Bronco Billy Hot Spring (Deer Creek Hot Springs)

Status first: assume this one is closed

Before anything else: the slope above the Banks-Lowman Highway where Bronco Billy sits has been closed to the public for most of the last decade. The Bureau of Land Management shut the Skinny Dipper Hot Springs area in June 2016, citing continuous complaints about dangerous and illegal activity there. It renewed that closure in January 2022. The current order took effect on February 14, 2022, for five years, unless the BLM lifts or changes it sooner. It covers all public land north of Highway 17 in one parcel about 4 miles east of Banks, roughly 42 acres, and it bans all uses. Violations can mean a fine, jail time or both.

Bronco Billy is not named in the order. But the older guides describe it as sitting on “a slip of BLM land” in the same spot, and more recent trip reports say you reach it from the old Skinny Dipper pullout and trail. USGS-derived coordinates for Deer Hot Springs, the name the spring carries on government lists, put it within about 150 yards of the old Skinny Dipper pools. All of that points to Bronco Billy being inside the closed area or right on its edge.

We have not been able to confirm the exact boundary on the ground. Until the BLM Four Rivers Field Office in Boise tells you otherwise, do not climb up to it. The rest of this page is here so you know what the spring is, and what to do instead.

What it is

Bronco Billy, also known as Deer Creek Hot Springs, is a very hot seep high on the steep, brushy slope on the north side of the South Fork Payette River canyon. The water comes out of the hillside at up to about 145°F63°C and has no taste or smell. Below the source, visitors built a small rock-walled pool, which was always too hot to sit in. Over the years people also set up a metal box and, later, a small concrete tub with a tiled interior and a faucet that let you mix in the hot water by hand. The tub was big enough for one person, or two people who know each other well.

There used to be a third soak on the river side of the road. Hot runoff ran down the hill and through a culvert under the highway, and people sat in the pool where the culvert spilled out. A mudslide in the winter of 1996 buried that area, and the culvert pool never came back. Even before the slide, the water there had cooled too much for a long soak.

The Idaho guidebooks have never rated Bronco Billy highly. One long-running Idaho hot springs site gave it a D. The source is too hot, the lower pools too cool, and the tub small and fiddly. Its main draw was being close to Skinny Dipper, and that is gone too.

Getting there (for reference)

The spring is on the Banks-Lowman Highway (Idaho 17), also called the Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway, which runs east from Banks on Highway 55 along the South Fork Payette River to Garden Valley and Lowman. The spot is about 4 miles east of Banks, above a whitewater rapid also called Bronco Billy. The road is paved, but mud and rock slides are common in this canyon, especially after heavy rain or snowmelt.

The roadside pullout on the river side was built for Skinny Dipper visitors. From there, both springs were reached by crossing the highway and climbing a steep, loose path. That slope is the closed area. Do not cross the road and climb it while the closure is in place.

When to go

There is no good season to visit while the closure stands. If the BLM ever reopens the area, the cooler months would make the most sense, since the water is so hot. Watch the BLM Idaho advisories and closures page for any change.

Rules and etiquette

• The closure is the rule. The Skinny Dipper area order bans all uses of the closed land, with exceptions only for officials, emergency crews and people with written BLM permission.
• The penalties are real. Under the order, violators can be fined, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.
• Clothing: Back when it was open, clothing was optional at Skinny Dipper and on this slope, but some visitors and guides insisted on swimsuits because the spot is so close to the highway. It is moot while the area is closed.
• If it reopens: Pack out everything, no soap or glass, and keep the hot water away from anyone who cannot test it themselves.

Where to soak instead

The Banks-Lowman Highway and Highway 21 beyond Lowman still have soaks that are open:

• Bonneville Hot Springs, east of Lowman on Highway 21, has rock pools and a bathtub shack a quarter-mile walk from a Forest Service campground.
• Kirkham Hot Springs, just east of Lowman, has pools and hot waterfalls right on the South Fork Payette.

Check each one’s own page for current status, fees and rules. The Boise National Forest bans public nudity on all its land through August 2030, so bring a swimsuit to any of them.

Where to stay nearby

There is no camping at the pullout. Garden Valley and Crouch, roughly 10 miles east, have cabins, RV parks, a few places to eat and fuel. The Boise National Forest has plenty of campgrounds, and the closest are about 10 to 15 minutes’ drive away along the Banks-Lowman Highway. Boise, the nearest city, is south on Highway 55.

Safety notes

• Scalding water: At up to 145°F63°C, the source can burn skin in seconds. That was true even when the area was open.
• Slides and loose ground: The slope is steep and brushy, and the whole canyon is prone to mud and rock slides. Do not stop under fresh slide debris.
• Highway traffic: The pullout is on a winding two-lane canyon highway. Pull completely off the road.
• Closure enforcement: Ignoring a federal closure order can lead to a citation, and the order allows fines and jail time.

Why this listing exists

Bronco Billy still shows up on older maps, apps and hot springs lists, often without any mention of the Skinny Dipper closure. We keep a page for it so that anyone searching the name finds the current situation, not a 20-year-old trip report. When the BLM lifts or changes the order, we will update this page.