California woman shocked by Idaho hot springs bathroom starts GoFundMe to clean it

National admin October 20, 2026 0 Comments

California woman shocked by Idaho hot springs bathroom starts GoFundMe to clean it

A California woman is on a mission to help clean up the public bathrooms at Idaho’s Kirkham Hot Springs near Lowman after a recent visit left her shocked by their condition.

Kathryn Kolouch was visiting the popular destination when she went to one of the restrooms to change and saw trash scattered across the floor.

“It was so gross,” Kolouch said in a phone interview. “It made me sad because the hot springs are so nice.”

Kolouch said she wanted to clean the bathroom herself right then and there, but did not have any supplies with her. But as Kolouch left to return home, she couldn’t get the hot springs out of her mind.

A few years ago, Kolouch completed a “Leave No Trace” course that taught her wilderness ethics and how to be a steward. Originally from Colorado, Kolouch has been to many hot springs, but said Kirkham Hot Springs is special to her.

“My mom and her sisters had gone there when they were children,” Kolouch said. “It’s an amazing place.”

She reached out to an Idaho cleaning company, which told her they would be happy to help and gave her a quote of $450.

Not having the money herself, Kolouch turned to GoFundMe to try to raise it.

While the money is for a one-time clean, Kolouch compared the idea to the “broken windows” theory, which suggests one smashed window in a building encourages people to smash more.

“I thought if you could get it clean again, then people are more likely to respect it and keep it clean,” Kolouch said.

Kolouch is also trying to get a volunteer group going that could clean the bathrooms and wants to create signage encouraging people to pick up after themselves.

“I just started trying to solve the problem from far away, any way I could,” Kolouch said. “It’s public land; it belongs to all of us. Things are so crazy right now; it’s just trying to do something positive.”

This is not the first time the cleanliness of the hot springs facilities has raised concern. In 2021, the Boise National Forest took to Facebook, urging visitors to pick up after themselves and sharing a photo of large garbage piles in a restroom.

The next year, the U.S. Forest Service announced plans to revamp Kirkham Hot Springs after popularity brought increased trash, vandalism and glass shards, the Statesman previously reported.

The Lowman Ranger District did not respond to questions about how frequently the site’s bathrooms are cleaned or trash is removed.

This story was originally published October 20, 2026 at 5:44 PM with the headline “California woman shocked by Idaho hot springs bathroom starts GoFundMe to clean it.”