This Idaho Hot Springs Resort Is A Year-Round Oasis With A Waterslide And Camping

When it comes to idyllic scenery and outdoor splendor, it's hard to beat Idaho. This Pacific Northwest state boasts snow capped mountains, crystalline lakes, and plenty of other pristine natural attractions, such as this breathtaking waterfall known as the "Niagara of the West." The Gem State is a nature-lover's paradise, and while you can soak up outdoor majesty while sleeping in a tent in the woods, there are also choice accommodations to choose from, such as Downata Hot Springs. 

Situated just outside the small town of Downey in Idaho's southeast corner, Downata Hot Springs is a family-friendly resort with pools and waterslides that's open year-round. It also comes with an RV park where you can stay in your own rig or rent out tepees, cabins, yurts, and even covered wagons. To top it off, the resort is located in an area boasting great natural beauty, with mountain peaks, rivers, hiking trails, and a wetland that is one of the best bird-watching areas in the state.

Originally a site enjoyed by Native Americans and early settlers, what is now Downata Hot Springs resort traces back to 1907. Even though the property has evolved and expanded and even changed hands, it has been operating as a family-run enterprise since the beginning. The resort is home to a naturally-heated swimming pool, four water slides, a water playground, and steaming hot pools where you can soak your worries away.

When it comes to accommodations, the site offers six cabins, four yurts, a number of tepees, several vacation rental homes, and six covered Conestoga wagons all available for rental. You can also roll up in your own RV and enjoy water and electrical hookups, or pitch a tent in designated areas. The resort also features a Poolside Restaurant & Snack Bar offering a Dinner & Soak Special where diners can take down a ribeye steak and then enjoy the complex's healing waters. The restaurant also serves breakfast, while the retro-style snack bar features hamburgers, pizzas, milkshakes, and more.

One of the best things about Downata Hot Springs is its amazing location. The resort borders a marsh that's a haven for avian species, including songbirds, shorebirds, raptors, ducks, geese, and raptors, drawing birding enthusiasts far and wide. Nearby Red Rock Pass is also not just a jaw-dropping piece of real estate featuring dramatic stone formations, but also a terrific place to spot birds, though watch out for rattlesnakes among the rocky crannies found throughout the area.

When it comes to hiking, the surrounding hills, ridges, and peaks offer opportunities to hit the trail and get out in nature. The Cherry Creek Trail is a 3.6-mile loop that takes visitors through idyllic local scenery, while the Elkhorn Peak Trail shoots up to the summit of the mountain it's named for at just over 9000 feet, the second-highest rise in southern Idaho's Bannock Range. Also, while you're in the area, head over to Bear Lake, a stunningly blue body of freshwater spanning the border of Idaho and Utah that's home to a state park that makes a great lakeside vacation destination. Downey, Idaho is located two hours north of Salt Lake City, just off Interstate 15. It makes a perfect stop on this scenic road trip that runs all the way from Utah's big city to Yellowstone National Park.