Lava Hot Springs, Idaho… ever heard of it? How did we end up here? Well, we needed a stop between Grand Teton National Park and our next National Park. Also, we knew that Dax’s birthday would fall on a long driving day, so we wanted to plan an extra special day for him. Enter Lava Hot Springs.
We had SO MUCH FUN here! We chose this spot because I read that you can go tubing down the river. Tubing is always a good time, right? Little did we know, this wasn’t your ordinary, relaxing-float-down-the-river-with-an-adult-beverage-in-your-hand—type of tubing. It was intense! And definitely more than we were ready for! And seriously, how is this even legal?But again, it was SO MUCH FUN!
Our RV Park was conveniently located close to one of the tube rental places, so we set off on our bikes to go get our tubes!
When we arrived, they told us that the 4-person tube is the only one that typically doesn’t flip over… yes please, we’ll take that one!
The water was pretty chilly, but we were so ready to get going that we didn’t care! Check out the rapids!
About 90% of the ride was filled with crazy rapids and small waterfalls, and about 10% was fairly calm. Most of the time we were holding on for dear life!
True to the tube rental dude’s word, we did not flip! We did see lots of other people get launched out of their tubes on the waterfalls, but luckily not us. The only causality was me losing my flip flop (twice!) but luckily I got it back both times. I also retrieved a random shoe I found floating down the river, so I guess river karma was on my side that day. We went down the river four times. It took about 15 minutes each time, then about another 15 minutes to walk back to the drop in location.
Can you tell that I was having the best time ever?! If you are ever in or near Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, you absolutely have to go tubing down the Portneuf River!
After 2 hours of tubing, we took the boys to the Lava Hot Springs Aquatic Center, where they have water slides, diving boards and platforms, splash park, and more. It was busy and crowded; the boys had a blast, Brian and I… survived.
Great day in Lava Hot Springs! Oh, and if you’re wondering about the name, yes, there are hot springs there, we just didn’t go to them. The hot springs looked peaceful and serene… two things we are not. We definitely would have killed the vibe!
And hey, this guy turns 5 tomorrow!
Happy birthday 🎂🎈 Dax! Your birthday celebration looked like great fun. I am glad your tube didn’t flip! What a fun tube ride. Enjoy your great family vacation! Love Aunt Janice
Thank you! We had a great day in Lava Hot Springs! I’m SO relieved our tube didn’t flip… that water was CHILLY!!! Thanks for reading and following along!