Living in Idaho provides an abundance of natural hot springs to visit. On my bucket list has been Goldbug Hot Springs in Salmon, Idaho. I have family and friends who did the hike and told us that it is doable, moderately difficult but doable. We researched the length and elevation gain, and how hard it may be for younger kiddos. We finally pulled the trigger during our last vacation and decided to take the hike! There are some things we learned that I want to share, so here’s my family guide to hike Goldbug Hot Springs.
Time of Year
I don’t meant to point out the obvious when it comes to visiting hot springs, but it is more of a cold weather activity. On that note, we usually take our vacation time in the summer. When we went for this hike it was mid-August, so still nice and toasty. I unfortunately did not realize that the terrain is fairly dessert-y. Our hike was HOT, there were even cacti sprinkled throughout. We brought lots of water, but if you don’t do well in the heat I would recommend a cooler month. I’ve heard that Fall may be the best time to go, the temperatures drop a bit but it is still dry. Here is another great article from a couple who has done the hike every part of the year: Gold Bug in different parts of the year
The Hike
The hike does have some challenging parts, but the path is well traveled and easy to follow. The trailhead actually begins in private property, so remember to be respectful. There are a series of switch backs to get you started, and then it levels out for a bit. Towards the end of the hike it gets pretty steep, and there is a portion where it seems a rock slide may have happened at some point, so you will need to traverse over a lot of fallen rock. Shortly after this you’ll see a waterfall on your left, this means you’re close!
When we were about halfway through the hike we stopped at a beautiful spot of the river/creek and decided to jump in to cool off, it was surprisingly warm. The springs feed into the creek so the water is warm all along the trail.
Animals
Your furry friend can come, but take some caution. Since we did not realize how hot and dessert-y it would be, we brought or dog along with us. Unfortunately her paw pads got torn up, I felt awful. If we go again I probably won’t bring her, or at the very least I would definitely recommend boots. There are lots of rocks, and even the dirt path gets very hot. On the plus side, the river runs along most of the trail, so we were able to stop frequently and let her take a quick soak.
Shoes
We all wore hiking or tennis shoes, which I highly encourage for the hike itself. In addition to that, if we were to make this trek again I would bring water shoes. Although we were aware there multiple pools, we weren’t quite aware of how they were laid out. The mountain is fairly steep, so the spring water cascades down it and creates pools at various locations. This means that if you want to visit each one, you have to do additional hiking. Not much, but enough that water shoes would make your adventure more comfortable.
Food
Yes, bring food, and lots of water. Round trip is about 3.5 miles, with a fairly decent elevation gain of around 900 feet. Our son actually made us fill a water jug (on top of our water bottles) and I am so glad he did. Once we got to the springs we did a quick dip and then ate some lunch.
The Pools
There are several pools that range in temperature from mildly warm to hot. The first pool has a cool waterfall that feeds into it, so if you get too hot you can take a break in the cool water. You can keep hiking up to discover more pools, and eventually a bridge at the top. This features the hottest pool. All the pools are fairly shallow, which makes them perfect to lay flat in and relax.
Overall, I definitely want to visit these hot springs again, just with a few modifications, and perhaps in the Fall. We hiked with our four kids, one of which was a toddler. They all did well (although they may tell you they never want to go again!). It was beautiful and we are so fortunate to live somewhat close to a site like this.
