A Little R&R in Idaho

The Colledge family has long been frequenting Lava Hot Springs (Grandma M's home town) and Preston and I decided it was time to introduce Tessa and Luke to a family past time. We had never been in the winter, as most of our trips consisted of camping, tubing the river, and spending a full day at the spring-fed pool with the three tiered diving board, but decided that the hot springs would probably be best enjoyed when the outside temperature dipped below freezing. After the three hour drive we arrived at our historic Riverside Inn, which Tanner claims is haunted, and hurried and changed to be able to relax in the springs before it closed at 11. We only had to walk 1/2 a block and knew we had arrived by the fact that the entire area was blanketed in steam. Preston, bless his heart, forgot to put his suitcase in the car and resigned (much to his disgust) to rent a swimsuit, which is pictured. I got a good laugh at that. At the rental counter he asked for a "hefty gentleman's suit please". We changed in the locker rooms and then ran, it was bitingly cold, to the springs. At first they were so hot we were only able to put our feet in and that was enough. Slowly we became more accustomed to the temperature and slowly immersed ourselves in the hot springs. It was soooooo nice! They are large pools with a soft rock bottom. You can walk around, sit on the sides, or go explore other pools. There are four different pools. The main pool's temperature is usually around 106 degrees and the other large pool is around 112 degrees. The two small pools are cooler than the larger ones. The pools are all heated by a natural spring from an ancient volcano. There are no chemicals in the water, it is all natural and full of healthy minerals. Back in the day the springs were believed to be a fountain of youth. We absolutely loved it! So relaxing! After we got done soaking we were really hot and relaxed and hungry. In the small town there was not really anywhere to eat so late, except for the blue moon bar, so we went to the Flying J for dinner. The next morning we ate breakfast in our cute hotel and then went and sat in the springs for a few more hours before leaving. In the morning it was so nice. It had snowed all night and everything was covered with thick snow. It was still snowing as we sat in the springs. It was a perfect moment. We all came home relaxed and ready to face another week. I highly recommend visiting Lava Hot Springs if you are looking for a quick winter get-away that is very relaxing and relatively inexpensive.