West Pass Hot Spring
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
West Pass Hot Spring is a roadside hot spring in Sawtooth National Forest, Blaine County, some twenty-two miles from Sun Valley. It is open to the public on the record. Water at the source is hot, more than a person can sit in without cooling, according to a reading from August 1980. Sulfate, chloride, sodium, magnesium and calcium were all found in the sample.
The unnamed road passes within about sixty feet, so there is no walk. Close to seven thousand feet up, with national forest all around. Snow is heavy, well over a hundred inches most winters, and outside of that the climate is dry.
Winter gets the nod on record; at this altitude that means a lot of snow on the road in. The nearest listed camping is the Wood River Group Overnight Area, tent only, about thirteen miles away. Hot enough at the source to hurt, so test first. Access is open.
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 West Pass Hot Spring.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the south.
- Highest ground nearby
- 431 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the south
A slice through the ground from south to north, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about 2½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 94% 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.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
The water at West Pass Hot Spring is slightly alkaline (pH 8.5).
Overview Wood River Group Overnight Area is located inside the Wood River Campground, which has 30 single campsites for RV's and tent camping, which are available for use on a first-come first-served basis. This campground is located on the banks of the beautiful Big Wood River at an elevation of 6400 feet. Ketchum, Idaho is conveniently close, only 10 miles south. Visitors enjoy fishing, tubing and exploring local trails.Recreation This site is part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area,...
West Pass Hot Spring sits at 6,795 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 27% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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