Hot water and cold temperatures: Goldbug Hotsprings to Arco, Idaho

 

Our hotel offered breakfast from 6 am on, which suited us very well. Goldbug hotsprings are very popular with the students from Rexburg college, about 2 1/2 hours away, and we knew from experience that it can get very crowded by midday.

At seven we had packed all our gear and were ready to leave Salmon for the half-hour drive to the hotsprings. It was cold, about -12, in the Salmon valley. The Salmon River, which originates from the Sawtooth Range in central Idaho at an altitude of about 2,800m, is the longest undammed river in the contiguous United States, 425 miles long, and drops 2,100m to its confluence with the Snake River just south of the Washington border. I've loved this early morning drive since the first time we came here, the shallow, fast-flowing river to the right, geese floating, preparing to lift off or just standing at the river's edge beating their wings as if they were doing their morning exercises, cattle lined up along the bales of hay rolled out for them. The sun, although risen, is still hidden behind the mountains to our left and will remain there for much of the morning. It always feels to me as if the world is being reborn at that hour. The surrounding hills, but also the pastures in the valley are covered in a good layer of snow this year, more than we've ever seen on previous visits.

Rising early paid off: there were only five cars in the parking lot at the trailhead, with a few people stretching beside them; it looked like they might have spent the night in their car. For the first short stretch the narrow trail zig-zagging up a steep hill was extremely icy which was treacherous even with crampons. Once we were past that part the going got a lot easier. The trail, but also the ground beside it was covered in snow, and I'm sure the desert plants will be thankful for the extra moisture in this arid country. A couple of young guys came down the mountain: aha, only four cars left in the parking lot now – good news for garnering a prime spot in the pools. The higher we climbed the more often we saw steam rising from the creek plunging down. The juxtaposition of that, and green plants growing between rocks on the one hand, and the snow, but also the shrubs right beside the creek covered in hoar frost from that very steam, is always fascinating to me. 

 I had to stop often to catch my breath on the last steep part of the trail, but we made it up in just over an hour, faster than expected, and really: there were only three young men in the pool with the 'perfect' temperature. Others might have been in the cooler pools right below them or the hotter ones above, but we couldn't see anybody else. Changing out of your clothes, standing on the frozen rocks, always takes determination, but the hot water soon makes you forget this fact. It's wonderful to relax in the clear water, the view of the snow-covered mountains across the valley spectacular. What more could anyone ask for? We stayed for nearly two hours, leaving the warm water reluctantly, but nicely warmed through even the cold rocks and frigid air temperature didn't feel so bad. By now the sun had moved around and above the surrounding mountain, and while it didn't really provide any heat it was still nice to feel its rays on my face. 

View of the lower (cooler) pools

We arrived back at the car at 1:30, had a quick snack and soon were on the way to Arco, about 2 1/2 hours from the hotsprings. For a while the road – Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway – follows the course of the river, winding back and forth, through more beautiful scenery. In some spots the river seemed completely covered in snow and ice, but most of the time it flowed freely in a sometimes narrow, sometimes wider channel. We passed through a narrow canyon of black rock, the road climbing steadily, temperature getting steadily colder, and once again the road was icy or snowy from time to time. Sunshine gave way to clouds which seemed to sink lower and lower, until their white bellies almost touched the ground. It felt like we were driving through a white void: the mountains disappeared from view completely. We were glad to finally arrive at our DK motel in Arco, right across from the famous hillside where generations of graduates have marked their graduation year. The earliest stems from the early 1920s – not that we could even see this now. Just like last time we were in Arco, three years ago at the very start of Covid, it presented itself to us in a blanket of snow. Does it always snow this much here in March, I wonder? 

 We were not the only Subaru lovers at the hotsprings; indeed, it always seems as if Subaru is the prevalent brand of car in Montana and Idaho.