An Oregon classic, Bagby Hot Springs has been drawing souls to its healing waters for many years. Located in the depths of the Mount Hood National Forest, its secluded surroundings make for the perfect get away.
The hot springs was closed in 2020, with several reasons for why found across the internet including, vandalism, covid, and access road damage due to wild fires. Bagby Hot Springs was abandoned and became overgrown. Forest animals took over and an earthy witch emerged from the surrounding foliage… okay, that’s all just speculation on my part, but fun to imagine nonetheless.
January of 2023 the forest spell was broken in the form of a 20 year permit offered to a new concessionaire. After much TLC, the springs was reopened to the public on May 1st of 2024.
Over the Memorial Day holiday, my boyfriend and I met up at Bagby Hot Springs to enjoy a long weekend of soaking and camping and here’s what we found.
Lodging
If you’re wanting to stay close to the hot springs themselves, you will be camping as there is no lodge and this is not a resort. That being said, there are plenty of camping options.
Paid Camping
The closest option would be the paid campground at the Bagby Hot Springs Trailhead. For $25 a night you will have a designated dry camping space with a firepit and possibly a picnic table and access to a vault toilet. Great for those who don’t want to risk not having a place once you get there, or who want to be as close to the springs as possible.
Dispersed Camping
There are dozens of dispersed campsites all along Bagby Rd, leading up to the springs trailhead. While you don’t get access to a fancy vault toilet and the firepit is made of stones instead of metal, you don’t have to pay to park. This was the option we went with and we were able to find a spot that was just short of a mile up the road from the trailhead. While the area we parked the vehicles was close to the road, there was a clearing further back in the trees where we were able to have a fire and hang our hammocks that was a bit more peaceful.
Access
If you type Bagby Hot Springs into your GPS, it will take you to the Bagby Campground and the Bagby Hot Springs trailhead, you have to get to the actual springs by hiking! No worries, the trail in is only about 1.4 miles and relatively flat. That being said, there are many rocks and roots along the path. We saw one lady attempting to push a stroller and it did not look like an easy process, if you’re taking a baby I would recommend a strap on carrier over a stroller. Kuddos to Mom for making it happen, though.
There is plenty of parking at the trailhead as well as access to a vault toilet for those who drank too much coffee on the drive up. This is a fee area so bring $5 cash per person as you will need to pay at the trailhead.
Soaking
As of June, two of the 3 soaking huts were open for public use.
One of them held 4 large tubs, side by side, that could be filled with provided faucets/hoses from the spring itself. These tubs are great for small groups as one can fit 2 people, 2 were can fit 3-4 (depending on how familiar you all are with one another) and the largest one is able to, comfortably, fit 4. This was where we chose to soak, although we had to wait for about 45 minutes before a tub became available. There are signs posted that ask guests to keep soaking time to a 30 minute maximum of others are waiting, but we aren’t all as polite and courtesy as the next guy… thus we waited.
Once vacated, the previous soakers drained the water they had soiled for us and there were brushes available to scrub the sides of the tub for those who want to clean and rinse. Then, refill!
The process of filling the tub is a science as the water from the springs was piping hot and uncomfortable to the skin. Thankfully, there is a cold water option and as the tub filled I periodically stuck the tips of my toes into the water to see if it had cooled down enough to fully immerse myself yet. Once that point was reached… pure bliss.
There is another soaking hut located towards the right that has some larger tubs available. These are posted as more of a community soak option and it is encouraged to soak with other guests. While we did not soak here, we did a quick walk through to scope it out.
The final soaking hut contains single soaking “troughs” within their own soaking “stalls” and is the most private option for those who prefer to soak fully disrobed. Sadly, they were still closed during out visit. While the other two tubs had signs posted requesting guests to keep their britches on, there were those who chose to disregard, I would advice parents to proceed with caution.
All told, I would give Bagby a 4 out of 5 stars!
Sources and further reading:
Mt. Hood National Forest – Bagby Hot Springs. US Forest Service. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/recarea/?recid=52880
Urness, Z. (2024, May 8). Bagby Hot Springs Reopens in Mount Hood National Forest. Statesman Journal. https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/travel/outdoors/2024/05/08/bagby-hot-springs-reopens-mount-hood-national-forest/73615942007/
Bagby Hot Springs. Soak Oregon. https://soakoregon.com/bagby-hot-springs/