Vulcan Hot Springs

What to expect

Vulcan Hot Springs used to be a headline soak. Hot water pours from several large cracks on a hillside near Stolle Meadows, south of Warm Lake, and for years an old log levee held it back into a pond-sized pool. Guides called it the largest natural hot springs pool in Idaho. On a good day the main pool sat around 103°F39°C, with hotter water by the vents and cooler water below the log dam.

That pool is gone. A wildfire burned through the Stolle Meadows area in 2007, and runoff from the burn, along with soakers digging at the pool’s sides, caused it to cave in and fill with silt and sludge by 2010. The log dam is still there. Reports from 2016 describe a single small soaking pool. Nobody maintains it, so what you find depends on the season and on whoever last moved rocks.

So go for the walk and the setting, and treat a good soak as a bonus. The source water is near boiling and has a moderate sulfur smell. Steam rises off the hillside and the creek below, and the forest is still regrowing from the fire, so there are open slopes with fire scars and young trees.

Wildlife is common: deer, elk and moose all use the area. In some years tiny red mites live on the rocks and shoreline, so watch where you put your towel and shoes.

Getting there

Vulcan is in the Boise National Forest’s Cascade Ranger District, in Valley County. The route is the same as for the other Warm Lake springs, then further south on dirt.

1. From Cascade, drive about 1 mile north on State Highway 55 and turn east onto the Warm Lake Highway (Forest Highway 22). It is paved all the way to the Warm Lake area.
2. Near Warm Lake, turn south onto Forest Road 474 (Stolle Meadows Road), the dirt road that follows the South Fork Salmon River upstream past South Fork Salmon River Campground and Molly’s Hot Spring.
3. Continue south on FR 474 to the Tyndall / Vulcan Trailhead near Stolle Meadows. The trailhead sign is hard to see from the road, so have the coordinates loaded.

The trailhead is a three-acre Forest Service site with a vault toilet and five dispersed campsites. It serves three trails: Vulcan Hot Springs (#072), Tyndall Creek (#107) and Wewukiye (#252). There is no potable water, so bring your own.

From the trailhead, follow Trail #072 about 0.9 miles to the springs. It is rated easy and fairly flat, but it crosses three log footbridges over streams and can be muddy, overgrown or rocky, especially after rain. Some sections have flooded in wet years. The burn left little shade along parts of the route, so carry water and sun protection.

When to go

Summer and early fall are the practical season. FR 474 is open to vehicles, the trail is dry, and the creeks are low enough that the bridges and trail are clear.

Spring brings snowmelt. Low sections of the trail between the bridges can be under water, and the pool may be swamped by runoff.

Winter is for prepared visitors only. FR 474 is not plowed, so you would ski, snowshoe or ride a snowmobile in from the Warm Lake Highway, a long round trip in deep snow.

Summer weekends bring more campers to the Stolle Meadows area. A weekday visit gives you the best chance of finding the pool empty.

Rules and etiquette

• Swimsuits required. A Boise National Forest order bans public nudity on all Boise National Forest land from August 27, 2025 to August 27, 2030. Older guides describe Vulcan as clothing optional. That no longer applies.
• No fee for the trailhead or the springs.
• Do not dig. Digging out the pool walls helped destroy the old pool. Leave the logs and rocks where they are.
• Pack out everything. Trash at the springs has been a problem. Take out what you bring, and pick up some extra if you can.
• Camp only in designated or established sites, and follow current fire restrictions.

Where to stay nearby

• Tyndall / Vulcan Trailhead: Five dispersed campsites with a vault toilet, no water. First come, first served.
• Forest Road 474: More primitive sites along the road in the South Fork Salmon River valley.
• South Fork Salmon River Campground: A small Forest Service campground just off FR 474 near the Warm Lake Highway.
• Warm Lake: Shoreline Campground and other campgrounds on the lake, plus Warm Lake Lodge for cabins.
• Cascade: Motels, groceries and fuel back on Highway 55.

Safety notes

• Scalding water: The source is near boiling. The hottest water can redden skin in minutes. Never let children test the water on their own, and always check the temperature with your hand before you get in. Keep your head above water.
• Unstable ground: Around the vents, the ground is soft and hot, and the old pool area is silt and debris. Stick to firm footing.
• Burned forest: Dead trees from the 2007 fire can fall without warning, especially in wind. Do not linger under snags.
• Remoteness: There is no cell service and no water at the trailhead. Carry what you need and tell someone where you are going.
• Fire season: Check the Boise National Forest alerts page before you drive in. Closures can change quickly in late summer.

Nearby stops worth adding

Molly’s Hot Spring is on the way in along FR 474, a log and rock pool across a footbridge over the South Fork Salmon River. Trail Creek Hot Springs, right off the Warm Lake Highway, has two cemented creekside pools and is often the most reliable soak of the three. If you want a longer walk, the Tyndall Creek and Wewukiye trails start at the same trailhead.