Portneuf River Float

Long before it was a resort, this bend in the Portneuf was sacred ground. The Shoshone and Bannock peoples called the area Poha-Ba, roughly the land of healing waters, and gathered at the mineral springs to bathe, rest, and worship. By tradition the springs were neutral ground, a place different tribes could share in peace. The water rises warm and rich in minerals, and it comes up without the rotten-egg smell that many hot springs carry.

Fur trappers worked the Portneuf country in the early 1800s, and the town that grew here was first called Dempsey for one of them. Emigrants on the Oregon and California trails passed close by and knew of the soothing springs. In 1902 an act of Congress granted the springs and the land around them to the State of Idaho for public use, and the town, incorporated as Lava Hot Springs in 1915, built its whole identity around the water.

What makes the Portneuf float special is that it happens downtown. You launch near the town's famous hot pools, and the river carries you past the river walk, the parks, and the backs of Main Street rather than through empty ranchland. The core run is short, about a half-mile of fast water, which is exactly why people love it: the walk back to the top is only a few blocks, so a good afternoon can mean floating the same stretch several times over.

It is a real float, though, not a gentle drift. The current moves, there are pockets of rapids, and there are a couple of small drops along the way, the second of them the biggest obstacle on the run. The riverbed includes abrasive lava rock. All of that is part of the fun for the right group, but it is also why the local advice is consistent: it suits families with older children better than toddlers, life jackets are a good idea, and it pays to ride it once yourself before you bring the kids.

The season runs roughly from June through mid-September, when summer flows make the river runnable, and the town's tube-rental shops generally operate from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. You can bring your own tube and float for free, or rent one in town, where rentals typically include a life jacket. Either way, wear water shoes or river sandals rather than flip-flops, since footing on the lava rock matters.

The single most important thing to know is where to get out. You exit at the wooden stairs on the edge of town, before the Center Street highway bridge. Past that bridge the river slows and runs through private property with few good places to climb out, so missing the exit turns a quick float into a long, awkward walk. Leave valuables behind or tie them down, skip glass and foam coolers, and treat it like the lively little river run it is.

The float is only one part of what makes Lava a full afternoon. The town's natural hot pools sit right beside the river, state-owned and open year-round, so the classic Lava day is to float the cold, fast river and then soak in the warm mineral water a few steps away. The big public Olympic swimming complex, with water slides and a diving tower, is at the edge of town for anyone who wants a longer swim.

Because everything is so close together and the town is small and walkable, Lava rewards slowing down. You can float in the morning, soak in the afternoon, learn the area's Oregon Trail and Shoshone-Bannock history at the little museum on Main Street, and never move your car. It is an old resort town that still works exactly the way it was meant to, with the river at the center of it all.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.