The best hot springs near Portland

At a glance

• Closest open resorts: Bonneville, about 36 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland, and Carson, about 45 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. Both are paid, on the Washington side of the Columbia.
• Do not go: Bagby is inside a fire closure through December 31, 2026. Austin is closed to all public use. Foley has no public soak.
• Nearest open soak in Oregon: Breitenbush, about 61 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. Clothing-optional. NOAA vent: 198°F.
• McKenzie: Bigelow is free to soak. Belknap is $12 for an hour. Terwilliger (Cougar) is $12 for two hours.
• Farther: McCredie and Umpqua are free to soak. Paulina Lake is warm. Ohanapecosh is not a soak.

Which open soaks are closest to Portland?

The first two are developed resorts on paved roads a regular car can handle.

[Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa](/washington/north-bonneville/bonneville-hot-springs-resort-spa) is at 1252 E Cascade Dr, North Bonneville, about 36 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. NOAA's survey names the vent Moffetts (Bonneville) Hot Springs and puts it at 97°F. That is a source temperature, and it is warm: 97°F is under 98.6°F. The resort is paid. Confirm the day's pools and price on the operator site.

[Carson Hot Springs Golf & Spa Resort](/washington/carson/carson-hot-springs-golf-spa-resort) is at 372 St Martins Springs Rd, Carson, about 45 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. Swimsuits are required. The visit is paid. Confirm the pool temperature on the resort site before you go. These two Gorge resorts are also on the Washington hot springs page. Springs farther north in that state are a different trip.

Which springs near Portland are closed?

[Bagby Hot Springs](/oregon/estacada/bagby-hot-springs) and [Austin Hot Springs](/oregon/clackamas-county/austin-hot-springs) each sit about 47 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. Bagby is not open. Mt. Hood National Forest Order 06-06-05-26-17, the Austin and Narrows fire closure, closes Bagby Hot Springs, Bagby Campground, and Bagby Hot Springs Trail #544 from September 16 through December 31, 2026, or until the order is updated or rescinded (closure alert). NOAA lists the Bagby vent at 136°F, and the Forest Service says the large bathhouse spring flows at 138°F. Both are source temperatures, so the water is hot. The Bagby page describes a $5 per person fee, cash only, no passes, and a 1.4-mile trail after Highway 224, Forest Road 46, Forest Road 63, and Forest Road 70. It says not to take smaller roads. Roads are not plowed, and there is no cell service. Public nudity is not allowed. None of that is a bath while the order stands. Read the alert before you plan around the end date.

Austin, on Clackamas River Road, is closed to all public use. The owner, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, says the Tribes and the Clackamas County Sheriff patrol the property, trespassers will be cited for criminal trespass, and future public access remains improbable (tribal lands page). NOAA lists the Austin Hot Springs vent at 186°F. That is a source temperature. Do not visit.

[Foley Hot Springs](/oregon/lane-county/foley-hot-springs) is about 98 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland, about four miles up Horse Creek from McKenzie Bridge. It is private property with no public soak. Do not trespass (Soak Oregon). NOAA lists the Foley Springs vent at 178°F. That is a source temperature.

[Ohanapecosh Hot Springs](/washington/lewis-county/ohanapecosh-hot-springs) is about 100 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland, along State Route 123. NOAA lists the vent at 122°F, a hot source. The National Park Service says bathing is no longer allowed, and the springs are too small to bathe in (park article). It is not a soak.

Is Breitenbush the nearest open soak in Oregon?

Yes. Bagby and Austin are closer, and both are closed. Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat and Conference Center is at 53000 Breitenbush Rd SE, Detroit, about 61 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. The welcome center is the same retreat, under a quarter mile apart in a straight line, not a second bath. Both are clothing-optional, paid, and a short walk from the road. NOAA lists the Breitenbush Hot Springs vent at 198°F. That is a source temperature, and it is hot, well above body temperature. You are not sitting in 198°F water. Confirm the visit on the operator site.

What is worth the drive on the McKenzie?

[Bigelow Hot Springs](/oregon/blue-river/bigelow-hot-springs) is about 93 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland, in Blue River. It is free to soak. NOAA lists the Bigelow Hot Springs vent at 142°F, a hot source. The spring is about 0.05 miles from Deer Creek Road, on a paved approach a regular car can handle. Camping is on the property.

[Belknap Hot Springs Lodge and Gardens](/oregon/mckenzie-bridge/belknap-hot-springs-lodge-and-gardens) is at 59296 Belknap Hot Springs Rd, McKenzie Bridge, about 96 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. NOAA lists the Belknap Springs vent at 160°F, a hot source. Walk-in day use is the lower pool only, $12 per person for one hour, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last sign-in at 5 p.m., and closed on federal holidays. Overnight guests may use both pools from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Bathing suits are required. Children under 5 are not allowed in the pool area. The road is paved, with tent and RV sites on the property. Highway 126 is the usual winter approach, and the operator points drivers to TripCheck cameras before a mountain-pass trip (pools, FAQ).

[Terwilliger Hot Springs](/oregon/blue-river/terwilliger-hot-springs), also called Cougar, is about 101 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. NOAA lists the Cougar Reservoir Hot Springs vent at 111°F, a hot source. The Willamette National Forest charges $12 per person per two hours for ages 12 and older, paid on site, and does not honor passes. The fee covers the hot springs, the trail, the lagoon, and the parking lot. Hours run from sunrise to 10 p.m. The site is closed from 10 p.m. to sunrise. Clothing is optional at the springs, and nudity must not be visible from Forest Road 19. Alcohol and pets are not allowed. Camp only in the developed campgrounds of the Cougar Recreation Area. The walk is a quarter mile on Rider Creek Trail #3319, off Aufderheide Drive (Terwilliger page).

How far are McCredie and Umpqua?

[McCredie Hot Springs](/oregon/lane-county/mccredie-hot-springs) is about 127 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland, on State Highway 58. It is free to soak and clothing-optional. NOAA lists the McCredie Springs vent at 163°F. That is a source temperature, and it is hot enough to scald at the vent. The spring is about 0.1 miles from the highway, and a regular car is enough for the road.

[Umpqua Hot Springs](/oregon/idleyld-park/umpqua-hot-springs) is about 154 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland, on Forest Road 3401 near Idleyld Park. It is free to soak and clothing-optional. NOAA lists the Umpqua Hot Springs vent at 117°F, a hot source. The Umpqua National Forest is the land manager. Treat 154 straight-line miles as a long day, not an evening out.

Are Paulina Lake and East Lake still a Portland day?

Only if the day is already given over to the drive. They sit southeast, toward Bend, not on the McKenzie. The La Pine pages cover the pair.

[Paulina Lake Hot Springs](/oregon/la-pine/paulina-lake-hot-springs) is about 142 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland. It is free to soak, and it is warm, not hot. NOAA lists the Paulina Springs vent at 70°F. The Forest Service does not publish a hotter temperature for the water you would sit in. The springs are shallow, sometimes submerged, and digging is prohibited. There is no soaking fee on the Forest Service pages. Paulina Lake Day Use still charges $5 per vehicle per day, or a Northwest Forest Pass (the $30 annual pass counts) or an accepted interagency pass. The Forest Service does not publish a trail mileage from that day-use area to the springs (day-use page).

[East Lake Hot Springs](/oregon/la-pine/east-lake-hot-springs) is about 144 miles in a straight line from downtown Portland, on the other lake in the same caldera. NOAA lists the vent at 144°F, a hot source, but the seeps mix with cold lake water and stay submerged until the lake drops. The Forest Service says to go by boat from the Hot Springs Boating Site: launch, head west, and look for tan rock and bubbles. The site charges $5 per vehicle per day, or a pass. Do not dig (boating site).

The Oregon hot springs road trip picks up the high desert after these Cascades stops. For a clothing-optional pool, read the etiquette guide first.