Updated: August 2026
Oregon will let you soak in a hand-hewn cedar tub under old-growth, in a concrete pool at the edge of a dry lake, and at a family resort on Warm Springs land, all in the same week. Then it will close the forest road for fire and expect you to check again before you leave town.
This is not a list of every geothermal seep in the state. Plenty of websites will point you at private ranch water, springs hot enough to scald you, or a pin dropped on a riverbank with no toilet and no official access. We do not. These are the soaks we would actually send a friend to — public land, or a business that sells a day pass or a bed — with rules we can cite.
Fees, clothing customs, and road status change. The numbers below were checked against Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, tribal, and resort pages in August 2026. Confirm them the morning you drive. If a spring is missing, that is on purpose.
How to use this guide
- Primitive means a wild or lightly built pool on public land. Bring your own towel, water, and manners.
- Resort means someone is selling access — a day pass, a cabin, or both.
- Hike-in is anything you cannot see from the parking lot. Drive-up means you can walk from the car in a few minutes.
- Clothing is whatever the land manager or the business posts, not what a 2014 blog remembered. Clothing-optional means optional. You can wear a suit. You should expect that other people may not.
- Family-friendly here means a posted swimsuit rule and a pool that is not a tiny clothing-optional hole in a riverbank. It does not mean bring a toddler to Umpqua.
Jump to a region
Quick compare
Drive times are honest “about” numbers in normal weather, not a GPS fantasy. Fees are what the official page said in August 2026. They will change.
| Spring | Type | Access | From PDX / Eugene / Bend | Fee (verify) | Clothing | Kids? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bagby | Primitive | 1.4-mile hike | ~2h / ~3h / ~4h | $5 per person, cash at trailhead | Forest Service: no public nudity | Maybe, if posted rules hold |
| Terwilliger (Cougar) | Primitive | ¼-mile hike | ~3h / ~1.25h / ~2h | $12 / person / 2 hours; no passes | Optional at pools | No |
| McCredie | Primitive | Short walk | ~2.5h / ~1h / ~2h | $5 / vehicle or a forest pass | Mixed; not posted | Unlikely |
| Umpqua | Primitive | Steep 0.3 mile | ~4h / ~2.5h / ~3h | $5 / vehicle or a forest pass | Expect nudity | No |
| Belknap | Resort | Drive-up | ~3h / ~1.25h / ~1.75h | $12 / person / hour walk-in | Suit required | Age 5+ |
| Breitenbush | Retreat | Drive-up, reservation | ~2h / ~2.5h / ~2.5h | $40 weekday / $50 weekend (13+) | Optional in soaking areas | Yes, with a reservation |
| Bigelow / Deer Creek | Primitive | Short walk | ~3h / ~1.25h / ~1.75h | Free (no FS fee page) | Unconfirmed | Tiny pool — no |
| Kah-Nee-Ta | Tribal resort | Drive-up | ~2h / ~3h / ~1.25h | Day pass on kahneeta.com | Suits (family resort) | Yes |
| Alvord | Private rustic | Drive-up (gravel) | ~6–7h / ~6h / ~4h | Call first | Ask when you call | Ask |
| Summer Lake | Rustic resort | Drive-up | ~5h / ~4.5h / ~2h | Overnight only — no day use | Bring a suit | Kids’ soak hours posted |
| Hart Mountain | Primitive | Gravel roads | ~6h / ~5.5h / ~3.5h | Free | Unconfirmed | Remote |
| Crystal Crane | Resort | Drive-up | ~5h / ~5h / ~2h | Pond $15 adult / 4 hours | Suits expected | Yes, with an adult |
| Hot Lake | Historic resort | Drive-up | ~4.5h / ~5h / ~4h | $20 weekday / $29 weekend | Suit required | 12+ with an adult |
Near Portland / NW Cascades
Bagby Hot Springs
- Region: Mt. Hood National Forest, Clackamas River country
- Nearest town: Estacada
- Type: Primitive — cedar tubs and wooden bathhouses
- Access: About 1.4 miles on Bagby Hot Springs Trail #544
- Fee: $5 per person at the trailhead. Cash on site. Forest passes are not accepted. Ripplebrook Store can take a card when it is open.
- Clothing: The Forest Service currently posts that public nudity is not allowed. Follow the signs, not an old trip report.
- Pets: Allowed, leashed, in the campground and at the springs
- Best season: Late spring through fall. Winter roads are not maintained, and the Forest Service does not want you driving in on snow.
Bagby is the soak people picture when they say they want hot water in the woods without a concrete deck. You hike about a mile and a half through old-growth along the Hot Springs Fork, then sit in tubs that still look handmade because they are. The lower bathhouse has three log tubs and a six-foot round communal tub. The upper bathhouse has another round tub on an open deck. Source water at the big spring comes in around 138°F, which is why you fill a tub, wait, and sometimes dump part of it before you get in. Empty yours when you leave and leave it half full so the next person is not sitting in a boil.
It is also the one Google Maps will try to send down a spur that should not exist. The Forest Service is blunt: do not take the smaller roads, no matter what the phone says. From Estacada, stay on Highway 224 past Ripplebrook, then Forest Road 46, then 63, then 70 to the trailhead. Rockfall and landslides are normal on 46 and 63. There is no cell service. Do not leave a backpack of cameras on the seat.
Camping is at Bagby Campground by the trailhead, not at the springs. First come, first served. Weekends mean a wait. Bagby reopened in May 2024 after years of fire and road damage. Our older Bagby piece still reads as if the place is closed. That is no longer the story — and as of mid-August 2026 the Forest Service had it closed again for wildfire. Check before you go.
Official: Mt. Hood National Forest — Bagby Hot Springs · Bagby Preservation updates
Last verified: Forest Service page, August 16, 2026
Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat
- Region: Cascades above Detroit, on the Breitenbush River
- Nearest town: Detroit
- Type: Off-grid retreat (not the free river soak downstream)
- Access: Drive-up. Advance reservation required. No walk-ins.
- Fee: Day use 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Adults/teens 13+: $40 weekday, $50 weekend. Ages 5–12: $20. Ages 0–4: free. Lunch is extra. Rates effective February 2, 2026.
- Clothing: Optional in soaking areas and the sauna. Clothes on in the lodge, parking lot, and around guest rooms.
- Rules: No alcohol, no drugs, no pets, no cell service, fragrance-free. Book early. Weekends sell out.
Breitenbush is not a Forest Service hole in the river. It is a worker-run retreat in the trees above Detroit, with meadow pools, spiral tubs, a steam sauna over a capped geyser, and a deliberate lack of Wi-Fi. Overnight guests get vegetarian meals and a place that asks you to be quieter and more intentional than you were in the parking lot at Terwilliger. That is the product, and it is not for everyone.
Do not confuse it with Lower Breitenbush, the old riverbank soak on Forest Service land. Different place, different rules, and not in this guide.
Fill the tank in Detroit and download directions before you lose signal. From November 1 to April 1, Oregon wants chains or studs in this zone. Our older Breitenbush story is still a useful sense of the place. Use the current rates and book on the site. Walk-ins are not a thing here.
Official: breitenbush.com/day-use
Last verified: Breitenbush day-use page, August 2026.
Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs Resort
- Region: Warm Springs Reservation, high desert canyon
- Nearest town: Warm Springs / Madras
- Type: Tribal resort owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
- Access: Drive-up. Day passes sold in advance.
- Fee: Buy a day pass at kahneeta.com. Confirm the current price when you book.
- Clothing: Swimsuits. This is a family resort, not a wild soak.
- Best season: Year-round. Summer is the busiest.
Kah-Nee-Ta sat dark from 2018 until July 2024. It is back as a Village-style resort: mineral pools, a lazy river, a cold plunge, motel rooms, teepees, an RV park, and a high-desert canyon that does not look anything like the McKenzie. You are a guest on tribal land. That is not a footnote. Follow the posted rules, buy the pass they ask you to buy, and treat the place as what it is — a working resort, not a secret you discovered.
If Bagby is closed or nobody in the car wants a hike, this is the straightforward, swimsuit answer to “hot springs near Portland.” It is about two hours from town when the mountain is behaving. Kids, floaties, and a day pass belong here in a way they do not belong at Umpqua.
Official: kahneeta.com
Last verified: reopening and tribal ownership confirmed in 2024–2026 reporting. Confirm current day-pass prices on the live site.
McKenzie / Central Cascades
Terwilliger Hot Springs (Cougar Hot Springs)
- Region: Willamette National Forest, Cougar Reservoir / Aufderheide
- Nearest town: Blue River / McKenzie Bridge
- Type: Primitive — four stepped rock pools
- Access: About ¼ mile on Rider Creek Trail #3319
- Fee: $12 per person per 2 hours, ages 12+. No forest passes honored. Pay on site. Covers parking, trail, lagoon, and springs.
- Hours: Day use, sunrise to 10 p.m. Closed 10 p.m. to sunrise.
- Clothing: Optional at the pools. Nudity visible from Forest Road 19 is prohibited.
- Rules: No alcohol. No pets (service animals leashed). No camping at the springs — developed campgrounds only in the Cougar Recreation Area. Do not park along FR 19 or double-park.
- Water: Upper pool about 112°F, lower about 85°F. Pools 3–12 feet across, 2–3 feet deep.
Locals still call it Cougar. The Forest Service calls it Terwilliger. Search both. You pay at the lot, walk a short trail, and sit in a staircase of stone pools that cool as they drop down the ravine. The 2018 Terwilliger Fire tore through the forest here. Hazard trees were cut around the springs, but loose rock, debris flow, and weakened timber are still on the official conditions list. It is not a spa brochure. It is still one of the best soaks in the state if you can live with a crowd.
Parking is small. RVs and trailers do not belong in the main lot — the Forest Service wants those at the pullout near FR 1985/1986 or at Cougar Crossing. From Highway 126 at Blue River, take Aufderheide (Forest Road 19) south around Cougar Reservoir. From Highway 58, you can come the long way up Aufderheide from Westfir. FR 19 is not plowed for winter.
Older guides mention a Thursday morning cleaning closure. The current Forest Service recreation page does not list one. Believe the kiosk, not a blog from three years ago.
Official: Willamette National Forest — Terwilliger (Cougar)
Last verified: Forest Service recreation page July 9, 2026; occupancy order March 2026.
Belknap Hot Springs
- Region: McKenzie River
- Nearest town: McKenzie Bridge
- Type: Developed resort — two mineral swimming pools and gardens
- Access: Drive-up
- Fee: Walk-in soaking $12 per person for one hour or less. No more full-day passes. Towel rental $2.
- Hours: Walk-in 9 a.m.–5 p.m. except federal holidays (closed to walk-ins on holidays). Overnight guests 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Lower pool is shared; upper pool is overnight guests only.
- Clothing: Suit required. No pets in the pool area. Children must be 5 or older to enter the pool area.
Belknap is the McKenzie soak you pick when the rest of the car wants mineral water and a bathroom, not a clothing-optional ravine. Two concrete pools sit in the gardens along the river. Swimsuits are required, children must be five or older, and day-use is capped at an hour. Overnight guests get the upper pool until 9 p.m., plus lodge rooms, cabins, and tent or RV sites — and a driveway that still works when Forest Road 19 is ice. It will not feel like Umpqua. In January, that is a feature.
Do not show up at 5:01 p.m. and argue about the hour limit. Walk-ins are closed on federal holidays. Our Belknap visit is the longer stay story. Use the live site for rooms and current rates.
Official: belknaphotsprings.com/hot-spring-pools
Last verified: Belknap pool page, August 2026.
Bigelow Hot Springs (Deer Creek)
- Region: McKenzie River, Willamette National Forest
- Nearest town: McKenzie Bridge / Blue River
- Type: Primitive — one small riverside pool, partly under a ferny overhang
- Access: Short walk from a pullout on Forest Road 2654 after you pass Belknap
- Fee: No Forest Service recreation fee page. Local tourism listings treat parking as free. Do not block the road.
- Clothing: Not posted on an official page we could cite. Treat it as mixed, and keep the group small.
- Best season: Summer and fall. When the McKenzie is high, cold river water wrecks the soak.
Bigelow is a two- or three-person pool against the McKenzie, tucked under ferns at the mouth of a shallow overhang, not a destination you build a weekend around. People love it because it is free and close to the highway. People also show up in March, find a flooded puddle, and drive to Belknap. Go in late summer if you go. There is no bathhouse, no cashier, and no reason to leave a beer can in the ferns.
From Eugene, take Highway 126 east past Belknap, turn onto Forest Road 2654, park after the bridge, and take the short path downstream. Confirm locally if fire closures are up. Pack out everything you brought in.
Official: No standalone Forest Service recreation page. Directions follow the McKenzie Highway tourism listing and long-standing public use.
Last verified: access pattern cross-checked August 2026. Fee and clothing remain loosely documented — marked as such on purpose.
Willamette Pass / Oakridge
McCredie Hot Springs
- Region: Willamette National Forest, Salt Creek / Highway 58
- Nearest town: Oakridge
- Type: Primitive — rock-lined holes on Salt Creek, no buildings
- Access: Short walk from McCredie Day Use. Sign between mileposts 46 and 47, about 8 miles east of Oakridge.
- Fee: $5 per vehicle per day. Northwest Forest Pass and interagency passes count. Day use sunrise to sunset. No overnight camping.
- Clothing: The Forest Service day-use page does not post a clothing rule. Expect mixed dress.
- Pets: Leash in developed sites.
McCredie is the highway soak. You can be in the water before your coffee cools, sitting in silt-bottom pools that change shape every season as Salt Creek rearranges the bank. Some holes are too hot to touch. Creek water is the mixer. There is a vault toilet and a tiny lot — the Forest Service says nine cars and one 40-foot RV. Pack your trash. There is no garbage service.
It used to be a resort, a baseball team, and a bordello. Now it is a pullout on Highway 58 and a reminder that easy and pretty are not the same thing. Pair it with Salt Creek Falls if you still have legs.
Official: Willamette National Forest — McCredie Day Use Area
Last verified: Forest Service page March 26, 2026. We are not publishing the coordinates on that page — they do not match the Highway 58 site.
Southern Cascades / Umpqua
Umpqua Hot Springs
- Region: Umpqua National Forest, above the North Umpqua Wild and Scenic River
- Nearest town: Idleyld Park / Toketee
- Type: Primitive — travertine tubs on a rock face, one under an open roof
- Access: Steep 0.3-mile trail from the trailhead after a footbridge. In winter the road often gates; plan on hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing the last 2.5 miles.
- Fee: $5 per vehicle per day at the trailhead. A Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass waives it. The hike itself is not a separate fee.
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset. Camping and being there after dark are prohibited in the defined area.
- Clothing: Forest Service: expect high use and nudity.
- Water: About 100–115°F. The classic tub is roughly 3 by 5 by 2.5 feet, cut into the mineral shelf about 150 feet above the river.
This is the postcard: mineral terraces on a cliff, Surprise Falls across the river, steam in the trees. It is also the site the Forest Service had to put on a diet. Overnight use was banned after people camped in their own mess. Day-use rules were renewed again through April 2026. Go at dawn on a weekday or plan to share the tub. There is a vault toilet. There is no drinking water. Download Recreation.gov if you need to pay on site without cash — Umpqua’s developed sites have been moving off cash.
Read our Umpqua visit, then check the live forest alerts before you commit to the gravel.
Official: Umpqua Hot Springs Trail · Rules and regulations
Last verified: trail page June 8, 2026; rules alert August 3, 2026.
Eastern Oregon / high desert
Alvord Hot Springs
- Region: East side of Steens Mountain, Alvord Desert
- Nearest town: Fields / Princeton. Burns is the last real grocery and gas.
- Type: Private, family-run — twin concrete pools dating to the 1940s
- Access: Drive-up on mostly unpaved East Steens Road. Call for road conditions: 541-589-2282.
- Fee: Not listed as a public number. Day-use soakers must call for availability. Overnight soaking is included with bunkhouses and campsites.
- Water: Comes out of the ground at about 170°F and is mixed down in the pools.
- Pets: Welcome with their written pet agreement. Leash and pick up.
You do not come out here for a cute tub in the trees. You come because Steens Mountain goes up like a wall and the desert goes the other way until you run out of adjectives. The Davis family owns the pools. They would rather you call than follow a billboard. Overnight guests can soak at any hour. Day use is during business hours, if they have room. Reservations are a good idea. There are bunkhouses (bring linens), campsites, a tiny store, and a private road onto the lakebed when it is dry enough not to eat your car.
This is a long drive. Treat it like one. Fill up in Burns. Our Alvord Desert piece is the wider trip. Mickey Hot Springs, farther up the playa, is a looking place, not a sitting place — the water is often far too hot to enter.
Official: alvordhotsprings.com
Last verified: Alvord site, August 2026. No public day-use price posted — we did not invent one.
Summer Lake Hot Springs
- Region: Oregon Outback, Highway 31
- Nearest town: Paisley (about six miles). Watch for mile marker 92 — the old roadside sign blew down.
- Type: Rustic resort on 145 acres — 1929 bathhouse plus outdoor rock pools
- Access: Drive-up. About two hours southeast of Bend.
- Fee / policy: Overnight reservations required. Day use is not allowed. Cabin stays have a two-night minimum.
- Water: Indoor pool about 97–99°F. Outdoor rock pools about 104°F.
- Other: No Wi-Fi. Cell service works. Well-behaved pets welcome. Quiet hours 9 p.m.–9 a.m. No glass or alcohol in the pool house or outdoor rock pools. Kids’ soaking hours 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
If you remember one policy from this card, remember the day-use line. You book a cabin, a house, an RV site, or a tent. Then you get the bathhouse that looks like it survived the Dust Bowl on purpose, and the outdoor rock pools under a sky with no city in it. That is the trade: you cannot drop in for an hour on the way to Lakeview.
The indoor pool is the weather backup. The outdoor rock pools are the reason people stay. Quiet hours start at 9 p.m. Bring a suit unless the resort tells you otherwise when you book.
Official: summerlakehotsprings.com · policies
Last verified: Summer Lake site and policies, August 2026.
Hart Mountain Hot Springs (Antelope Hot Springs)
- Region: Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
- Nearest town: Plush, then a lot of gravel
- Type: Primitive public soak on a national wildlife refuge — a small enclosed pool near Hot Springs Campground, plus a more ragged second pool
- Access: Drive-up on refuge roads. High clearance helps when it is wet. Winter and mud close a lot of this country.
- Fee: Refuge visit is free. Camping is primitive (vault toilets, no hookups, no drinking water at the campground).
- Clothing: Not spelled out on the FWS visit page. Remote, small, mixed. Bring a suit unless you already know the room.
This is the soak you earn. Warner Peak, sagebrush, pronghorn if you are lucky, and a concrete-and-stone pool that feels like someone built a wall because the wind required one. Stay at Hot Springs Campground if you can get a site. Do not expect a store, a signal, or a ranger behind a desk at 7 p.m. Our Hart Mountain story is the longer wander.
Official: Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge · 541-947-2731
Last verified: FWS refuge page, August 2026.
Crystal Crane Hot Springs
- Region: Harney County, Highway 78 east of Burns
- Nearest town: Burns / Crane
- Type: Developed — outdoor mineral pond plus private cedar soaking tubs, cabins, teepees, RV
- Access: Drive-up. Check in at the office.
- Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily for day use. Everyone out of the facility by 10 p.m.
- Fee: Outdoor pond $15 adult per 4 hours; ages 5–16 $10; ages 0–4 $1; seniors 62+ $5. Harney County residents $10 (Tuesday family day $5). Private tubs $15 per person per hour, or $50 for two people for two hours. Shower only $5.
- Rules: Kids in the pond need an adult. No alcohol in or around the pond. Do not leave pets in cars. Pond about 99–102°F, 6–7 feet in the middle.
This is the Burns layover that turns into an overnight. A big warm pond under a lot of sky, teepees with private tubs if you booked ahead, and none of the cliff-and-nudity logistics of Umpqua. Swimsuits. Families. A desert evening if you are heading to Steens or Malheur. Check in at the office, and plan to be out of the facility by 10 p.m. if you are not staying.
Our Crystal Crane visit is the longer stay story, including the private cedar tubs.
Official: cranehotsprings.com/DayUse
Last verified: Crystal Crane day-use page, August 2026.
Hot Lake Springs Resort
- Region: Union County, eight miles south of La Grande
- Nearest town: La Grande
- Type: Historic lodge and outdoor mineral tubs on one of the biggest hot springs in the Northwest
- Access: Drive-up. Day-use soaking by online reservation only. Overnight guests soak with the stay.
- Fee: Off-peak (Mon–Thu) $20. Peak (Fri–Sun) $29. Hours 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Wednesday is 2-for-1 soaking through 2026.
- Clothing: Swimsuits required in all soaking pools.
- Kids: 11 and under not allowed in the soaking area. Ages 12–17 need an adult. You must be 18 to reserve.
- Water: Source around 186°F, cooled into nine outdoor communal pools. Quiet zone. No glass, outside food, or outside alcohol in the soaking area.
Hot Lake has been a gathering place longer than Oregon has been a state — Nez Perce country first, an Oregon Trail stop later, a brick sanatorium in 1906, then fire, neglect, and a slow comeback. The current resort is soaking tubs by the lake, a restored lodge, a pub, and a tiny theater. It is a reservation, a swimsuit, and a quieter voice. It is not a free soak on the way to the Wallowas.
Book the soak online before you drive out from La Grande. Our older Hot Lake piece leans on the haunted-hotel lore. This card is the soak.
Official: hotlakespringsresort.com/soaking
Last verified: Hot Lake soaking page, August 2026.
If you only want a developed soak
Start with Belknap, Breitenbush, Kah-Nee-Ta, Crystal Crane, Summer Lake, Alvord, or Hot Lake. Suits at the family places. Reservations at Breitenbush, Summer Lake, Hot Lake day use, and Alvord if you have any sense. Kah-Nee-Ta is the tribal resort. Summer Lake will turn you around if you show up without a booking.
If you only want a wild soak
Bagby, Terwilliger, McCredie, Umpqua, Bigelow, and Hart Mountain. Bring cash or a forest pass, a towel that can get muddy, and a plan for a locked car. Terwilliger and Umpqua are clothing-optional or nudity-expected. Bagby’s current Forest Service posting is no public nudity. Hart is a refuge with a small enclosed pool at the end of a gravel road. Bigelow is a puddle with a fan club.
Map
We are not dropping a pin on every pool lip. If we embed a map, it will be trailheads and resort addresses — Bagby trailhead, Terwilliger lot, McCredie day use, Umpqua trailhead, and the resort driveways. Until that embed is in, use the official pages above. They have the directions that do not send you down a spur road named after a creek that ate a Prius.
FAQ
Are Oregon hot springs clothing-optional?
Some are. Terwilliger is posted clothing-optional at the pools. The Umpqua Forest Service page tells you to expect nudity. Breitenbush is optional in the soaking areas only. Belknap, Hot Lake, Kah-Nee-Ta, and Crystal Crane require or expect swimsuits. Bagby’s current Forest Service page says public nudity is not allowed. When a page does not say, assume mixed dress and do not make it anyone else’s problem.
Which hot springs are closest to Portland?
Bagby is the closest wild soak when it is open — about two hours if Highway 224 is behaving. Breitenbush is about two hours with a reservation. Kah-Nee-Ta is about two hours over the mountain and sells a day pass. Terwilliger is really an Eugene soak that Portlanders treat as a day trip anyway.
Which are closest to Eugene?
McCredie is the easy Highway 58 stop, about an hour. Terwilliger, Belknap, and Bigelow are the McKenzie cluster, a little over an hour if traffic and Forest Road 19 agree.
Which are closest to Bend?
Kah-Nee-Ta is the short drive. Belknap and Terwilliger are over the pass on Highway 126. Summer Lake is about two hours into the Outback. Crystal Crane is about two hours toward Burns.
Do I need a Northwest Forest Pass?
It depends. Terwilliger does not take passes — it is a per-person timed fee. Bagby is $5 a person and does not take passes. McCredie and Umpqua take a $5 vehicle fee or a forest / interagency pass. Resorts sell their own tickets.
Can I bring kids or dogs?
Kids: Belknap (5 and older), Kah-Nee-Ta, Crystal Crane, Breitenbush with a reservation, Summer Lake on posted kid hours, Hot Lake only 12 and older in the soaking area. Terwilliger and Umpqua are not family swim lessons. Dogs: leashed at Bagby and under McCredie day-use rules; not at Terwilliger pools; not at Breitenbush; Alvord and Summer Lake allow well-behaved pets with their rules; not in Hot Lake soaking areas. When in doubt, the official page wins.
What’s open in winter?
Resorts with plowed driveways: Belknap, Hot Lake, Kah-Nee-Ta, Crystal Crane, Summer Lake if you can get there, and Alvord if the gravel is sane. Wild soaks: maybe, if you like snow and turning around. Bagby, Terwilliger’s Forest Road 19, and Umpqua’s spur are not winter-maintenance fantasies. The Forest Service tells you not to drive to Bagby once the snow starts.
Are there free hot springs in Oregon?
Hart Mountain is free on the refuge. Bigelow is treated as free. McCredie and Umpqua are cheap if you already have a forest pass. “Free” still means you pay in gas, a spare tire, and packing out your trash. There is no free Bagby anymore.
Can I camp at the pools?
Almost never at the wild ones. Bagby: campground at the trailhead, not at the tubs. Terwilliger: developed Cougar campgrounds only. Umpqua: no camping in the closed area. McCredie: day use only. Hart: campground near the springs, not in the pool. Resorts sell you a site.
Safety and etiquette
- Check TripCheck, the district forest alerts, and fire restrictions the morning you go. August in Oregon is not a suggestion.
- Pack out trash. Glass does not belong in a pool. Neither does soap.
- Water at the source can be far too hot. Mix, test with a hand, then sit. Source temperatures at Bagby, Alvord, and Hot Lake are not soaking temperature.
- No cell service is normal. Tell someone the road you meant to take.
- Do not leave a bag on the seat. The Forest Service says it out loud at Bagby for a reason.
- Respect clothing customs and tribal rules. If you are uncomfortable with nudity, pick Belknap or Kah-Nee-Ta and have a fine day.
- Alcohol is banned at Terwilliger and at Crystal Crane’s pond. Bagby has a bad history with drinking on those roads. Skip it.
- Keep the soak short if people are waiting. You are not the only person in Oregon with a towel.
- Leave No Trace is not a bumper sticker. A few Oregon soaks have been shut down because people treated them like a backyard.
If we got a fee wrong
Tell us. Use the site contact and we will fix the card. Do not email us a secret spring on private land and ask us to add it. We will not.
More Oregon trips live under Adventures. If you want this kind of thing in your inbox, the newsletter signup is on the site. We would rather you get the current closure than a pretty paragraph from 2023.
