Welcome to the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs Picture Tour

On your first visit to the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs don’t be a “Goldilocks and Three Bears” character wasting time and effort looking for the Hot Springs that is, “Just Right.”  In this tour, we will show you February panoramas of the three major Hot Springs at Jerry Johnson, so you can choose the Hot Spring that is “Just Right,” for you.

There is so much to explore in the state of Montana, that we rarely venture past the State Line into neighboring states. We recently made two exceptions because the locations have either a historical or sentimental connection with Montana. To see ancient history, we featured a picture tour of the world famous “Medicine Wheel” near Lovell, Wyoming.  To help you experience a Montana tradition, we are posting a February picture tour of the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs in the Clearwater National Forest in Central Idaho.

If you are dressed warm and are wearing a great pair of winter boots, part of the “fun” of visiting the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs in the Winter, is short 0.7 mile walk to the Thermal Areas. Try to get an early start to allow the morning sunlight to guide south along Warm Creek. The combination of the singing creek, snow covered cedar trees and chirping birds can make the walk unforgetable. Please click through the series of pictures below to see some the highlights of the Warm Creek Trail leading to the Thermal Areas.

Watch for Steam Clouds in the Winter or the first Rocky Hillside in Summer

We always hike a “little bit farther” during a hike, in the hopes the views might be just a little bit better, if we push on. The Warm Creek foot trail at the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs is an exception. The trail rewards you with an unbeatable Thermal Feature the minute you exit the Spruce and Cedar Forest. Remember to be on the look the look out for the very first Steam Clouds in the Winter. In the Summer, you know you are standing above the best Jerry Johnson Thermal Feature when you exit the trees by climbing up and over an exposed rocky hillside (pictured).

The first Thermal Feature offer the warmest water tempuratures. On top of the best water temps, the pool features a cascading ten-foot waterfall of hot water. On the other side of the pool you have the cool dancing water of Warm Creek. Finally, the first Thermal Feature provides the best relative privacy, compared to the other Thermal Features farther up the trail. Instead of a line of bathers walking by your soaking pool, the trail funnels people up high above you making your soak feel like a real outdoor experience and not a visit to the shopping mall.

Watch For The Warm Springs Trailhead Sign

As you roll down Highway 12 from Lolo Pass, it’s easy to be distracted by the indredible views of the Lochsa River on your left and the surrounding Clearwater Forest.  The parking lot for the Warm Springs Creek Trail is located between Highway Mile Marker 152 and 153. The parking lot on the north side of  Highway 12, features a heavily used, Pit Toilet and a collection of vehicles.  To the south of the parking lot, you will see the magnificient wooden suspension bridge that spans the Lochsa River (pictured in the slide show).

Look and Listen To Warm Creek

Listen to Warm Creek as you sit in a Hot Pot at Jerry Johnson Hot Springs.