Burgdorf, Idaho — Hot Water Outlasted the Gold Rush

Burgdorf began during central Idaho's mining era, but the feature that kept people returning had nothing to do with ore.

Natural hot springs emerge in a remote mountain basin where winters are long and cold.

Miners and travelers used the springs during the nineteenth century, and cabins and bathing facilities developed around them.

Mining declined. The hot water did not.

Burgdorf Hot Springs became a recreation destination reached by mountain roads from the McCall and Warren country. Historic cabins and pools still make the place feel more like an old settlement than a polished resort.

Gold created plenty of temporary Idaho communities.

Geothermal plumbing proved considerably more dependable.