Boise National Forest · Idaho
Overview Hot Springs Campground is located just east of Garden Valley, Idaho along the Banks-Lowman Highway at an elevation of 3169 feet. Visitors enjoy rafting, kayaking, fishing on the South Fork Payette River, and soaking in the hot springs at the river's edge. Recreation The South Fork Payette River is across the road from the campground, offering fishing, whitewater rafting, and kayaking.
Sites at Hot Springs are reserved through Recreation.gov. Sites here can be reserved in advance through the official system, and they are claimed fast — cancellations then trickle back all season, unannounced, at any hour of the day or night.
| Total sites | 3 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Group |
| Location | Emmett, ID |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Because sites are booked months ahead, a steady share of reservations get cancelled as trips fall through. Each cancellation instantly returns that site and those nights to the official calendar — first-come, first-served, no waitlist, no announcement. Refreshing the booking page yourself, every few minutes for weeks, works in theory. In practice, the people who get these sites are the ones who hear about the opening first.
ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Hot Springs around the clock. When a site matching your dates and your vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link to it. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell — your fee pays for monitoring, and openings are first-come, so speed is the whole game.
| Silver Creek Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
|---|---|
| Bull Trout | Cancellation alerts available |
| Shoreline | Cancellation alerts available |
| Park Creek (Idaho) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Pine Flats (Id) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Bonneville | Cancellation alerts available |
| French Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| Cozy Cove | Cancellation alerts available |
| Kirkham | Cancellation alerts available |
| Mountain View | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ten Mile Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Antelope (Boise National Forest, ID) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Grayback | Cancellation alerts available |
| Yellow Pine Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Dog Creek (Id) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Warm Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Rainbow Point | Cancellation alerts available |
| Amanita | Cancellation alerts available |
| Black Rock | Cancellation alerts available |
| Edna Creek Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Helende | Cancellation alerts available |
| Howers | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ice Hole Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Golden Gate Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Sagehen Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| Shafer Butte | Cancellation alerts available |
| Barneys Campground (Boise National Forest, ID) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Picnic Point (Id) | Cancellation alerts available |
| River Side (Id - Boise) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Swinging Bridge | Cancellation alerts available |
| Bad Bear Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Penn Basin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Big Trinity Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Elk Creek Cabins | Cancellation alerts available |
| Elks Flat Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Warm Springs Guard Station | Cancellation alerts available |
| Atlanta Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Barber Flat Cabin (Boise National Forest, ID) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Beaver Creek Cabin (Id) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Boiling Springs Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Cold Springs Campground - Boise NF (ID) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Deadwood Lookout Rec Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Deer Park Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Eastside | Cancellation alerts available |
| Graham Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Hayfork Group Cg | Cancellation alerts available |
| Johnson Creek Guard Station | Cancellation alerts available |
| Peace Valley Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Rattlesnake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Stolle Meadows Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Third Fork Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Site facts come from the official directory listing for Hot Springs; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.