Lava Hot Springs, ID

On the old Oregon and California Trails route, this small city in the Portneuf River valley is where you’ll find your next relaxing weekend on the west coast! In the late 1800s, the land and its springs, which were part of the Fort Hall reservation, were bought by the US Government from the locals.

These hot springs are full of minerals and were known for their healing properties by the initial inhabitants, the Shoshone-Bannock people, who called them Poha-Ba, aka the Land of Healing Waters. Today, the Hot Springs are managed by the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation’s Lava Hot Springs Foundation.

The Hot Springs are famous for five hot pools where the temperature range between 102 and 112 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as the Olympic pool, water slides, diving platforms, Indoor Aquatic Center, and Portneuf Kiddie Cove.