Goldbug Hot Springs is located in the Lemhi Mountains, a range in east-central Idaho near the Montana border. The Lemhi range is located between the better-known Sawtooths to the south and Bitterroots to the north. The Goldbug trailhead is just off a US highway, 23 miles south of the closest town of any size (Salmon). By Idaho standards, that isn't terribly remote. Once you park, the challenging part begins. The trail to the springs takes roughly an hour to 90 minutes, depending on your pace. Parts are steep, but at the end of the tiring hike you'll be rewarded with a naked soak at one of the most spectacular springs sites in the country.

Goldbug consists of several soaking pools of varying temperatures perched on the mountainside amid a plethora of gentle waterfalls. The pools and waterfalls are themselves beautiful, but the icing on the cake is the view of the rugged mountains in the distance. As you soak, you'll be about 800 feet higher than where you parked, and you'll have an eagle's perspective of the hiking route you took.

Nudity soaking is very well established, and the springs are quite popular despite the hike required to reach them. Big weekend crowds of textiles can inhibit would-be nudists. If you are hellbent on getting naked, consider a weekday visit, when you may be lucky enough to have this idyllic site to yourself.

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GPS: 44.9053, -113.9296

city, county, state, country  Elk Bend, Lemhi, Idaho, U.S.A.

classification  2 (traditionally nude)

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