Huckleberry Hot Springs.

Set out to Huckleberry Hot Springs for the first time and it was beautiful. The hike to access the springs is a short one (just under a mile). And you can even cross country ski or snowshoe out to them in the winter.

There is debate as to whether or not it is safe to swim in the hot springs. My friend Shawn was telling me that the park used to warn people of high levels of radiation to keep them out and now it is warnings of amoebic meningoencephalitis. Most people believe that the park has posted such warnings to keep tourists away from the hot springs since they are so easy to access. This would make absolute sense considering these fragile areas would be ruined by high traffic use. Not to mention, I have heard that hot springs can breed bacteria due to there temperatures and as we know, humans carry a lot of bacteria. As you can see from the picture above, they do post warnings. In my opinion, I believe that the waters are safe to swim in as long as you don't get any of the water in your mouth. And as long as you don't submerge your head. I heard one story about a guy who lives here in Jackson that got an amoeba in his eye and the doctor believed that there was a chance of him getting from the hot springs. Anytime I visit a hot spring, I normally follow the motto of no splashing; just sit, relax and enjoy!

On a humorous note, I had some friends who took their child up there to swim in the hot springs this spring. The hot springs are in prime grizzly habitat and as they were sitting in the springs enjoying the warmth, they were startled when they realized that a grizzly had gotten ahold of their backpack and was on his back playing with it. Needless to say, they had to wait till the bear left so they could leave. They now have a bear box (a bear proof container to store food and other belongings) there for people to store their gear while enjoying the springs. It is common to see wildlife back there, especially in the winter because animals such as bison seek the warmth of the springs. There are different swimming holes that people and nature have created. And each pool has a different temperature to it. Some of the holes look much more inviting than others because of algae growing in some of them while others are clear. If the waters don't look that inviting to you, you can always just go to stick your feet in and enjoy the beautiful scenery. But, if any tourists ask you about Huckleberry hot springs, it is probably best to just scare them off with horror amoeba stories :-) Cheers!