Her View 

Elk City - Caywood's perspective

 

Elk City: home to my first ever natural hot springs. Elk City is a small little town in the middle of nowhere, and also the place for some great natural hot springs. The Jerry Johnson Hot Springs are only about a mile hike from the road, and clock in at about 102 degrees on an average day. Completely natural heat. We loved the hot springs, both of us never seeing them naturally before now. We got our bathing suits on and hopped in. After about 20 minutes, it was time to get out the sandwiches and wine. Even on a hot day, the outdoor natural hot tub felt so great. We were warned in advance to watch out for some people enjoying the warm water in the nude, which came true when a group of four from Portland showed up and stripped down to their birthday suits. I would highly recommend these relaxing springs to anyone. Although, since they’re the only natural hot springs I’ve ever been in, I don’t know how they actually stack up to others.

His View 

Elk City - Feliks' perspective

 

Our initial plan was to go check out Missoula, Montana and the hot springs that we heard were nearby. As we got to the town and started doing more research, we soon realized the hot springs were a decent distance away. We started heading towards Elk City for the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, which we did not see on any of the tourist attraction lists. If you search for hot springs near that area, you will most likely come across the hot springs in Lolo. When you arrive at said hot springs, you will find a community center-type building with an indoor and outdoor pool (“hot spring”). As this was not what we were looking for, we talked to a local worker who told us about the Jerry Johnson natural hot springs. The additional 30 mile drive and one mile hike was absolutely, without-a-doubt, one of the best investments of time we spent on a random attraction. 

 

The hike itself was pretty easy, which went along the river. The hot springs were scattered in small pools alongside the rushing cold water. The first hot spring was a more difficult hike down to the river banks, but already had some visitors enjoying the hot water. So we kept going to the next one. When we got to what I would consider the bigger hot spring area, it consisted of maybe a dozen pools of various depths and water temperatures. Some were maybe 90 degrees; some were colder. The best one, the main one, was closer to 103 degrees. The only thing that was missing was the jets. We did encounter some interesting locals, who enjoyed the hot springs in their own unique ways. 

 

Overall, definitely a good stop on our list. What made it just a little bit better was the casino in the gas station on the way there. Not only do they give you $5 just for signing up for their rewards card, but the drinks and snacks were also free. The roads are twisty and hilly, and full of elk, so drive safely.