Last weekend, I reported on a snowshoe hike along the Potlatch River and alluded to a second snowshoe adventure the same weekend. In fact, we had planned a little excursion out along Rt. 12 to Jerry Johnson hot springs. It turned out that the hot springs are still popular in winter, at least enough so that the one-mile trail was packed down such that we didn’t need snowshoes after all. So, for the second time this season, a snowshoe hike simply became a winter hike. While we were all looking forward to snowshoeing in, the real goal was to soak in the steamy pools beside the ice-cold creek, and in that regard, this trip was very much a success.

The hike begins by crossing the Lochsa River over a pack bridge. Once on the other side, you walk through a beautiful forest along the banks of Warm Springs Creek. On this trip, it was a formidable winter wonderland with deep snow along the banks of the creek and sitting atop any rocks not submerged. There was a mixture of ice and free-flowing water, with some submerged ice clinging to the river bed. Make no mistake, this water was cold. In fact, we passed one family on their way out who had tried to jump into the first hot spring pool. At this pool, the hot water falls out of a cliff and collects along the side of the creek. During most of the year, the hot pool is either submerged or highly mixed with the creek water. The mother had undressed and jumped right in without testing the water first, and she received quite a surprise in doing so. The next pools were not much farther ahead, but it made no difference. The cold water was enough to send this family right back to the car.

In fact, the next pool wasn’t very much beyond the first one… maybe .2 mile or so. When we reached it, there were two families with children who were finishing up their soak. They told us that the third pool had been pretty trashed with beer cans and spaghetti-o’s littering the ground, but they had only heard that from the ranger. While they were getting out, I decided to go check out the third pool just to see what it was all about. It turned out that it wasn’t quite as trashed as the other people made it out to be and could have been perfectly good for us. This pool overlooked an open meadow with views of the mountains in the background and direct radiation from the sun. The only problem: it was lukewarm. So, we went back to the second pool which, despite its location in the shade, had the hottest temperature of any of the pools that day.

None of the pools were extremely hot. The guide book says that the springs register at 115º at their source, but the pool felt like bath water. It was just hot enough to warm the soul, and cool enough to stay in comfortably for a few hours.

But what’s the fun in that? I challenged Tyler to take a little dip in the creek, so we walked down, wondering if this would be the end of us, and waded in. I’ve jumped into swimming pools straight from hot tubs before, and that’s enough of a temperature difference to cause some discomfort. But when getting out of a hot spring and stepping into (literally) ice-cold water, that just causes pain. In fact, I could only stay in up to my waiste for about 10 seconds before my legs went completely numb. Thankfully, there was a warm pool right next to the creek where we could let our feet thaw before getting back in the hot pool.

We were quite lucky to have the pool to ourselves. As we arrived, the families in the pool were drying off and packing up. There were two small groups behind us that went to the third pool. By the time we were ready to pack up ourselves, a few more groups showed up, and we passed some more coming in on our way out. So, really, we timed it perfectly.

Winter is the best time to visit these hot springs. Although they are still popular, they can get quite crowded in the summer, so you’re much more likely to have some extra space while there is snow on the ground. Besides, the hot water feels much better when complimented by a crisp winter day. I think another visit might be in store before spring arrives.

Note: While the hot springs themselves were in pretty good condition, the trail was littered with beer cans and bottles. It was pretty bad to the point of causing aggravation. I’m not sure what goes through someone’s mind that makes it ok to just dump their trash in a nice beautiful setting, but if this is something you do or have done, please don’t ever do it again. Carry your trash out and dispose of it properly. It’s the only way we can continue to have beautiful and special places like this.

I must have forgotten to post about this trip. This was last week, January 5, 2013. This was Idaho Parks and Recreation’s free day in which no parking pass was required to use the Park n’ Ski areas or any of the state parks. There are two Park n’ Ski areas near Moscow: Elk River and Palouse Divide. The Park n’ Ski areas are generally groomed nordic ski trails, but some of them are good for snowshoeing as well. Since the hike to Elk River falls would have been more than 2 miles one-way, I suggested we head up to Palouse Divide where a short trail would take us to a view over the St. Maries River valley. It would only be a mile to the view with the option to continue snowshoeing if we felt the trip was too short.

When we got to the snow park, I noticed that the first part of our trail was cleared for logging traffic. About .1 miles in, we found what looked like a nice trail that left the road and headed up, but that trail soon disappeared and after consulting the GPS, I decided that our real trail was up the road a bit. Of course, when we got there, we found that the entire trail to the Emida View was in fact plowed for the logging trucks. So, we had a nice walk along the road, but the snowshoes were unnecessary.

The views along this road are quite nice, and we had some special weather effects to make the experience a bit more magical. The first thing we notice are some snow-capped peaks in the distance, part of the St. Joe mountains behind St. Maries.  A little further down the road, the view opened up to the east exposing the rounded hills of the Palouse Divide. In the distance, we could make out the high peaks of the Freezeout Saddle area, but more immediately, Bald Mountain rose up as the highest point in the range. But here’s the cool part: In the valley, the mist had concentrated into a nice cloud below us. It’s a condition I have been waiting forever to photograph.

We ended up hiking well beyond the view, thinking that there would be an even clearer view up ahead, but eventually, we stopped for lunch and turned back. Since we didn’t get to use our snowshoes, I led a few people on a “short cut” off trail back to the parking area. While we had fun tromping through the 2-feet of powder, it turned out to be harder than we expected. Shadow figured it out with no problem. Greta kept getting stuck in some deep spots, though she eventually made it. Once we intercepted the old logging road, the rest of the hike was a breeze.

Palouse Divide seems like a nice place to explore the winter mountains of north-central Idaho, but either we’ll have to explore the other side which is not open to logging trucks, or cross-country ski it. This one seems like a better place to ski.

This snowshoeing thing is taking off, and if I keep this up, I’ll be in shape enough to not suck at hiking at the beginning of the hiking season. This week’s adventure brings us up Spud Hill, also known by some as Mount Deary. Spud Hill was my first Idaho summit, and it’s a great little local hike that I often overlook. But I’ve always wanted to hike it in the winter, and today, Spud Hill became my first winter Idaho summit.

The one difference between snowshoeing and hiking, aside from the snow on the ground, is that distances seem longer than they would on bare ground. For example, during the last half-mile after we leave the main road, the trail switch backs and makes one last steep hurrah for the summit. Today, that section to the switchback seemed to go on longer than I remembered it. Perhaps its because each step takes so much more energy in the deep snow. On the other hand, that last steep ascent is much easier in snowshoes than in the summer when the loose gravel tends to give way under your feet.

In all, it was a great day. When C.J. and E.T. arrived at my house, they got stuck in the driveway and subsequently slid off the drive into the snow while backing down. We tried everything to get her car out, but evenually resorted to shovelling out a short path to the road behind her. That fun bout of problem sovling did cost us about an hour of hiking time. But no matter, we made it to the summit and back in about 3 hours.

The view from the top was beautiful. The Palouse was all covered in white, and the afternoon sun was golden. It wasn’t the clearest day, but sometimes, that makes the view more dramatic. The trees were still covered in snow, so it felt like we were exploring a winter wonderland. Then again, perhaps this part of Idaho is a winter wonderland. But see for yourself. Click on the image above to see more photographs from this hike.