Spring Hopping: Montana & Idaho

Magnificent rocks in front of the campsite

If you plan on doing this activity, I warn you now, that you cannot be the timid type. There may or may not be nudity.

The first one we went to was in Montana, called Lolo Hot Springs, it's adjacent to a campsite. It hasn't been upgraded in a few years, so it's quite old school. They have an outdoor and indoor pool, a restaurant, a bar and snowmobiling in winter.

Second one is in Idaho (a short drive from Lolo) called the Jerry Johnson Hot Spring. It's free but there is a short and easy hike to get there. There are two springs, they're a bit muddy when somebody gets up or gets in the pools, but otherwise, its a nice soak. 

The third one is my favourite, it's also in Idaho, Weir Hot Spring. This place is one of those places that you have to be in the know to find, it is unmarked outside. The trek is NOT easy - we even had to put our feet in very cold water to cross in a couple of the areas, but... so worth it. It was lucky that when we finally got to the spring, there was nobody else there, it added to the feeling of finding your personal secret paradise.

Coming Up

I loooove road trips! There's something so raw and honest about getting in your car with no specific destination and no reservations anywhere. I knew the general direction I was embarking on (somewhere I have never been) and I knew I only had 4 days. With this, a friend and I ended up through some very quaint and charming small towns in Washington, Idaho and Montana. We saw a herd of metal horse sculptures atop a hill (that we hiked in flip flops), went hot spring hopping, had beer in a saloon in cowboy country Montana, climbed/hiked snowy Lolo peak, found an unmarked "secret" hot spring (after a treacherous hike), got spray misted by Snoqualmie Falls, drove through amazing verdant rolling hills in Palouse and ate cherry pie at the diner where they shot Twin Peaks (Northbend).

So for the next few days I will cover these highlights of my road trip.