Ski-In Hot Springs of the Pacific Northwest

Oregon

By Eileen K. Gunn

Water flows into a hand-hewn cedar tub at Bagby.

Bagby Hot Springs

The hot spring: This is a famously beautiful Oregon hot spring, with a series of bath-houses and wooden tubs, some hand-hewn from huge cedar logs. There are cedar decks, benches, and outhouses. A flume of logs brings in 135-degree water from the spring, and cold water is available to cool it down. Winter camping is permitted nearby. Elevation: 2,270 feet.

The skiing: Ski through a mature forest of cedar and Douglas fir, by the Clackamas River, Collawash Creek, and the Hot Springs Fork. Round-trip on skis: As much as 14.5 miles each way, depending on snow depth, because the forest roads are not plowed.

Location: Seventy miles southeast of Portland in Mount Hood National Forest.(See Delorme Oregon Atlas & Gazeteer, pp. 61 and 55.)

How to get there: From Portland, take State Route 224 to Estacada, and continue on it into Mount Hood National Forest. Half a mile past the Ripplebrook Ranger Station, turn right onto Forest Road 46. (At some point from here, depending on how deep the snow is, you will have to park your car and ski the rest of the way.) Go 3.5 miles on Road 46, then turn right onto Forest Road 63. Go 3.5 miles on Road 63, then turn right onto Forest Road 70. Go six miles along Forest Road 70 to the Bagby trailhead. Go about a mile and a half along the Bagby Trail to the hot springs.

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Last Updated: 15 Sep 2010
Published: 28 Apr 2002
The details, dates, and prices mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication.