We loved this hike in, the beginning is fairly easy and the ending can be a bit of a challenge. There were a handful of people day hiking this but i prefer to spend the night there. in the past this area was open to anyone without the need of a permit and became very overcrowded. Now that the campsite is on a permit system the area is much cleaner and way less crowded. We only saw about 25 people there on a Monday night in July.

The springs are amazing as well as the views. one large spring sits close to spots 1-7, all of there other spots will require a walk to get to the main hot spring. The campground is very spread out, some sites are almost a mile away from the hot springs and it makes for great privacy and quiet. The spots that are further away are more designated for horses but we did not see any on this trip. I would stick to spots 1-7 to get a closer spot.

This area does require a bear canister to store your food at all times and we did see the forest service out there checking permits and for proper food storage. Sites are primitive and do not have any fire rings. You will find rock rings in areas.