Bagby Hot Springs

Estacada, Oregon (Clackamas County)

By the HotSpringsFind editorial team · How we compile records · Reviewed September 2026

Reported closed — fire closure

Bagby is reported closed under the 2026 Austin Fire and Narrows Fire emergency closure. Do not plan a soaking visit until the Forest Service confirms reopening. The stated order end date is not a guaranteed reopening date.

U.S. Forest Service closure updates Read the Bagby Hot Springs status guide

Field notes — checked September 2026

Hazard: Active wildfire closure — Austin Fire emergency area closure (Order 06-06-05-26-16) covers Bagby, OR-224 east of Fish Creek, and FRs 46/57/63/70 through Dec 31, 2026 unless rescinded
Hazard: Trailhead vehicle break-ins historically reported — leave no valuables
Hazard: Unplowed roads, rockfall, snow Nov–Apr
Hazard: No cell service
$5 per person soaking fee — cash only at trailhead fee box; card accepted at Ripplebrook Store when open
Wristband must be worn while soaking
No national forest day-use passes accepted in lieu of soaking fee
Camping prohibited at the springs (use adjacent Bagby Campground)
No alcohol or marijuana
1.4-mile hike each way to reach tubs
Roads not plowed/maintained for winter travel Nov–Apr

Bagby Hot Springs — natural hot spring near Estacada, Oregon — Photo: Travis Thurston · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

105°F reportedFees ~$5/person1.5 mi hike (reported)

Check access status Browse Oregon springs

Current status

Spring

Closed

Road

Closed

Access

Public land

Soaking

Soaking prohibited

Water

Unconfirmed

Crowds

Busy weekends

Currently closed to all public entry under a Mt. Hood NF emergency fire closure (Austin/Narrows fires); when open it is a $5/person day-use soak in rustic log-tub bathhouses reached by a 1.4-mile trail.

Checked September 2026 · verified against an official source · 10 sources ↓

About this spring

Historic developed hot springs in Mt. Hood National Forest with rustic bathhouses and hand-hewn log soaking tubs built by the Friends of Bagby, reached by a 1.5-mile forest trail. Found in 1880 by prospector Bob Bagby. NOTE: reopened May 2024 after the 2020 Riverside Fire closure; the September 2024 Sandstone Fire closed access roads again — verify current status; forest roads often impassable Nov-Apr. Fee: $5/person soaking fee, cash at trailhead. Check FR 46/63/70 status before driving — winter closures common. $5/person fee, cash. Fire closures recur — verify with Clackamas River Ranger District.

Bagby Hot Springs is a chain of geothermal soaks in the Mount Hood National Forest, about 40 miles southeast of Estacada in the Clackamas Ranger District. The springs sit in an old-growth cedar and fir canyon at about 2,280 feet, reachable by a maintained 1.5-mile trail that follows Hot Springs Fork Collawash River through moss-draped forest. Volunteers maintain three private bathhouses (the Bath House, the Peek-a-Boo, and the Tee Pee) with cedar log tubs; water emerges at roughly 136°F and flows by gravity through hand-split cedar log troughs to the tubs, where it cools to about 104°F for soaking. A lower bathhouse offers a larger communal tub, and a deck-side spot overlooks the creek.

The springs have been a Forest Service recreation site since the 1920s; bathhouses were rebuilt in the 1970s and 80s after earlier structures burned. A $5-per-person day-use fee applies, and the site operates under volunteer stewardship by the Friends of Bagby. Bathhouse capacity is limited to a few people at a time — line waits of 30-45 minutes are common on summer weekends.

Bagby Hot Springs are natural hot springs in the Mount Hood National Forest, about 67 miles (108 km) southeast of Portland, Oregon, United States and about 98 miles (158 km) east of Salem, Oregon. The springs are in the Cascade Mountains in a heavily forested area at elevation 2280 ft (695 m). They are just outside the boundary of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness area.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Bagby Hot Springs”, available under CC BY-SA.

Directions & trailhead access

Access is restricted; do not use historical directions to plan a visit.

Oregon geothermal context

Oregon splits cleanly in two: Cascade volcanic springs like the Umpqua corridor pools west of the crest, and high-desert basin springs like the Alvord area east of it. Western sites sit in dense wet forest prone to fire closures and winter road washouts; eastern ones are remote sagebrush tubs under enormous skies. Both ends reward checking land-manager alerts before driving out.

What a developed site means here

A developed site sits between primitive and resort: improved soaking infrastructure — built tubs, decks, stairs, sometimes changing rooms or vault toilets — often run by a land trust, nonprofit, or small operator. Expect modest fees or donation requests, posted etiquette rules, and more predictable conditions than a wild pool.

Fact sheet

Source temp (historical)	136°F
Hiking distance	1.5 miles (moderate)
Access fee	Reported $5/person — verify
Geothermal data reference	NOAA Thermal Springs List (1980 archive)
Check land status	U.S. Forest Service closure updates