Lava Hot Springs Family Guide

There are a lot of things that you should know before taking your family to Lava Hot Springs. The first is that locals never call it “LAH-va Hot Springs,” as you might expect. Instead, they pronounce the first syllable like the word “have” as in “LAV-a Hot Springs.” In this guide, we share all the tips for making Lava Hot Springs a great family trip!

Enjoying the hot pools in Lava Hot Springs

Where is Lava Hot Springs?

One thing we learned about Lava Hot Springs is just how close it is to the Wasatch Front. At around 2 hours driving distance, Lava is a very popular spot for Utahns despite being located in Idaho. We saw so many Jazz, Mammoth, and U of U shirts, that it felt like the entire town was full of our friends and neighbors. That being said, Lava Hot Springs is kind of a party town. Though small, there are many good restaurants (and bars), and we saw a lot of folks drinking and singing karaoke. None of this, though, kept us from having a great time with the three main activities in Lava Hot Springs.

Lava Hot Springs is in a nice little valley in Idaho.

Lava Hot Springs Hot Pools

The main activity at Lava Hot Springs is, of course, visiting the hot springs or hot pools. There is a large public hot spring with half a dozen pools. These springs range in temperature from 102-112 degrees. They get pretty busy, especially in the afternoon and evening, but they are easily the best maintained and monitored in town. The cost to sit and soak is pretty reasonable, and the pools are clean and safe. Of course, most hotels have their own private tubs or springs, which you can access if you are staying in their rooms. We stayed at Home Hotel, and we were able to visit the springs as part of our hotel stay. This saved us the entry fee, but it also provide more opportunity to soak, as the public springs were much more crowded. Make sure to check if your hotel has a tub of its own. If you have the Get Out Pass, these hot pools are on the pass, so you can use your pass to visit M-Th. More info on this pass here: Get Out Pass Discount Code. Plan an hour or two for the hot pools.

This is the cooler pool at Lava hot pools.

This is the hottest pool, and it is toasty!!

There are two medium heat pools and they are nice!

Water Park: Olympic Swimming Complex & Indoor Aquatic Center

Lava Hot Springs also has a nice water park. Since the water comes from the hot springs, the pool areas are warmer than your average pool. They sit around 82-85, with the kiddie pool being even warmer. The outdoor Olympic Swimming Complex is only open during the summer, but there is a ton to do! There are two slides that go right across the road, and another two that start and end in the park. All the slides are great, sending you down the chute in a spray of water. The two larger slides are geared toward adults and teenagers, and the two smaller slides are for littler kids.

These two large ones go across the road!

There is a very large pool play area for all ages. This large swimming area has lanes, small slides into the pool, diving boards, and even 35 foot platforms that you have to sign a waiver to use. The pool has plenty of open space and shade, and there is a snack bar that serves pretty good food.

The pool area has fun for big and little kids.

The Indoor Aquatic Center is open year round. A smaller indoor pool allows you to stay out of the elements. There is even a small play place for toddlers that has a lifeguard and a 28 inch maximum depth. There were slides and a large bucket that dumps out water occasionally. A hot tub sits within easy view of the toddler play area, so adults can chat and watch their kids in comfort. Plan at least a half day at the waterpark.

The indoor pool has a climbing wall and basketball hoop.

The hot tub area is right next to the kiddie area.

River Run

Another great activity in Lava Hot Springs is running the river. You start by renting a tube from any of the colorful places right in town. Then you go to the entry point just above the bridge on the way into town. (Anywhere you rent tubes from will show you where to launch.) The Portneuf River runs right through town past all the hot springs and hotels, and on a busy day, it is loaded with tubes. Half a mile down the river, there is an exit spot. Most days they even have a shuttle running to take you back to the top. Unfortunately, we arrived early in the season, and the river was too high and cold to run safely. It was also pouring rain most of our visit, so we skipped the river run. Our boys can’t wait to go back and enjoy this fun activity on a sunny day. Plan a half day to tube the river as well.

There are a bunch of different places to rent from.

The river is calm in some areas, but rough in others.

They make the river run so easy for families to enjoy!

Where to Stay

We stayed at The Home Hotel. They have a guest house with a full kitchen, which we loved. We always appreciate cooking meals on vacation to save a little on money. Another cool thing about this hotel is every room has a double tub so you can have your own private hot springs bath. The hot water comes right from the springs into your room, so everyone can have a personal soak. The Home Hotel also has a sister hotel called The Lava Hotel, and they share a private hot springs you can soak in as part of your stay. Booking info here: Home Hotel Lava Hot Springs

It has a large kitchen with everything you need to cook.

All of the rooms have giant tubs with hot spring water.

Here I am enjoying my own personal soak without the crowds!

This is the private hot pool owned by the Lava Hotel and Home Hotel.

The Lava Hotel also has a small restaurant called The Lava Waffle and the waffles are amazing! They are large and have tons of options for toppings. We enjoyed them for breakfast one morning, but they make a great treat, too. Both of these hotels are right in town and within walking distance of everything. We loved being able to walk through the small town to restaurants and the hot pools.

Other Activities

One thing that is amazing about Lava Hot Springs is everything is walkable. So from most of the hotels in town you can easily walk to restaurants, hot pools, and the river. We walked along the River Walk Trail, which is paved and follows the river. It is a nice trail and it would have been fun to watch others floating the river, too.

The river walk is a nice trail along the river.

There is a nice playground for kids, no shade, but it is updated and fun. Lava Hot Springs has a small museum that we did not visit, but this could fill some time if you are tired of outdoor activities. The one activity we were sad to miss was the Sunken Gardens. This is a free garden to walk through, but it was under construction when we were there.

A weekend in Lava Hot Springs is the perfect amount of time to spend. There is plenty to do in the summer in this small town, and it makes for a great family getaway from Utah. For more specific details about pricing, hours, and info, check out the Lava Hot Springs website.