Day Trippin' › Idaho › From Boise › Lava Hot Springs
The drive from Boise to Lava Hot Springs takes about 3 hr 35 min (east of Boise), by real roads from ZIP 83702. Along the way we found 17 stops within a short detour: 3 coffee shops, 2 bakeries, 1 ice cream and treats and 7 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from Boise) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Decumanus at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hot spring
A small canyon town built around public hot mineral pools (about 102 to 112°F), with tubing on the Portneuf River in summer.
Heads-up: The hot pools are open year-round; the Olympic pool and slides are summer only. No glass or alcohol.
First third Middle third Last third Lava Hot Springs
About 3 hr 35 min by road, heading east from the middle of ZIP 83702. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: viewpoint 1 (Hagerman), Java Express (Jerome), Travelers Oasis (Hansen), Travelers Oasis (Hansen) and Hansen Bridge Lookout (Hansen). The page lists 16 in all, in driving order.
Java Express in Jerome, La Esperanza Bakery in American Falls, Idaho Coffee in Pocatello and Shay's Pie Place in Chubbuck. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
Travelers Oasis in Hansen, Travelers Oasis in Hansen, The Dam Pizza Place in American Falls and Tres Hermanos 2 in American Falls.
viewpoint 1 in Hagerman, Hansen Bridge Lookout in Hansen, Cassia County Historical Society in Burley and McDougall Field in Chubbuck.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.