Bagby Hot Springs

Kati Cooke
Mar 6
7 min read

I first visited Bagby Hot Springs in 2017, when I was still in college. That was the era of the Garmin GPS mounted to your dashboard, and I threw mine away right after this trip. It took me down some random logging road, and I got my Corolla stuck in the snow. My friends had to dig it out and push while I revved the engine. I felt very validated when I saw the giant warning on the USFS page now: "Do not take smaller roads to Bagby, regardless of what Google Maps says." So I wasn't an idiot after all…

A rustic log cabin in the Mount Hood National Forest with rays of sunlight shining down from a blue sky — One of the historic buildings at the hot springs site

Bagby closed in 2020 due to "you-know-what", then surrounding roads were damaged by wildfires. Due to the damage, the Springs stayed shut for over four years and I really didn't think I'd ever see them again. Eight years later, here we are! I'm only a tiny bit smarter, but didn't get lost or stuck in the snow this time.

Here are the important must-know facts about visiting Bagby, then I'll go into detail about my trip this weekend.

Bagby At-A-Glance

40 miles SE of Estacada - about a 1 hour 45 minute drive from Portland (do NOT follow Google maps)
$5 per person day pass, and camp hosts patrols the lot all day
1.5 mile hike to the bathhouse (3 miles round trip)
Clothing Optional (no matter what the USFS says)
Expect to wait for a tub, and spend a while filling it up with the hot water tap and several buckets from the river
Absolutely zero cell service for miles

Getting To Bagby Hot Springs

I will say it again - do NOT use Google Maps! The USFS page for Bagby has a big old warning in red explaining how to get here (my tips for using Apple Maps are in italics):

From Estacada, follow Hwy 224 for 26 miles (Apple maps will tell you 29 miles… but it's including FR46 in this distance)
Continue on Forest Road 46 for 4 miles (this is included in the 29 miles on Hwy 224 from Apple)
Turn right on Forest Road 63 (Apple Maps calls this Collawash River Road) and continue for 4 miles
Turn right onto Forest Road 70 (Apple Maps calls this Bagby Road) and continue for 6 miles until you reach the parking lot.
It seems confusing but if you follow Apple Maps you will be fine!

Driving alongside the Clackamas River is both fascinating and sad. Wildfires have completely devastated this area and it's like driving through a ghost town. Things seem to just now be opening back up, but facilities are very limited. You'll pass the Timber Lake Job Corps Civilian Conversation Center and the Ripplebrook Ranger Station, but neither are open to the public right now.

Some views from the drive:

There is ZERO cell service from Estacada to Bagby, so download maps offline beforehand and make sure someone else knows where you're going. The road was clear from snow and ice as of March 1, 2025, but evidence of recent landslides and downed trees was visible.

The Hike In

The trailhead is right next to Bagby Campground, which is currently open for first come, first serve camping. It is $25/night, paid by cash or check at a drop box.

The camp host will meet you in the lot and ask that you pay via a different drop box. It is $5 per person (not per car), and no other parking pass will cover it, as the bath houses are not maintained by the USFS or any other public agency. You'll put half the pay envelope on your dash, and I saw several cars get ticketed for not doing this.

A lush, old-growth forest with a gentle dirt path — It's a peaceful, flat hike through old growth forest to the springs

It's a very gentle easy 1.5 mile hike through old-growth forest to reach the bath houses. There are several bridges and views of Nohorn Creek and the Hot Springs Fork of the Clackamas River, even some small waterfalls. It's a truly magical hike through ancient cedars and Doug firs. I actually wished it was longer. The old-growth forest and the primitive bath houses give the experience such a special, rustic vibe.

A bridge constructed from logs crossing a river in an old-growth forest with mossy rocks and fir trees — One of the bridges across a fork of the Clackamas River, along the short hike to the bath houses

The Bath Houses

There are several buildings at the Springs, which makes it difficult at first to figure out where to go. There are three bath houses (only two of which are open), and some historic cabins used by rangers for maintenance. There are some pit toilets (currently closed) and some newer composting toilets.

Two rustic log cabins in the Mount Hood National Forest — An empty cabin and tool shed at the springs

Bath House 1 is closest to the spring. It has a public whiskey barrel tub that fits 6-8 and a few metal single person tubs. The entire area was in use so we didn't check it out (clothing is optional here, despite the USFS stating "no nudity allowed," so we kept our distance from other parties).

I looked at the actual Spring, where the 126 degree water seeps out of the ground and is routed through pipes to the tubs (truthfully I have no idea how this works…)

Steam rising from a natural hot springs in a lush forest, with sunlight reflecting on the mist — The sunshine catching the steam over the spring was so beautiful!

Bath House 2 was the private deck I visited in 2017. It consists of 5 private rooms, each with a hollowed out log from 1979 to sit in. This house is currently closed and nature is slowly taking over. I read some online reviews saying that people still attempt to use it, but the floor looked like it was about to cave in.

A decrepit, old log structure covered in moss, set in a lush forest on a sunny day — As tempting as it sounds to skip the line and attempt to use the old bathhouse, you'd probably fall through the floor.

Bath House 3 is the newly constructed semi-private bath house. There are three smaller whiskey barrel tubs and one larger that fits 6-8. We fit three adults in a smaller tub and that was max capacity. There are benches and hooks to hang up your belongings, but expect everything to get pretty damp.

A bathhouse constructed out of logs with a boardwalk leading to the entrance. Water spigots drain the excess water from the tubs. There is mist surrounding the structure, and sunlight filtering through the trees — The outside of the newly constructed bath house - I didn't take many pics of the interior to respect the privacy of other guests, but there are 4 separate semi-communal tubs.

The Soaking Tubs

I would recommend arriving as early as you can. We got to the bath house before noon and arrived just in time to get a tub. As we were packing up, a line started to form. Soaking is limited to 30-40 minutes per party, but this isn't really followed by most guests. It also takes a long time to fill the tubs up, so expect to be waiting well over an hour for a tub if you arrive in the afternoon.

A water spigot pumping hot springs water into a tub, with graffiti on the wooden wall of the bath house — The hot water spigots are always flowing, but can be adjusted to add water to the tub. There used to be cold water spigots as well, but all were broken.

(One man was asking people if he could skip the wait and join them in their tubs - please don't be that guy. Three ladies sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowded bathtub don't want a strange half naked man to squeeze in with them…)

To fill up the tub, you'll use a combination of the hot water spigots and collecting cold water from the nearby stream with large Home Depot paint buckets. It's a short walk to the creek, but water is surprisingly heavy! I spilled it all over myself when the weight of the water broke the bucket handle. Unless you are a super human, you will need at least 6-10 buckets of cold water to make the 126 degree hot water tolerable.

A woman filling up a large orange paint bucket with water from a creek, set in an old growth forest with large trees and moss covered boulders and logs — Filling up a bucket with cold water to temper the hot springs

Enjoy your 30-40 minute soak in the tub, being mindful of your neighbors. Alcohol and marijuana are not allowed, but expect almost everyone to be using. We were super lucky that no one was actively smoking, but one couple brought an entire bottle of wine to split. Everyone was very kind and respectful, but this has not been my experience at other hot springs, so you never know.

A water bottle and three cans of seltzer water resting on a wooden board on a whiskey barrel hot tub filled with water and steam — Our tub with our sparkling waters

When you're done soaking, drain the tub for the next user, and turn the hot water spigot on so the tub can start filling up again.

Post-soak, there is a small waterfall about half a mile up the trail. I saw it in 2017, but we didn't feel like hiking in wet clothes this time. It is called Shower Creek Falls because there is a platform underneath so people can shower! Here's a super cringey, overly edited photo I took (from the golden age of Instagram filters).

A grainy photo of a woman standing under a waterfall — Screenshotted directly from my Instagram - don't judge me!

Fun Stops on the Way

Sadly I don't have much to add here... the devastating wildfires took away so many hiking trails and campgrounds along the Clackamas. I passed the trailhead to Pup Creek Falls and felt sad remembering when I hiked it back in college and it was a lush, moss-covered, magical hike. It's now a barren wasteland. Recent trip reports from people trespassing into the closed trail say they barely made it before slipping on landslide debris.

A burned down forest, with a sawed off tree stump and a blue Subaru Crosstrek parked in the background — Remnants of a park/campground by the river - still a great spot to fish or launch a boat (when the current calms down)

Despite the burn zone, many people were fishing in the Clackamas! Car camping along the river is allowed in some places. I did some scouting for future fishing trips. I also passed a group with dirt bikes shooting guns at targets off the side of the road, which I'm fairly sure is actually legal here?

I did have a really nice stop at Milo McIver State Park in Estacada. I have paddle boarded here before but didn't realize the park was so massive. Lake Estacada is one of the prettiest places I've ever paddle boarded. In the summer it is warm enough to swim and it's not as crowded as some Mount Hood lakes you might be familiar with on social media. Beyond just the lake, there is a fish hatchery, campgrounds, picnic areas, several hiking/biking/equestrian trails, a dog park, and a disc golf course.

A man and a dog on a paddleboard under a large bridge that crosses a lake, with trees on either side. — Paddle boarding on Estacada Lake off Milo McIver State Park

I'll leave you with two pictures, eight years apart! Bagby Hot Springs has burned down and risen from the ashes over the years, and so have I! It was wonderful to return and reflect on what has changed in my life since my last visit, share new memories with new friends, and reminisce with the friends from my last trip.

Kati Explores