Stuart Hot Springs

Ravalli County, Idaho · Near Hamilton
46.1380°N, 115.0900°W · 2,825 ft
Hot 47°F air · Good soaking weather 2,825 ft Open Backcountry US Forest Service Camping nearby (17.4 mi)
Aerial view of the ground around Stuart Hot Springs LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Stuart Hot Springs
Aerial LiDAR bare earth

Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.

Stuart Hot Springs is a backcountry spring in the Nezperce National Forest, nearly six miles from the end of Fog Mountain Road. The nearest town in the record is Hamilton, 43 miles off, and no temperature was ever written down, only the word hot. Access is open. Nothing on record says if it is soakable.

Location

Low, under 3,000 feet, and wet: snowfall averages around 200 inches and precipitation runs in the mid forties. The Forest Service holds the land under a National Forest designation. The walk in from Fog Mountain Road is close to six miles each way, and nothing is recorded about what the route is like or what the spring looks like at the end of it.

No best months are listed. Wilderness Gateway campground is about seventeen miles away. The temperature is unknown, and so is the current state of the spring, so anyone making the trip should treat it as exploration. The access class is backcountry. Chemistry is not on file.

History of Stuart Hot Springs

The USGS lists Stuart Hot Springs as a site. OpenStreetMap has it under this name too.

Terrain

Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Stuart Hot Springs.

Setting
Canyon floor
Steep ground climbs away on both sides of the spring.
Highest ground nearby
790 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the east
Cross-section through the spring

A slice through the ground from west to east, about 0.6 miles end to end.

Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.

Heat Below
76 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 11% of the springs on this site.

Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.

Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.

Monthly Climate
30°
Jan
31°
Feb
38°
Mar
43°
Apr
52°
May
61°
Jun
72°
Jul
72°
Aug
62°
Sep
48°
Oct
35°
Nov
28°
Dec
Annual Precip: 46.4 in Annual Snow: 202.9 in
Current Conditions
47°F
N 0.0 mph 97% Good soaking weather
Today 68° Low 46° Mostly Sunny 1% precip
Wednesday 74° Low 49° Sunny
Thursday 73° Low 50° Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 46% precip
Friday 68° Low 49° Chance Light Rain then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms 49% precip
Saturday 73° Low 50° Sunny 4% precip
Where to Stay

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Nearby Camping
Wilderness Gateway 17.4 mi away

Overview Wilderness Gateway Campground provides direct access to the Wild and Scenic Lochsa River. Visitors enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities, including world famous whitewater rafting. Hiking and horseback riding trails abound in the nearby Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, which is the 3rd-largest in the lower 48 United States. This large and unique campground offers respite for a variety of campers, including those with horses, horse trailers and RVs.Recreation The Lochsa...

Reservable Yes
Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
Hot
Warm Hot Boiling
Avg Air Temp 48°F
Access
Open
Road Access Backcountry
Nearest Road Fog Mountain Road
Distance to Road 5.7 mi
Land
Ownership Federal
Agency US Forest Service
Designation National Forest
Unit Nezperce National Forest
Manager US Forest Service
Protection 3 - Protected, subject to extractive use
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Stuart Hot Springs?
Stuart Hot Springs is classified as hot. An exact temperature measurement has not been recorded.
Where is Stuart Hot Springs located?
Stuart Hot Springs is located in Ravalli County, Idaho at 2,825 feet elevation, near Hamilton. Coordinates: 46.1380°N, 115.0900°W.
How do I get to Stuart Hot Springs?
Stuart Hot Springs has Backcountry road access, with the nearest road being Fog Mountain Road (5.7 mi from the road).
Is Stuart Hot Springs free to visit?
Stuart Hot Springs has Open access. It is managed by US Forest Service.
Can I camp near Stuart Hot Springs?
Yes, Wilderness Gateway is located nearby (17.4 miles away).