Silver Creek Plunge

What to expect

Silver Creek Plunge is an old-style family campground at the end of a long gravel road in the Boise National Forest. It covers about 13 wooded acres, with Silver Creek running through the middle, and everything is organised around one big pool. There is no spa, no restaurant and no hot tub row. You come to swim, sit by a fire and sleep in a rustic cabin or a tent.

The pool is large and plain, a flow-through, skim-style pool that holds about 186,000 gallons. Hot water comes out of the rock at 100-104°F38-40°C at a spot that was once the entrance to a silver mine. It flows in at about 540 gallons per minute and leaves at about 97°F36°C, which means the pool’s water is replaced roughly every six hours. The resort describes the hottest section as about 100°F38°C and the shallow kids’ section as 97-98°F36-37°C. That is warm enough for a long, slow soak on a cool evening and comfortable enough for children to swim laps all afternoon.

Wikipedia lists the spring at 102°F39°C, with the same 540-gallon flow figure, and notes that it drains into Silver Creek and then the Middle Fork Payette River. The resort asks guests not to drink the pool water.

Expect families. The owners call it a family-oriented campground, and on summer weekends the pool fills with kids, inner tubes and parents. The site also has a general store, and Recreation.gov mentions a playground and sports courts.

History

The resort traces itself to a silver mining claim from the late 1890s. According to Wikipedia, mining work began in 1917, and the property changed hands in the 1920s before Mert Lyons bought it in 1956. Lyons and Floyd Suttle built the first cabins, and the resort has operated as Silver Creek Plunge since 1957. The six A-frames date from the late 1950s. The current owners, the Penn family of Boise, took over in May 2022 after several earlier owners.

In 2005, a leaking diesel tank that fed the resort’s generator was found to be seeping fuel into the spring area. About 725 gallons leaked over the winter. Contaminated soil was dug out and the pool was cleaned with absorbent pads.

Getting there

From Boise, drive north on Highway 55 to Banks, then turn east on the Banks-Lowman Highway toward Garden Valley. From Highway 21 you can come in from the Lowman end of the same road.

1. Turn north onto Middle Fork Road (Forest Road 698) and drive through Crouch.
2. About 5 miles past Crouch the pavement ends and you enter the Boise National Forest. The resort says it is about 15 miles of dirt and gravel from here.
3. At the Y, bear right onto Silver Creek Road (Forest Road 671) toward Silver Creek Campground.
4. Turn right into Silver Creek Campground, cross the bridge, and follow signs to the office, pool and check-in.

The resort’s own mileages and Recreation.gov’s directions do not quite agree on where the Y is, so follow the signs rather than your odometer. Allow about two hours from Boise, which is the resort’s estimate. The resort reports the road as open to all vehicles in the snow-free season. Drive slowly on the gravel and expect oncoming traffic on blind curves.

The campground speed limit is 5 mph.

When to go

Summer is the main season. The A-frames and cabins all open on May 15, and the deluxe and family cabins open on weekends from mid-April in 2026. Summer weekends are the busiest time.

September and October are quieter. Fall hours run from late September to October 31, with the pool and store closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Winter is a different trip. The road is open only to snowmobiles and tracked vehicles. The resort’s winter page has described a weekend-only schedule for the pool and store, with limited lodging in the three deluxe units on a few holiday weekends. Prices and dates on that page are not dated and may be from an earlier season, so confirm everything by phone first.

Wednesdays in summer, the pool is closed during the day for cleaning and reopens in the evening.

Prices and booking

Day passes for 2026, as listed by the resort:

• Adults 13-59: $15
• Children 2-12: $12
• Seniors 60+: $12
• Under 2: free
• Evening swim, last two hours before closing: $10
• Three-day pass: $10 a day for adults, $8 a day for children and seniors

Lodging for 2026:

• A-frames ($99 a night): six late-1950s units that sleep four, with a gas stove and oven, cold running water, a fire pit and a shared outhouse.
• Family cabins ($139 a night): six two-room cabins that sleep six, with a propane stove, heater and refrigerator, cold water, and a private outhouse.
• Deluxe units ($169 a night): three larger units, including the Founder’s Cabin and two units above the store, that sleep up to eight, with an indoor toilet, hot water and wall outlets.
• Tent and RV sites ($15 a night): unmarked, first come, first served. Check in at the office.

Bring your own bedding, since no linens are provided in summer, and bring towels. There are no showers; the pool and the creek are the alternatives. Power is limited solar, so leave the hair dryer at home. Check-in is at 3pm and check-out at 11am.

Cancellations more than 14 days out are free. Inside 14 days the resort keeps half, inside seven days three-quarters, and inside 24 hours the full amount.

Rules

• Swimsuits at all times, and modest ones. The Boise National Forest around the resort also has an order banning public nudity on all forest land from August 27, 2025, to August 27, 2030.
• Quiet hours from 11pm to 9am. No generators or loud activity.
• Pets must be leashed and restrained, and you pick up after them.
• Fires: never leave one unattended. The resort fines $200 for a fire left burning and $50 for trash in fire pits.
• Trash: there is no garbage service. Pack it all out or pay $50 a bag.
• No shooting and no chainsaws on the property.

Where to stay nearby

The resort’s own cabins and sites are the obvious choice. Right across Silver Creek, the Forest Service’s Silver Creek Campground has 53 single sites and two large group sites at about 4,490 feet in lodgepole pine. It has drinking water and vault toilets, paved spurs and fire rings. Sites are reserved on Recreation.gov, and the first-come sites are paid for at the Plunge’s general store. It is less than a quarter mile from the pool.

Further south, Crouch and Garden Valley have cabins, RV parks, fuel and a few places to eat.

Safety notes

• Supervise children. This is a large pool, and the resort’s site does not mention a lifeguard.
• Remote road: Fill your tank in Crouch or Garden Valley. Help is a long way off on the gravel.
• Wildfire season: Check Boise National Forest fire restrictions before you build a campfire in late summer.
• Winter travel: Snowmobile access means real winter backcountry conditions. Carry avalanche-aware gear and know the route.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Middle Fork Payette corridor has several wild soaks on the way in or out, including Rocky Canyon Hot Springs and Ground Hog Hot Springs. Hikers can push on to Dash Creek Hot Springs. These are undeveloped springs on Boise National Forest land, so the same swimsuit rule applies.