Hidden Just Outside Boise Is A Serene Valley With Hot Springs And Stunning Scenery

Perhaps you are sitting behind your office desk in a cubicle farm in Boise, Idaho, bathed in the cold glare of tube lights. You look up from your spreadsheets to the wide windows at the end of your row, and longingly fix your gaze on the Boise Mountains to the northeast of the city. Somewhere out there lies your reset button, hidden in the lush forested valleys of the Boise National Forest. You decide to finish up for the week early on a Friday and head out in search of it. Obscured from civilization, and deep within the passes lies Garden Valley, gently hugging the Payette River — your respite from the concrete jungle.

Garden Valley seems to be Mother Nature's own design of a mountain spa resort. Where there be mountains, there be hot springs, and the American Northwest is known for some of the most breathtaking hot oases within its mountain valleys. Garden Valley is peppered with an assortment of them, either untamed or with some basic comforts chiseled out by the human touch for a less cumbersome visit.

Only an hour's drive north from Boise via the Idaho State Highway 55, this quaint hollow of a community is a truly understated gem amongst many in the Gem State. Offering a plethora of activities besides soaking your worries away in a hot spring, the Garden Valley welcomes you to taste a charcuterie of nature's blessings, including breathtaking hikes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Should a healthy dose of adrenaline be your pick to blow off some steam from some pesky deadlines, Garden Valley is part of the nation's whitewater capital region.

Visiting Garden Valley is akin to stepping through a beautiful screensaver come to life, as the pristine nature that surrounds the area is as scenic as it is untarnished by human presence or industry. It is the type of natural retreat that can be visited year-round, depending on the activities you wish to pursue. At an elevation of 3,000 feet, Garden Valley is considered to have a high desert climate, with warm summers and cold, snow-filled winters.

Hot springs aren't a rare phenomenon unique to only Garden Valley — Idaho happens to be peppered by the highest number of these in the U.S., with at least 130 accounted for (including the year-round Lava Hot Springs inn and resort). Garden Valley visitors are spoiled for choice, whether they may be enjoying the steaming mineral waters by a comfortable poolside, or melting into the landscape of a lush forest for a more primeval soaking experience. Located just a 20-minute drive east of Garden Valley via Banks Lowman Road, the Pine Flats Hot Springs offer exactly such an opportunity. 

With easily accessible parking nearby, this location is a highlight on the river, with cascading hot pools fed by a warm water waterfall overlooking the Boise National Forest. You can join in a communal soak in the main pool, which is located in the middle of the Pine Flats Hot Springs complex, or go in search of more reclusive pools that are tucked away from view amongst the surrounding pines. For safety, hold off putting on your flip-flops, and stick to hiking shoes until you get to the hot spring of your choice. With an average temperature range of 107 to 127 Fahrenheit, you are sure to steep your body's stress away in these therapeutic mineral waters.

Having soaked your worries away long enough to forget what the inside of an office looks like, you feel ready for some adrenaline, and Garden Valley has an array of services just for that. Idaho's outdoor adventure scene is massive, and its rivers are respected nationwide amongst thrill-seekers for having some of the country's best rapids for whitewater rafting. Idaho Whitewater Unlimited, on the western edge of Garden Valley, is there to accommodate your every need.

Offering some of the best river tours in the state, the outfitter welcomes both beginners and experts ready to shoot for the rapids. With fair pricing for half-day tours ranging from $67 to $89 and $119 to $149 for full-day tours (as of this writing), Idaho Whitewater Unlimited is open 7 days a week, from May to September. The awe-inspiring canyons, animal life, and rushing waters (with class II to class IV rapids) are certain to leave you breathless and satisfied. 

If you wish to see even more wondrous scenery around this hospitable valley, reach for the heights. Head south on Banks Lowman Road, and you will find the Station Creek Trailhead. Flanking Bald Mountain, this is a 5-mile out-and-back hike to the summit of moderate difficulty, where you can enjoy incredibly rewarding vistas of the surrounding wilderness. Feel free to incorporate Garden Valley into the ultimate loop road trip around Idaho's best hot springs.