Barney Hot Springs

Barney Hot Springs - Located along the Pahsimeroi Road (Little Lost River Road) in the Little Lost River Valley, Barney Hot Springs is a roadside warm pond in a remote desert valley between Ellis and Howe. Barney flows to the surface of a waist-deep pond within an enclosure of logs. The temperature may be marginally warmer deep in the pool, but it generally hovers around 83 degrees F. One old-timer says the logs were once a corral, back before the pond was filled by damming the springs. Another story has it that the logs are the remains of an old house that once sat over the pond. The group that spins this tale can all remember swimming underneath the house as kids back in the 1940s. In any case, the pond makes a refreshing stop on a hot summer day. On one side of the sagebrush valley are the Donkey Hills backed by the Lost River Range. On the other side is the Lemhi Range capped by 11,612-foot Bell Mountain. Barney supports a healthy population of mostly tiny tropical fish that someone planted years back. Summit Creek Recreation Site along Summit Creek is a short distance nearby with primitive camping available.