Just for clarification, every time I've been at Sunflower flats I spent the day there soaking and fishing and picknicking till evening. THere were floaters in and out all day long but mostly it was not very crowded ,depending on what you call crowded. A new group of floaters would stop about every hour or so and stay about 15 minutes before moving on. They seem to just take a warm shower and move on most of them. When they ask where our kayaks or rafts are we tell them we flew in and they look at us like we're crazy. Till we explain the strip at Thomas. I suppose there is a trail from Indian creek down to sunflower flats after you cross the bridge at Indian Crk but Indian is really crowded as that is a put in point and resupply point for them.

I think I was looking in the wrong direction. The good hot springs, Sunflower Flats, are they the ones located west northwest of the airstrip? I see another foot bridge going that direction right at what looks like someones ranch.

Bonanza Man wrote:I think I was looking in the wrong direction. The good hot springs, Sunflower Flats, are they the ones located west northwest of the airstrip? I see another foot bridge going that direction right at what looks like someones ranch.

Go upstream from the strip on the service road for the ranch. Cross the Middle fork and go right, again upstream about a mile or so and there it is. I doubt if you can see anything on Google earth. THe ones downstream from Thomas aren't that far but they aren't as good either and they are on the same side as Thomas ck. THe good ones, Sunflower flats are the upstream ones on the other side of the middle fork and upstream from Thomas ck strip.

I once planned a two week horse back trip into the middlefork of the Salmon river with a stop every other night at a hot springs. There are a lot of them in there but not accesable by plane. My favorite was "showerbath springs" it is a verticle walled canyon, solid rock going up severa hundred feet on each side of the stream. The hot water comes out of holes in the rock walls and drops into the stream. You can ride your saddle horse along and test each one until you find just the right temperature then step down and take a nice hot shower. There are even super hot jets right next to very cold jets so you can jump back and forth!!! Really gets the blood moving.

shorton,

Any idea which strip might be the closest to Showers Bath? I have seen pictures and it looks incredible! But after some searching I can't find anything within a reasonable hiking distance. That HS is what started all this. I saw a picture and decided I had to fly to it.

Atlanta has pretty good hot springs but the best I have been to are up stream from Bruce Meadows. It's a bit of a hike and at least the way we went required crossing the river which might be difficult at some times of the year but they are nice and hot and deep.

I don't know of any hot springs upstream from Bruce Meadows but I do know of some downstream towards the Middle Fork.

Galen

No I don't know of any strips you could use. About all I remember is that it was down in a very steep canyon. That was during my "Cowboy" phase not my "Aviator" phase.

sorry

galen wrote:I don't know of any hot springs upstream from Bruce Meadows but I do know of some downstream towards the Middle Fork.

Its been years since I've been there and considering that I used your book to find them I'm going to have to go with what you say! I'm probably remembering the direction that the river flows incorrectly. The hot springs I liked were to the North East of the airstrip.

Splashpilot wrote:shorton,

Any idea which strip might be the closest to Showers Bath? I have seen pictures and it looks incredible! But after some searching I can't find anything within a reasonable hiking distance. That HS is what started all this. I saw a picture and decided I had to fly to it.

Hi Splash,the warm spring creek strip Galen mentioned above is actually not that far from Showerbath (about 2 miles ish...) but you better have good wheels on you! (and I don't mean your plane )
If you peter out you can always return to the hot springs at warm springs (not all that great) and sulk as you soak...
I haven't got my arms around my summer work schedule yet... but as soon as I do I will be headed up that way again, it's been a couple years... I will drop you a note then, how slow can you get that hot rod cessna? .

BTW... there's really only 2 ways into shower, and that strip is on one of them...

Take care, Rob

Shorton,

Thanks for the inside info. I love to hike so I would enjoy the challenge to get to Showers Bath. I am planning on leaving for the ID backcountry next week. I hope Warm Springs will be free from snow, I'll check it out.

As too how slow the 180 will go,.... well with that Horton STOL on it, it really will fly slower than the AS indicator of 40 mph without stalling, so I don't really know. I am comfortable flying it gross loaded on final at 50-55 mph,.. that is mph, touching down about 40-45 mph. Its feels good at that speed. Any slower and the gear geometry with the 8.50's is such that you will land tail first. I gotta get some BW's!

What's wrong with the tail touching down first? That is the way a Maule lands. Get it slow and drag it in and the Maule tail will hang a couple of feet lower than the mains.

Hey Splashpilot I see your in Columbia CA., Pop over the hills to your east to the Mammoth Lakes airport, there's a number of good hot springs with in a couple miles of the airport, Hot Creek, the tub, the sheepherder tub to name a few, There're all in the Hot Springs of the Southwest book. Lived in Mammoth during the 80's and spent some quality time searching and soaking the springs

The Warm Springs strip in "Fly Idaho" is not anywhere near Shower Bath HS...50 miles away in a different drainage. The closest public strip is Upper Loon but there is a private strip that is pretty close but know nothing about it.

Hi whee,

I thought maybe you caught me smoking crack again so off to the cub I went to check out my gps... sure enough I punched in shower and got 44*37'40.61"N, 114*36'03.70"W, and then warmsprings strip and got 44*39"17.96"N, 114*38'42.08"W...for about a two and a half mile difference...it will seem like a lot more, but not 50...
At the risk of sounding like an azzole I will say that 90% of what's in my gps is self inflicted... typical fun flying for me involves less "structure" than most folks. Most destinations occur on a whim, Most landings have occurred because a strip looked inviting or interesting and most of those spots get a name that "appeared appropriate" at the moment... Most are probably not correct, and even fewer are politically correct.
More than likely it is in my gps as "warmsprings strip" because it is on warmsprings (very close to the warmsprings creek h/s) not because that is the correct name of it. My appologies to Galen and Splash if that is in fact not the correct Warmsprings strip. I have recently moved and my copy of "Fly ID" is in my hangar in Phoenix . It is an easy strip, (notes say 2000'l @ 5500'e) but that was in the pre fires day, not sure how that area faired and what it would be like today.
Take care, Rob
edit: whee, that is the one. Sorry folks but sure enough that strip is pvt...

Rob,

Typical Idaho...lots a creeks and streams all known by the same name. The coordinates you gave for warm springs is not the same as the warm springs in Fly Idaho, it is the private strip that I know nothing about.

Sure wish I had the balls to land where ever looked inviting...guesses I've been chased off private property too many times by and old guy with a shotgun.

Hi again whee,

Guess I've just been lucky...hear a lot about shotgun confrontations, hope I never get to the point I treat visitors like that.
Take care, Rob

edit

Rob and Whee,

Thanks for your searching and input. It could have been interesting telling my wife about this great hotspring we are going to,...end up hiking all over the place and never find it.

I figured after some searching that Upper Loon is the closest to Showers and not very close. It may have to wait until later this year. There is so many out there with a mountain bike you can really see alot!

All this inside info helps tremendously.

Thanks

Rich