Hot Springs
This piece about hot springs, written in reference to Montana, is pretty accurate about Idaho too.
J.J. is the closest natural hot springs to Missoula when heading west from Lolo on Highway 12, and also the most accessible of the nearby soaking spots (hence the random assortment of naked people). After a mellow walk through a mile of lush cedar and fir trees, my roomies and I came upon the first pool at the bottom of a waterfall. The hottest and most exotic pool, it was of course filled with folks. We moved past the crowded next level, too, which features a large hot pool and then several “cop-a-squat” puddles.This left us with the cooler pool with the coolest view. Though the scenery and sun were nice trade-offs for the luke-warm water, we actually chose this pool because the couple lounging in it seemed the least threatening of the other options down below: two large hairy hunters or the three patchouli-wafting hippies. This Helena couple exuded PLU vibes (people like us).