Kirkham Hot Springs

Kirkham Hot Springs is a series of thermal pools and small steaming waterfalls at the edge of the South Fork Payette River in the Boise National Forest, Boise County, Idaho. The site is managed by the Lowman Ranger District. Recreation.gov places it at about 4,000 feet, just east of the town of Lowman, with the springs below Kirkham Campground.

Kirkham is about 5 miles east of Lowman at milepost 77 on Idaho Highway 21, a paved highway. Visitors pass a gate and cross a bridge over the river, and a staircase trail leads down from the campground to the pools. The Forest Service runs the area as a day use site open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and charges $5 per vehicle per day, with day passes sold through Recreation.gov; America the Beautiful passes are accepted. Overnight camping is not allowed in the day use area, pets must be leashed and kept away from the pools and runoff, and illegally parked vehicles may be fined and towed. Overnight stays are limited to the sites in Kirkham Campground, which can be reserved on Recreation.gov and has no entry after 10 p.m. Cell service on the forest is very limited.

The Kirkham Ridge Trail begins less than a quarter mile from the springs and runs 35 miles for hikers, mountain bikers and horses, with some sections open seasonally to off-road vehicles. The Deadwood and Danskin river access areas are nearby, and Recreation.gov lists rafting, kayaking and trout fishing in the area. Lowman is the nearest town, and Highway 21 continues east toward Stanley and west toward Idaho City and Boise.