🌿 RelaxedWeekend · from Boise, ID
McCall: Payette Lake, Hot Springs & Mountain Town
McCall and its surrounding mountain landscape provide the most completely relaxed two-day experience accessible from Boise — a small mountain town on a beautiful alpine lake with hot springs a day's excursion further into the mountains. Payette Lake at 5,020 feet stays cool through summer; the Shore Lodge on the water is one of the better resort hotels in Idaho; the town has serious restaurants for a community of 3,000; and Burgdorf Hot Springs, 45 minutes north on a gravel road, is a remote primitive hot spring at 6,000 feet in the Payette National Forest that has been soaking travelers since the 1870s. The two days barely require more ambition than sitting by or in the water.
Day 1 — McCall: Payette Lake beach, waterfront town, Ponderosa State ParkDay 2 — Burgdorf Hot Springs: remote primitive soak at 6,000 feet, mountain drive
Day 1 — McCall
Day 1 — McCall
🚗 1 hr 45 min driving📍 5 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Boise, ID → McCall, ID
1 hr 45 min
Payette Lake — McCall City Beach
★ Reviews →The public beach at the south end of Payette Lake in downtown McCall — cold, clear alpine water at 5,020 feet with the Payette National Forest visible on every surrounding hillside. Kayak and paddleboard rentals operate from the beach; the waterfront restaurants are a two-minute walk. A morning of lake activity followed by lunch on the waterfront is the right McCall start.
~1 hr📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
McCall Downtown — Waterfront Walk
★ Reviews →McCall's small downtown has an independent coffee shop, bakeries, and a handful of restaurants that are genuinely good for a mountain community of 3,000 — Steamers restaurant on the lake and Rupert's at the Hotel McCall are the two most consistent options for lunch. The waterfront park connects the downtown block to the city beach.
~1 hr📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Ponderosa State Park — McCall
★ Reviews →A 1,500-acre state park on a peninsula in Payette Lake — old-growth Ponderosa pine forest with walking trails along the lake shore and a viewpoint at the north tip looking back down the lake. The Meadow Marsh boardwalk is a flat, easy afternoon stroll through riparian habitat with waterfowl. The park beach on the south end is a quieter alternative to the city beach for an afternoon swim.
~1 hr📍 See location
🌙
Evening
Lardo Grill & Saloon
★ Reviews →Casual American joint featuring steaks, burgers & sandwiches in unfussy digs with a Western theme.
~1 hr📍 See location
Shore Lodge
★ Reviews →The landmark resort on Payette Lake — a full-service mountain lodge on the water with private dock access, spa, and a restaurant with lake views. Dinner at the lodge with the evening alpenglow on the surrounding mountains is the McCall experience at its best.
Day 2 — Burgdorf Hot Springs
Day 2 — Burgdorf Hot Springs
🚗 3 hr driving📍 2 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
McCall → Burgdorf Hot Springs
45 min
Burgdorf Hot Springs
★ Reviews →A remote primitive hot spring at 6,000 feet in the Payette National Forest, accessible by 30 miles of gravel road from McCall — a natural soaking pool fed by geothermal springs that has been in continuous use since the 1870s when a German prospector named Burgdorf built the first cabins. The main pool is roughly 20 by 40 feet and 3-4 feet deep, running at about 100°F. The setting is a high mountain meadow surrounded by Ponderosa and lodgepole pine.
~1 hr📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
Continue at Burgdorf Hot Springs — Meadow Soak
★ Reviews →Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Burgdorf Hot Springs — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.
~1 hr📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Burgdorf Hot Springs → Boise, ID
2 hr 15 min
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