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Backcountry hot springs afford a
unique experience for many types of outdoor enthusiasts. They
are often located miles off the beaten path, deep within
protected wilderness areas. Some have natural soaking pools that
have been carefully crafted by the ages, while others require a
little elbow grease before a soak can be had.
Due to the nature of backcountry hot
springs, it is often necessary to backpack, for potentially
multiple days, in order to reach the hot springs. Only the
minority of backcountry hot springs can be reached by day
hiking. This guide has been designed to aid in your backcountry
hot springs planning and preparations. Multiple day backpacking
trips to hot springs, while more rewarding than anything
imagined, are no easy task to plan.
Pre-Trip Preparation
Pack Lists
Until you get in a routine, making use of lists or
checklists can greatly improve your packing accuracy. I use a
list, but now more for double-checking before departure.
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Research the Area in Which you
are Traveling
Pick up some guide
books, maps and do some web
searching - even call the Forest Service for area and trail
condition information. This would also be a good time to ask
about any fee or permits that might be required.
If you have
mapping software (Google
Earth is free),
research and print your route. Otherwise plot your course on a
regular
map. Don't be wary of utilizing
online driving directions to help get your vehicle to the
trailhead either. I always carry an official public lands map,
turn-by-turn directions, a compass and oftentimes a handheld GPS
and customized map printouts depending on where I'm going.
Are there bears where you are
going? If you recreate in the Northwest the chances are good
that bears are nearby. The saying "A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear" is
unfortunately very true. If you don't believe me read the real
life story "The
Death of Bear #583". The below websites contain
information necessary to successfully lower your impact upon the
dwindling bear population.
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Research Seasonal Barriers
There are quite a few places I like to go that only have a 2
or 3 month driving window. The other 9-10 months of the year the
road is closed and covered in snow due to high elevation. Even
despite a warm winter and dry spring the Forest Service
typically doesn't have the capacity to open roads ahead of
schedule - call ahead before you drive a few hours just to find
the road closed and blocked only mere miles before your
destination, junction or trailhead. Check the individual hot
springs on this page for
winter closure information.
A large portion of hot springs
located next to rivers, creeks or streams are submerged during
spring runoff. The best way to find out if the hot springs you
are going to may be underwater is to check the individual hot
springs listings on this page
or research their status in a
guide book.
Don't forget about hunting
season! Wear bright colors if you plan to head out into the
woods during hunting season, also keep in mind that you'll have
to share campsites and hot springs with plenty of often
environmentally abusive and inebriated hunters (another good
reason to wear bright colors). Choose the time
and place for your environmental education and awareness
lectures wisely; preaching to a group of drunk or cracked-up hunters all by
yourself out in the middle of the mountains is not a good idea.
Instead; report them to the local Ranger if you witness them
breaking the rules. Pictures of license plates always help.
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Research Low Impact Techniques
& Leave No Trace Principles
Learn about how to treat the environment while you are out
and about. Utilizing low impact techniques and leave no trace
principles helps preserve the places you go for future
generations and the wildlife that lives there.
Check out the websites below for
more information. Not only are you educating yourself on the
proper way to behave and conduct yourself in the environment but
you are also learning about the rules and
regulations in place for public lands usage that are for the
protection of the environment.
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Leave No Trace Principles
Plan Ahead & Prepare
- Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll
visit
- Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies
- Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use
- Visit in small groups. Split larger parties into groups of 4-6
- Repackage food to minimize waste
- Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint,
rock cairns or flagging
Travel and Camp on Durable
Surfaces
- Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites,
rocks, gravel, dry grass or snow
- Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes
and streams
- Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not
necessary
- In Popular Areas
- Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites
- Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet
or muddy
- Keep campsites small. Focus activities in areas where
vegetation is absent
- In Pristine Areas
- Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and
trails
- Avoid places where impacts are just beginning
Dispose of Waste Properly
- Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas
for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food,
and litter
- Deposit solid human waste in holes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at
least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise
the hole when finished
- Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products
- To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away
from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable
soap. Scatter strained dishwater
Leave What You Find
- Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or
historic structures and artifacts
- Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them
- Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species
- Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches
Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Use a
lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for
light
- Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire
pans, or mound fires
- Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be
broken by hand
- Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely,
then scatter cool ashes
Respect Wildlife
- Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach
them
- Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health,
alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and
other dangers
- Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash
securely
- Control pets at all times, or leave them at home
- Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, raising young,
or winter
Be Considerate of Other
Visitors
- Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their
experience
- Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail
- Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack
stock
- Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors
- Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises
Some things I notice on a
regular basis...
- I can't believe I even have
to mention this, but please always pick up all of the
trash you bring in. That includes all of the trash you
find. If you don't have enough room to pack it out at least
pick it up and leave it bundled in plastic sacks next to the
trail.
- Don't use soap or bio-soap
or leave tarps behind in any water sources or hot springs.
It is illegal and very harmful on the environment. Tarps,
soap and bio-soap don't breakdown and instead grow a foreign
algae that overtake the natural algae and causes a dramatic
change in the environment. Ranger Jeff Higgley of the
Payette National Forest sees a lot of this type of abuse. He
also welcomes any questions or concerns regarding this
particular topic. He can be reached by contacting the
Krassel District of the
Payette National Forest. If you have to use soap, use
bio-soap and keep it at least 200ft from any water.
- Fires and fire pits; keep
them at least 200ft away from any water sources and put them
DEAD-OUT! Read the June trip report for
Deadwood Hot
Springs to learn about the terrible mess I found. If you
have a fire please use an existing fire pit, It wouldn't
hurt to dismantle the pit when you are done (as long as you
are not in a fee-campground area).
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At the Hot Springs
Campsite Considerations
Setup camp at a location at least
200ft away from any water or hot springs source. If you are
camping at a popular hot springs it may be advisable to camp
away from the hot springs and main access routes as you might be
continually interrupted by oncoming and going soakers not to
mention the occasional wild partiers.
Please also read the above
Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces [TOP]
Soaking Etiquette
Maintaining a friendly environment
at the hot springs is key to an enjoyable soaking experience. If
you are soaking at
Weir Creek
for example; say you approach the only pool to discover it is
currently in use (a highly probable situation considering the
soaking pool is barley large enough for 3-4 people). Proper hot
springs etiquette for this type of situation would be to first make your presence known by
letting the soakers see you, then moving just out of view -
enough to let the soakers know that you are patiently waiting.
Give them around an hour at most, then start making your
presence known again by standing in view of (but not staring at)
the soakers. If this doesn't work politely approach and ask the
soakers how much longer they plan on being there. If they still
won't give up or at least share the pool after a couple hours
then dealing with the situation is up to your discretion. Please
always make an attempt to be polite and courteous.
Generally speaking; it's a good idea
to wear a swimsuit at the easy-access soaks during the day and
early evening. Hard to find, get to or backcountry soaks are
almost always clothing optional save for ones located along
popular rivers.
Most of the hot springs in Idaho
that are located on public land are actually clothing optional.
Places like
Skinnydipper Hot Springs even have signs warning the newbie
of nudity. This
is a debate I'm not even going to touch. All I will say on the
issue is that some people soak nude for the right reasons at the
wrong places and times and vice versa.
Personally; I don't soak au natural
at any easy-access hot springs unless I can notice an incomer soon enough to don my suit: you never know who you
might run into in some places (read
about the lesbian gang related scalping that took place at
Kirkham). Backcountry hot springs are a different story however, there's nothing like
soaking naturally in a natural setting with no one around.
Something else to consider is the
hot spring's local customs in which you are visiting. The majority of my
advice and wisdom comes primarily from trips in Idaho, which is
a very conservative place in comparison to Washington and Oregon.
Keep in mind that a swimsuit washed with detergent carries that
detergent into the hot springs every time you soak. Dedicate a
suit specifically for hot springing and don't wash it, rinse it
out instead.
Don't forget to be courteous, friendly
and
short-winded. Most of us are soaking in backcountry hot springs
to "get away from it all". Don't jibber-jabber your new friend's
ear off just because they said "hi" back and annoy everyone
else (unless chatter is the general consensus and you
are up for it). Instead have an enthusiastic, but quiet
-personal conversation. It's actually possible to swap-stories
and enjoy a quite soak.
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Hot Springs Warnings
Serious injury and even death can
and have occurred at hot springs. The most common
dangers/warnings are listed below:
- Alcohol consumption and
dehydration in hot springs - drinking and soaking gets you
wasted fast because hot springs dehydrate the body. Many have
drown or fallen off a ledge while hiking due to mixing alcohol
and hot springs together.
- Soaking in the sun without
replenishment - sun and hot springs can sap the juice right out
of your body quickly; keep water, electrolyte drinks, sunscreen
and sun protection handy.
- Avoid visiting popular hot
springs at the most popular times - I've heard horror story
after horror story about how a newbie visited a popular hot
springs on a Saturday afternoon and had a terrible time. Same
goes for popular hot springs on weekend evenings. Fights,
vehicle break-ins, vandalism and overcrowded pools are not just
something people in Oregon and Washington have to worry about.
Unfortunately, it happens all too often in Idaho too.
- Acanthamoeba - an amoeba that is
known to inhabit some hot springs which can enter the brain
through nasal passages and cause meningitis. This is another
reason to keep your head above water while soaking. Usually, hot
springs with acanthamoeba are signed.
-
Hot Springs & Red Spider Mites
- Snakes - this is generally not a
concern, but a few hot springs feature nearby thermal vents that
provide year-round habitat for snakes. If you leave them alone
- they'll leave you alone.
- Hunters - hunters like hot
springs so much that they often (and illegally mind you) build
tree-perches so that they can shoot deer and elk that graze on
hot springs algae. Their illegal kills and hasty clean-ups can
lead to animal parasites entering the water complex and any
people that soak in it along with attracting scavengers. While
I've encountered respectable hunters in Idaho, the bulk majority
have discouraged me greatly. I've seen drunk hunters shooting
out their truck window while barley being able to drive,
coke-head hunting parties and idiot hunters so paranoid of the
woods and bears that they randomly shoot off their guns
throughout the night.
- Adult Situations - that's right,
unfortunately. For some reason, people think that popular hot
springs are a good place to get their freak-on. Not such a great
idea. And really, how would it feel to get busted by little
Tommy or Suzy with their family in tow, or a
dozen drunk hunters? Think about it.
- Spring Runoff - even small
creeks and rivers experience large undertows during spring
runoff. Don't try to cross anything fast moving until spring
runoff is over, which is usually around late June to early July
depending on elevation. See Research Seasonal
Barriers from above for more.
- Pets - soaking with Fido can be
an enjoyable experience, but the majority of hot springs are NOT
dog safe for a variety of reasons.
Recommended Reading:
Hot Springs Etiquette from Scenic Hot Springs Blog [TOP]
No Glass Containers
This one is pretty self-explanatory
and very important; glass gets broken - people step on it and
it goes into the water. It is just a bad idea and illegal in
most places.
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Related
Report Poachers!
Call the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at
1-800-632-5999 or
Report a Poacher Online Right Now!
Please feel encouraged to
suggest topics to add to this guide as it is ever-evolving.
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