Givens Hot Springs

What to expect

Givens Hot Springs is an old-fashioned plunge: one big indoor pool in a poolhouse beside Highway 78, filled with spring water from the ground under it. There are no terraces of rock pools and no spa menu. You pay at the counter, change, and swim or float in water that a KIVI TV report put at about 100°F38°C. Visit Idaho notes that the staff can adjust the pool temperature and airflow, which matters in a building that sits in high desert where summer days are hot and winter nights drop well below freezing.

The setting is open sagebrush country at the foot of the Owyhee Mountains, close to the Snake River. Outside the poolhouse there is lawn, shade trees, picnic tables, fire pits, a children’s play structure and a camping area. It feels more like a small-town swimming hole than a resort, and that is the appeal. Families from Nampa, Caldwell and Marsing have been coming here for generations.

The water was reported as very hot at the source in early accounts (a 1904 newspaper claimed 175°F79°C). The pool itself is cooled to swimming temperature.

History

People used these springs long before settlers arrived. Archaeological work has found pit houses and midden piles from Archaic peoples, and the spring has ties to the Great Basin tribes. Milford and Mattie Givens, who were heading west on the Oregon Trail, stopped here in 1879 and stayed.

Their sons built a bathhouse with private soaking rooms in the early 1900s, and a hotel followed in 1903 with a restaurant and picnic grounds. Silver City miners came down from the mountains to “take the cure.” The hotel burned on January 1, 1939, and was never rebuilt. The Jensen family bought the springs in 1946 and put up the current poolhouse in the early 1950s. Givens descendants bought the property back in 1983, and Steve and Nadine Givens have run it since 1991.

Getting there

Givens Hot Springs is at 11309 Highway 78, on the stretch of road between Marsing and Murphy in Owyhee County. Visit Idaho puts it about an hour from Boise and about 30 minutes from Nampa or Caldwell.

• From Marsing: Take Highway 78 southeast along the Snake River for roughly 12 miles. The poolhouse is right on the highway.
• From Nampa or Boise: Head south to the Snake River and pick up Highway 78, then drive west toward Marsing. The springs sit between Murphy and Marsing.

The roads are paved the whole way. Parking is on site, and the pool is a few steps from your car. There is a $3 per person park-use fee for anyone who comes for the grounds but does not swim or camp.

When to go

The pool is indoors, so it is open year-round. Winter is the best time to go: the building is warm, the desert outside is cold, and you get the full contrast. Summer is busier with families, and many people come for a swim and an afternoon picnic rather than a hot soak.

Weekday afternoons are quieter than weekends. Seniors get a discount during the Tuesday and Thursday senior swim from noon to 2 pm, though the pool stays open to everyone at that time.

A note on status. In January 2023 half of the wooden roof over the pool collapsed while people were swimming, and seven guests went to hospital. Right after the collapse, the owners said they planned to reopen as an open-air pool while the roof was removed, and they later renovated the pool. As of October 2026 the official website lists regular hours and current prices with no closure notice, but the Visit Idaho listing still carries a “temporarily closed” banner. Call before you make a long trip.

Prices and booking

Rates posted on the operator’s website:

• Adults (13-59): $12
• Children (3-12): $6
• Seniors (60-89): $6
• Under 3 and 90+: free
• Punch card: $30 of swims for $25, good until used
• Passes: six-month and annual passes for adults, children, seniors and households

No reservations are needed to swim. Cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express) and cash are accepted.

Pool rules: Wear a regular swimsuit or swimsuit-type fabric. T-shirts and other clothes that hold soap or shed lint are not allowed in the water. Children 12 and under need an adult (18 or older) supervising them in the pool, at one adult per three children. Swim diapers are required for kids 2 and under and are sold at the counter for $2.

Where to stay nearby

On site. Givens has its own campground. RV sites with water and 30-amp power cost $60 a night, dry camping for tents or self-contained rigs is $40, and a tipi with up to six cots is $100 for two people plus $10 for each extra person. Every camping fee includes one day of swimming for two. Restrooms and showers in the poolhouse are open during pool hours, and there is a portable toilet at other times. Quiet hours run from 10 pm to 8 am. Reserve by calling (208) 495-2000, texting (208) 830-3490 or emailing the owners. Visit Idaho also mentions a 1940s-era cabin, which the operator’s own camping page does not list, so ask if you want it.

Dogs are allowed in the campground on a trial basis. They must stay leashed and close, and owners must bag waste. RV owners with dogs are asked to use the spaces farthest from the poolhouse.

Towns. Marsing is the closest town, with basic services. Nampa and Caldwell, about half an hour away, have a full range of hotels and restaurants.

Safety notes

• Heat: A 100°F38°C pool is warm for swimming laps. Drink water and take breaks, especially with children.
• Supervision: Watch kids closely. The ratio rule exists because the pool is large and busy on weekends.
• Summer sun: Outside the poolhouse there is little shade beyond the trees on the grounds. Summer temperatures in the Snake River Plain are high.
• The building: The roof failure in 2023 was blamed on wind and rotting wood. The pool has since been renovated, but if you notice anything that worries you, tell the staff.

Nearby stops worth adding

Silver City, an old mining town high in the Owyhee Mountains, is the place whose miners used to come here for the water. The road up from Highway 78 is unpaved and rough, and usually open only in summer. Closer to the springs, the Snake River canyon along Highway 78 is good for birdwatching and an evening drive. Murphy, farther southeast on Highway 78, is the small Owyhee County seat.