Saturday, August 13, 2011

Bagby Hot Springs

About 45 minutes south of Estacada, Oregon, is the most elaborate natural hot springs setup I have ever seen. After missing a turn and taking the scenic route up a mountain, I made a note of the coordinates to post here. But, wouldn't you know, I lost that paper. It's about 45 minutes southeast of Estacada, mostly down 224. Ask in town for better directions.

Oregon towns seem to love murals which is nice because I do too. Estacada had some vivid ones. I liked this Shakespearean based one.


And this lovely Oregon scene. (The clouds are real, not part of the painting.)


Then it was off to Bagby Hot Springs.


The beautiful 1 1/2 mile trail is through an old growth forest.


With some super-constructed bridges.


The hot (very hot) water comes from this tiny spring and runs through a log trough . .


Into private log tubs like this one or round group tubs. If the water is too hot, buckets are available to use for fetching cold water from a nearby source.


As you can see, there are plenty of big logs to use for construction.

Now, I am not actually a fan of hot springs. Not only do I not enjoy sitting in very hot water, all I can think about is 'bacteria.' I know, I'm pathetic. But Bagby is worth visiting for the lovely hike and the amazing construction that has been done there as a cooperative effort of the locals and the forest service. Check it out if you're ever in the area, just not on a weekend like we did. Estacada is southeast of Portland.

5 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of hot springs either. Publicly shared bathtubs gross me out. Good that you had hiking, scenery and murals tho.

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  2. Not a fan of hot springs either. Love murals and seek them out where I know they have them. That second one is nicely situated and painted to take advantage of the natural skyline.

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  3. Hot springs make my skin wrinkle. It's wrinkling enough on its own, I don't need a soak in a hot spring to speed up the process! ;c)

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  4. I like hot springs for a While then its time to get out...That looks like a great one to visit.

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