you the entire hike and it makes it more than worth it! read more

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What a hidden gem. It's definitely quite the hike (doesn't help that we took the longer route as well), but well worth it. This hike is pretty easy. There'll definitely be people in the hot spring (nude or not) but overall, everyone is pretty polite and nice. read more

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You should be aware it's a 2ish mile hike to get to the hot springs but once your there you'll have a breath taking view and the water is like hot tub hot. read more

It's been about 5-6 years since I've been to ole Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, but my guess is it's been around for atleast 5-6 centuries without changing much. If you are ever traveling in the picture perfect mountains of Montana & Idaho's Bitterroots, or if you are driving along the Lochsa River (a river whose trout tormented me many a time), you have to take a hike to this hidden jewel: the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs. I have a thing for hot springs. I've been to a few. I've been to the kind which have been commercialized and you drive up to them and basically you step into the warm waters which are nothing more than heated pools. My favorite, are the springs which are in their natural state. In this area of Idaho/Montana, the Bitterroot range is splashed with many hot springs. Jerry Johnson are the ones I made several trips to. The hike to the springs is about a mile. You cross over the Lochsa River ("River Runs Through It-esque"), and then you follow a trail along the Warm Spring Creek all the way up to several hot springs. Along the way, you might be gifted with the presence of a moose (saw it several times, and it seemed nonchalant and friendly). The first spring is the HOT one. This one literally gushes out of the side of hill and flows down about 20 feet into Warm Spring Creek. Before dumping into the chilly creek, the hot water pools in a couple of "hot tubs" made with walls of small rocks. So, if conditions are right, you can have your pick of several pools to take a dip into. These pools are right next to the creek (when the creek is high, these pools can sometimes be submerged offering nowhere to enjoy the warmness. The next set of hot springs is a little hike further (a few hundred feet. These springs come right up from the ground a little further away from the creek. These pools aren't quiet as warm, but they are further away from the creek and are fairly protected. There are several sources of hot water here, so you might be able to gain more privacy here. I've been here in the heat of summer and the dead of winter. Surprisingly, the deader the winter, the more packed it gets here (I imagine it's due to all the Univ of Montana kids). The water has a slight sulfurous odor, but for the most part you can't tell. The waters are truly healing. Being out in nature like this is healing. Oh, and if you ever get too hot you can always jump into Warm Spring Creek (I did this once with some goggles on, and was surprised to see trout all up in them waters!). WARNING: There are some who chose to "live freely" and dress accordingly here. Yes, it would be nice if those who felt like that were supermodels and hottie patotties, but unfortunately, the "natural" people I've seen here have been a bit mind-scarring. This is one of those special places to go and visit. If you're ever in this area (which is in the middle of nowhere--a good thing), then you have to make a visit. note: the Yelp/GoogleMap is a little off here, but its in the ballpark. You just want to keep an eye out for a trailhead sign for Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, but the easiest thing to look for is the suspension foot bridge over the Lochsa. read more

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The waterfall pools that you will find here may well be the world's greatest natural hot tubs (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/U5FVgLodaL6xVc__Vhx_gQ?select=PkUB2xA8ahqy5DxUWARbHQ). They easily rank right up there next to the sublime Pacific cliffside thermal springs at Big Sur's famous Esalen Institute (http://www.yelp.com/biz/esalen-institute-big-sur#hrid:hlrerG7jf3I51HcYNhC-Pw/src:self). These, however, have the advantage of being free and open to the public year-round. Well, almost year-round. While some of the hot springs at Jerry Johnson are accessible twelve months of the year, the waterfall pools are submerged by nearby Warm Springs Creek from the spring snow melt until late fall, when the water level in the creek drops low enough to reveal a series of circular pools, enclosed by polished river stones, into which gushing waterfalls of steaming hot water pour (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/U5FVgLodaL6xVc__Vhx_gQ?select=vtBDO6Sb98f0uAnYjXriwg, http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/U5FVgLodaL6xVc__Vhx_gQ?select=wIa3oXB9aBOgNnUdHayCUw). Coming here in the winter to soak is quite simply an unforgettable - and potentially life-altering - outdoor experience. Even getting to the trailhead parking area off of Highway 12 is an adventure by most people's standards, since it is located in a comparatively remote part of the Clearwater National Forest in Northern Idaho. Crossing the Lochsa, a very beautiful salmon, steelhead, and trout river (Imagine "A River Runs Through It") is accomplished by a wooden cable suspension bridge (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/U5FVgLodaL6xVc__Vhx_gQ?select=nGs-Tj5PE9Dht9cBHMnCqQ). From the other side of the Lochsa, a mile-long trail leads through red cedars, firs, and lodgepole pines up and over a slight rising ridge to the pools themselves, which you can reach by descending carefully on water-slick rock to Warm Springs Creek (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/U5FVgLodaL6xVc__Vhx_gQ?select=Pe2fV-oAFUmniB-MwhhKEg). Once there, depending on who else is nearby, you can either strip naked or soak in a bathing suit. I've done both, but each time I also got up to plunge into the icy waters of the creek before jumping back into the main tub into which a fifteen-foot waterfall with steaming hot water coming down from the cliffs above empties, ensuring a 104 degree soak. This hot-and-cold technique is a lot of fun and adds to the excitement. Honestly, where else can you hike in deep snow and ice to an eternally green and misty waterfall where rounded, smooth river stones form natural tubs in which you can soak your entire body in a state of wilderness bliss? And when you get too hot, all you have to do is step into a snow-melt chilled crystal clear stream that winds its way through steep tree-filled ravines where human beings rarely stay long to visit? (Slight pause, to let you take all of this in). Time's up! Any other suggestions? (...) I didn't think so. So, yes, this is one amazing place. Please keep it that way. More than a few locals and UofM students from Missoula come here to drink, have sex, and burn candles at night, so my advice is to come early and midweek if possible. The solitude is worth the extra effort. Bring a bathing suit just in case. On one visit, I arrived to find a husband and wife with their four children (ages 8-13 or so), so I was glad my trunks were in my backpack. They were great hot tub companions, and I enjoyed their company a lot. Of course, I've also been here completely alone, in the middle of winter, with snow falling on the cedars and the mists rising from the pools (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/U5FVgLodaL6xVc__Vhx_gQ?select=w70qVBmVHjAbiAYDxr8DSw), with the only sounds being the pounding rhythm of the plunging waterfall, the relaxing murmur of the rushing creek, the steady pulse of my beating heart, and the hushed exhalations of my own breath. I sank into a wet blanket of warm water, shut my eyes to the external world, and opened my soul to another dimension of consciousness. Words fail me at this point. It hardly seems real, except that my memory tells me that it happened. So come visit Idaho. Bring the kids if they are up for the rigors of a long trip; make it a romantic weekend getaway for two; or just say to hell with the daily routine, hop in the car, and go on a solo vision quest to a place where the rivers run clear and cold and the roads will lead you to hot springs happiness. There is so much more to this state than its famous potatoes. If you doubt the veracity of my words, then these waterfall pools will make you think and feel otherwise. On my Yelping word of honor: this I will gladly guarantee. read more

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Loved this hidden gem! It's a trek to get there via the highway but once you are there it is about a 1 mile hike in. The hike is easy. The trail was well packed snow when we went. The area was covered in snow and it was very cold. I thought the area was clean and free of trash. We went on a weekday and only saw about 10 people. I hear it is busier on the weekends. It was an amazing experience and well worth the hike in freezing temps! I will always remember this place! read more

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Came here in July; since school wasn't in session it wasn't as crowded as it apparently gets in the winter, and there were only a few people around. But I can imagine how beautiful it must be in winter -- the crowds might actually be worth suffering! It was gorgeous in the summer, though, too. I came here two days in a row: first in the evening, where we were able to soak nude in the main pools, although the other three guys there were wearing swimsuits (we asked them if it was OK, and they didn't seem to mind). The second day, we spent the morning at nearby Weir Creek hot spring, then came here in the late afternoon. This time, we bypassed the first set of pools (which seemed to be more family-friendly) and hiked back further down the trail to the last pond, overlooking a super-peaceful meadow clearing with deer grazing... like a scene from a Jehovah's Witness pamphlet!! This pond was deserted, so we got nekkid and enjoyed a peaceful soak. We were eventually joined by 3 different guys, all of whom went naked too, and all of whom were super interesting to talk to in their own way: a hairless US Army reservist, a special ed teacher on his way to see the String Cheese Incident, and a beautiful golden-locked hippie kid who looked like a little Greek god. Everyone was mellow and cool, and it was a really pleasant way to spend an afternoon/evening. We hiked out just as it was getting dark. The trail is pretty easy, maybe a mile long, and it was fine. I will definitely come here again!! read more