Challis Hot Springs

Challis Area History

The first inhabitants were Native Americans attracted by abundant hunting, fishing, and natural hot springs of this fertile valley. In 1873, gold was discovered. This discovery fueled a mining boom that spanned almost three decades. It brought activity to the Yankee Fork, dotting surrounding mountainsides with campsites and small towns. A few years later, the high level of mining/ranching activity in the area warranted the establishment of a supply base. 

Challis, located in the geographical center of the State of Idaho, is the Custer County Seat and an economic center for local mines, ranches, and farms. The headquarters of the Land of the Yankee Fork Idaho State Centennial Park is located here. Major agricultural products include livestock, hay, grain and seed potatoes. Mineral resources include molybdenum, gold, silver, plus 40 other minerals in sufficient quantity to be mined commercially.

Ghost mining towns such as Custer, Bonanza, and Bayhorse are within a hours’ drive on roads that climb a few thousand feet into the nearby Challis and Sawtooth Mountain Ranges. The Salmon River, long noted for salmon, steelhead, and trout, winds its way for two hundred miles entirely within the State of Idaho, flowing from Stanley to its confluence with the Snake River west of Grangeville.