Touring Hot Springs Washington and Oregon (A Guide to the States’ Best Hot Springs)

227 Pages·2014·59.212 MB·English

by  Jeff Birkby

TRAVEL • UNITED STATES
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A Guide to the States’ Best Hot Springs
“FalconGuides point the compass to the T
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best spots to play, climb, hike, fi sh, and be.”
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—CNN.com
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Scattered from the rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula to the dry

E desert lakebeds of the Alvord Desert, the hot springs of Washington H
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s and Oregon provide some of the most unique vacation opportunities in o
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n the western United States. Th is updated guide describes over forty of
t the region’s best soaks, including fi rsthand descriptions of each soaking S
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location, along with detailed maps and directions, best seasons to visit,
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g and intriguing histories and legends. i
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Whether you’re searching for a family hot springs resort with all the
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r conveniences or an isolated natural thermal pool miles from civiliza- s
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o tion, Touring Hot Springs Washington and Oregon will guide you to a truly W
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memorable escape from the ordinary.
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e Look inside to fi nd: h
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• Maps and detailed descriptions with directions n

a • Color photos of each spring g
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v • Land-use regulations and legal restrictions o
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n • Information on nearby camping n
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r Jeff Birkby’s passion for hot springs began in the early 1980s. More n
e than a dozen soakable hot springs are within a two-hour drive of his d
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O home in Missoula, Montana. O
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t Front cover photo, Mickey Hot Springs; back cover e
fit photo, Borax Hot Springs. Cover photos by Jeff Birkby FALCON g
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800-462-6420 Rowman & Littlefi eld N
Touring
HoT springs
Washington and oregon
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Help Us Keep This Guide Up to Date
Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as
accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide
is published—trails are rerouted, regulations change, facilities come under new
management, and so forth.
We would love to hear from you concerning your experiences with this guide
and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not
be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, we’ll take them to heart and
we’ll also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments
and suggestions to the following address:
Globe Pequot Press
Reader Response/Editorial Department
246 Goose Lane, Suite 200
Guilford, CT 06437
Or you may e-mail us at:
[email protected]
Thanks for your input, and happy travels!
TouringHSWAOR_3pp.indd 2 8/14/14 1:35 PM
Touring
HoT SpringS
washington
and oregon
A Guide to the States' Best Hot Springs
Second edition
jeff birkby
TouringHSWAOR_3pp.indd 3 8/14/14 1:35 PM
An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield
Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Rowman & Littlefield.
Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK
Copyright © 2014 by Rowman & Littlefield
Previously published by Falcon Publishing Inc. in 2002
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic
or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written
permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
All photos by Jeff Birkby unless otherwise noted.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
ISBN 978-0-7627-9292-4 (paperback)
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/
NISO Z39.48-1992.
The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to,
or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.
TouringHSWAOR_3pp.indd 4 8/14/14 1:35 PM
It would not be transcending the truth to state that all diseases are
cured or largely benefited by the wonderful energy of these waters . . .
health waits for those who may come and partake of this—life’s elixir.
—Michael Earles, Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, 1912
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
How to Use This Guide xv
The Hot Springs
Washington hot springs
Olympic Peninsula 1
1 Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort 2
2 Olympic Hot Springs 7
San Juan Islands 12
3 Doe Bay Resort and Retreat 12
Washington Cascades 17
4 Baker Hot Spring 17
5 Scenic Hot Springs 21
6 Goldmyer Hot Springs 24
7 Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa 27
8 Carson Hot Springs Golf & Spa Resort 30
Central Washington 35
9 Soap Lake 35
oregon hot springs
Oregon Cascades 41
10 Bagby Hot Springs 42
11 Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat and Conference Center 47
12 Deer Creek (Bigelow) Hot Springs 53
13 Belknap Hot Springs Resort 57
14 Terwilliger (Cougar) Hot Springs 61
15 Wall Creek Hot Springs (Meditation Pool) 65
16 McCredie Hot Springs 68
17 Umpqua Hot Springs 72
18 WellSprings (Jackson Hot Springs) 77
19 Lithia Springs Resort 80
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BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vancouver 3
CCAANNAADDAA 3
Bellingham 4 UU..SS..AA.. 2
3
395 95
VictoriaSAN JUAN 97
ISLANDS
Everett WWAASSHHIINNGGTTOONN 2
1 2
101 5
OLYMPIC Spokane
PENINSULA 2
Seattle 6
Tacoma 97 9 O
12 Oly5mpia 90 195 95 AH
EE D
n 101 GG 395 I
a 12 NN Yakima
eOc Astor3ia0 RRAA K8e2nnewick W12alla Walla
26 7 8 Columbia 9 R7iver14

c Portland 29
i 97 84 28
Pacif Salem 5 10 11 21097 26395La GCrande 27D 95
20 22

Corvallis 26
EE 12 242 97 B
Eugene DD 14 13 Bend OREGON
101 AA 15 395 31 84
CC 21 37
SS 58 20 Burns
Coos Bay AA 16 30
Roseburg CC 138 38
17
CCrraatteerr LLaakkee 31 39
395
227 62 97 22 205 32 40
5
24 33 41
199 18 MeAdsfohlradnd 140 23 A 25 34 36
19 KKllaammaatthh FFaallllss LLaakkeevviieeww
35
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Crescent City
39 NEVADA
0 100 mi.
CCAALLIIFFOORRNNIIAA
0 100 km.
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Central Oregon 84
20 Kah- Nee- Ta Resort & Spa 84
21 Paulina Lake Hot Springs and East Lake Hot Springs 89
22 Summer Lake Hot Springs 93
23 Hunter’s Hot Springs Resort 100
24 Antelope (Hart Mountain) Hot Springs 105
25 Fisher Hot Springs 110
Northeast Oregon 113
26 Ritter Hot Springs 113
27 Hot Lake Springs 119
28 Eagles Hot Lake RV Park 126
29 Cove Warm Springs 129
Southeast Oregon 131
30 Crystal Crane Hot Springs 131
31 Juntura Hot Springs 137
32 Mickey Hot Springs 141
33 Alvord Hot Springs 146
34 Borax Lake and Borax Hot Springs 150
35 Bog Hot Springs (Northwest Nevada) 156
36 Willow Creek (Whitehorse Ranch) Hot Springs 161
37 Snively Hot Springs 166
38 Echo Rock Hot Springs 169
39 Greely Bar Hot Springs 171
40 Ryegrass Hot Springs 173
41 Three Forks Warm Springs 175
Appendix: Honorable Mentions 177
A Crump Geyser 178
B Blue Mountain Hot Springs 182
C Lehman Hot Springs 186
D Medical Springs 190
Bibliography 195
Index 197
About the Author 199
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