Camping Is For Everyone!: hot springs camping

Last weekend we went to my husband's childhood favorite mountain retreat - Silver Creek Plunge near Crouch, Idaho. It was about a 2.5 hour drive one way. The road getting up there was paved until Crouch, then about 25 miles of dirt road. We had a FANTASTIC time and stayed 3 nights. We reserved a spot using recreation.gov at the Forest Service campground called Silver Creek Campground next to the Silver Creek Plunge Complex. Silver Creek Plunge features rustic cabins for rent, a large grassy area, a playground structure, sand volleyball court, small store with some essentials (and ice cream!) and best of all... a hot springs pool! http://www.silvercreekplunge.com/

I had never been up there so seeing it with a fresh pair of eyes here's my good, bad and ugly;

Good
1. The road getting up was really good. I heard rumors that it was steep and "switch back-y" with lots of water ruts but we found the road to be well maintained and had a very pleasant drive.
2. The campground was beautiful! We had a very roomy site (U026) that was nestled in along a pretty creek. The space to park our pop-up was very large and we were able to park our truck along side it leaving lots of pad space in the back for the kids to ride their tricycles and scooter. It had the nicest fire pit and picnic table I have ever seen at a campground. The grounds were well maintained and the bathrooms were cleaned twice daily. There are vault toilets and no showers. Boise National Forest gets an "A" from me regarding this campground!
3. Camping fees were reasonable at only $15 per night ($7.50 for us with our discount) but there are no hookups at the sites. There is an RV fill station for water when you enter the campground but no dumping facilities. Unlike other Federal campgrounds I have been to there isn't a Park Host or those little envelopes to pay your fees in. You have to go to the pool office to take care of that stuff. Their hours are 0800 to 2200.
4. The pool was very clean and kept around 100 degrees. There is a kid friendly shallow area that is 1ft 2in deep. It was crowded at certain times of the day but we went around dinner time and there were only a few people there.

Bad
1. It cost $10 for adults and $8 for kids 2 and over to swim in the Silver Creek Plunge pool. For us, that meant almost $40 for the day which is a little pricey when you are camping on a budget.
2. A bag of ice was $3.50 and a small bundle of wood was $7.50. With the closest store 25 miles away its all about supply and demand. :)
3. It was very cold 2 of the nights, but that's the risk you take camping in the Idaho mountains mid-June.
4. One thing I love about camping is the people. Often you meet other families or couples and strike up a conversation and make new friends. Sometimes you sneak over to each others campsites and sit around the fire chatting or telling lies. There weren't a lot of friendly people on this trip. In fact, even though we'd wave or say hi to other campers we were basically ignored. It seemed odd and uncharacteristic of the usual camping culture I have experienced. Maybe it was the fact that our kids scream/play/cry for 1 hour prior to falling asleep just before dark. I dunno. :)

Ugly
1. Somewhere along the way we picked up a screw in our truck tire and got a flat. I know this isn't really considered ugly, but I hate it when things like this happen. Luckily we had a full sized spare and were able to get home OK.

Lessons Learned
They make these metallic looking covers for pop-ups called Pop-Up Gizmos. I want them. I think on both of the trips we have taken they would have been really useful. If you put the metallic side out it keeps your Pup-up cooler, metallic side in will help retain warmth. Once I get them I will do an in-depth review. We learned how to operate our gas furnace in the pop-up. It worked really well but our unit does not retain the heat for long. http://www.popupgizmos.com/

Last camping trip we brought wayyyyyyyyy too much stuff. It was our 1000th time camping but first time camping with kids so we weren't sure what we'd need. This time we scaled back on a lot of things and it made a big difference. We brought just enough clothes, food and drinks/water to get us through.

The biggest thing I learned on this trip is to always bring warm and cold clothes. There were times of the day that it felt hot and then it would rain and you'd be able to see your breath. Being prepared for both extremes is good.

Overall I give this trip a B+. It was fun and beautiful up there but the main attraction - the pool - was a little pricey and the weather was a little colder than I liked.

Pictures