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Wow… Idaho, what an underestimated state!!! After our experience in the Boise National Forest camping.. we’re moving here!
We were thinking we would be long into our time in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks by now. However, Idaho took us by surprise and swept us off our feet.
Leaving Oregon and heading into Idaho, we stocked up on groceries — ain’t nobody want to pay the extra 6% in sales tax! Haha.. and then we made our way into Nampa. With no luck on tires in Nampa, and an unexpected time change, we again weren’t really keen on sticking around in a city just to wait for a tire change.
So, onward we went.. straight into the Boise National Forest.
Boise National Forest Camping
By the time we made it to the Arrowrock Reservoir, it was dusk, and only getting darker. And shoot, the drive was stressful. With a massive cliff down one side and washboarding on the entire drive, with ATVs zipping all around, our nerves were high. The limited views that we were getting were super pretty, but honestly, we were more concerned with staying on the road than anything else.
We had planned on going to Irish Creek Dispersed Camping for the night, however, upon arrival, the “campground” was full. This was pretty defeating, however, ended up being a huge blessing instead. Onward we went, nerves high, and now in total darkness.
Driving in and out of all the inlets of the reservoir seemed like an eternity of driving, but we finally made it to Willow Creek Campground. A campground we saw on maps.me, one of our favorite van life apps, however, we weren’t so sure this was a free campsite. And seeing how we were in a national forest, one of the easiest ways to camp for free in the United States, we weren’t going to stay here unless it was free. We parked in the first site we saw, I prayed the campground was free as Jay walked around to check.
He came back with great news, it was indeed free, there were bathrooms down below, and we were one of only three groups of people in the campground!
Heading to bed, we had no real plans. However, waking up in the morning and seeing how gorgeous this area was for the first time, we decided to stay. For three nights!
Our Time at Willow Creek Campground
Willow Creek Campground was a real treat. Georgie really liked the area, and per usual, found holes to hide in and even a tree to climb. She explored down by the water, and up the banks of the campground, settling in great.
We were able to do our laundry, take ice baths, and filter water all from the beautiful flowing river just below the campground… sad only by the fact that the water was ice cold and we couldn’t jump in the very inviting swimming hole!
We spent a day offloading and editing pictures, writing posts for the website, and just chilling by the fire, staying warm and doing a proper campground review of Willow Creek Campground. It was again one of those pinch me moments of how is this real life, and just an overwhelming feeling of being blessed.
READ MORE // Check out our full campground review here, with more pictures and a wee video too.
Cycling to the Hot Springs | Boise National Forest Camping
The whole reason we went down this road to camp in the first place was the hot springs that were along the river. While at Willow Creek Campground, we took the bikes out for the first time, riding 20 miles up and down the dirt road all the way up to a hot spring.
The bike ride thankfully was uphill on the way there, and mainly downhill on the way back. And holy smokes — the views, they were amazing! There was a gorgeous canyon that we rode through and a couple of bald eagles soaring down the river.
The hot spring wasn’t the warmest hot spring we’ve been to, but it was a nice one to soak in for a bit on a cloudy day. At first, we couldn’t find it.. as all I had pinned was the bridge it was near. However, after walking around looking for steam, we found it and were so happy!
The Hot Spring Hunt
Seeing how all the hot springs up the road were further than the one we cycled to, after wrapping up our time at Willow Creek Campground, we decided to drive up the road to the other hot springs.
The first hot spring we got it was a mixture of burning hot, then freezing cold… you know the kind that you don’t know if it’s hot or cold that you’re touching.. yeah, that! There wasn’t a temperature that was just right… So feeling a little defeated we jumped back on the road and continued on our way.
We noticed a car parked in a large pullout, so we slowed down, turned in the pullout, and low and behold, Jay looked up behind the road a bit and found steam!!
There was another hot spring.
It was getting dark again, so we decided to make this home for the night. We walked up to the spring to see if it was big enough to share with the people in it. And found the holy grail of hot springs on this road! The pool was built up with cement bags and filled by a waterfall of hot water pouring in from the hillside. It was beautiful.
Thankfully, the two guys that were in it didn’t mind us joining them. We all hung out for a few hours, soaking in the spring as the stars started poking out in the sky!
We went back to the van to make some dinner and were greeted with a skunk sniffing around, luckily not wanting to spray us! After dinner, we ended the evening in the hot springs for one more soak before bed.
Continuing Up Hot Spring Alley
Okay, that’s not actually the name of the road, but let’s just go with it! After an early morning and mid-morning soak in the holy grail of hot springs, we hit the road hoping to find more.
Check out this video of the hot springs on our so called, Hot Spring Alley.
The first place we found was just a mile up the road, and was another waterfall hot spring. This one though was across the river. After a very cold, and super scary trek across the river, we made it to the springs. And thanks to an insider tip, we hiked to the top of the hot springs to find Eagle’s Nest, a hot spring up on the edge of a cliff. The water was scalding hot, so we didn’t get all the way in, but boy was it beautiful up there.
We made our way up the road, stopping at a couple more hot springs and chasing the breathtaking views and lighting of the canyon before turning around to make camp at Troutdale Campground, another free campground on the road.
Time to Move On
After about a week in this area, it was time to move on to the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway. It took us four hours to drive out of the area! Around every corner we had to stop and take photos and videos! The lighting and the views were just too good to pass up!
We ended up staying the night near Kirkham Hot Springs… Idaho has been absolutely fantastic with free campsites littered all over the state. These are areas pulled off the road, but cleaned up for what it seems to prevent forest fires. The night was great. e found camp just 3 miles from the hot springs, went back to Kirkham Hot Springs for a nighttime dip, before driving back to the campground for the night.
Thanks for reading and following along with us on this journey! The next update will be from Kirkham Hot Springs.. our legit favorite hot spring to date!! And we’ve been to a lot!!
Cheers,
H + J
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