Preis Hot Spring is a small wooden soaking box sunk into the ground a few feet off Forest Road 227 in the Sawtooth National Forest, north of Fairfield in Camas County. The Forest Service spells it Pries, and you will see both versions on maps and websites. It is one of the smallest public soaks in the Smoky Mountains area, and the Fairfield Ranger District lists it alongside Worswick, Skillern and Baumgartner as one of the hot springs on the district.

To get there from Fairfield, head north on Forest Road 094 (Soldier Creek Road, which becomes the road over Couch Summit) toward Little Smoky Campground, roughly 18 miles. Turn left onto Forest Road 227, also called the Little Smoky road, and follow it a few miles to the spring. The box sits right beside the road, so there is no hike at all. You park on the shoulder and step over. Both roads are dirt and gravel, bumpy in places and dusty by midsummer, so take them slowly and plan on about an hour from town.

The soak itself is a sunken wooden box with a bench seat and a sand and gravel bottom. It fits two people, snugly. Reports give the water at about 102 degrees with a pH near 7, clear, and with no noticeable sulfur smell. Algae grows on the wood and makes the seat and edges very slick, so go slowly getting in and out, and water shoes help. Because it sits next to a road that sees steady summer traffic, privacy is limited, and anyone driving by will see you. Swimsuits are the sensible choice here.

Keep your expectations honest. Most of the detailed first-hand descriptions of Preis are older. The fullest report, on IdahoHotSprings.com, covers visits from 2002 through 2013, and a group riding the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route described a lovely soak in the tiny roadside box in June 2020. Boxes like this can silt up, rot or get rebuilt from one year to the next, so treat the details here as a guide and not a promise of current condition.

Most people pair Preis with Worswick Hot Springs, a much larger set of pools a couple of miles away that is reached by Forest Road 465 off FR 227. Preis works well as a quick warm-up on the way in or a last soak on the drive out, especially if Worswick is crowded. Skillern Hot Springs, a longer hike up Big Smoky Creek, is also in the same area.

The roads here are not plowed. Forest Road 227 is generally closed or snowbound from about October until mid or late May, and the opening date depends on the snowpack. Plan on late May or June through early October, and check with the Fairfield Ranger District at 208-764-3202 for road conditions, fire restrictions and any closures before you go.

There is no camping at the spring itself, but there are free Forest Service campgrounds close by. Five Points Campground, about 17 miles north of Fairfield on FR 094, is a small primitive campground with vault toilets and no drinking water, close to Worswick. Canyon Transfer Camp, reached by continuing on FR 227 and then turning north on FR 085, sits on Big Smoky Creek with drinking water, restrooms and horse corrals, and is the trailhead for Skillern. Dispersed sites are also scattered along the forest roads.

This is a tiny pool, so share it. If someone is already soaking, give them a turn and keep your visit short when others are waiting. Do not use soap or shampoo in the box, including biodegradable kinds, because the water drains into the creek system. Pack out all trash, keep glass away from the pool, and leave the box as clean as you found it or cleaner.