Olympic Hot Springs
Our travel took place on the ancestral lands of the Quileute, S’Klallam, Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla peoples who have stewarded those lands since time immemorial.
I LOVE hot springs. So much. I used to live in Colorado and would be out finding new hot springs several weekends a month. Since I moved to the Pacific Northwest I have been in search of nice natural hot springs, but it has been tough. Most of the nice springs in the Pacific Northwest are concentrated in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia which is more convenient than going all the way to the Southwest, but still not as nice as having it close to home.
Since moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2013 I have been fortunate to check out the following!
Terwiliger Hot Springs: Close to Eugene, the pools collapsed but have been rebuilt. However, the access road is under construction so make sure to check the road conditions before you go!
Alvord Hot Springs: AMAZING desert hot springs in the middle of the Alvord desert. It’s about an 8 hour drive from Bend, but worth it.
Baker Hot Springs: This is my least favorite by far. It is shallow, dirty, and really busy since it’s so easy to get to.
Sol Duc Hot Springs: A developed resort-type hot springs in the Hoh Forest. It’s a pretty amazing way to relax after hiking to Seven Lakes Basin.
Goldmyer Hot Springs: Such a lovely place, but requires a stroke of luck to get reservations, as well as a high-clearance 4x4 vehicle to get to the trailhead.
However, I think I finally found a hot spring that is not a 10-hour drive to another state or country, and has the remote and natural feel I love. I had heard about Olympic Hot Springs, but knew that the road to the trailhead had been washed out by the Elwha River after the dam was removed in 2011. It is also hard to find information about accessing the springs from web sources so I had put it off for a while.
The simplest way to access the springs from the East via the Madison Falls Trailhead. The trailhead has a lot of parking, a pit toilet, some trash cans, and a sweet sandbar where you can dip in the river if it’s flowing slow enough. There is a paved road that requires a bypass trail where it was washed out by the river. The road winds up the mountain for about 10 miles and 2,200 feet of elevation to the Boulder Creek Trailhead. If you’re into backpacking/long hikes you can also access the springs from the West by going up and over Appleton Pass from the Sol Duc area.
We started riding up the road, very naive to the hills to come. We ignored the signs for ‘bypass trail’ and rode up to where the road had been reclaimed by the river. Moments like this are good reminders that humans are small, insignificant, and that the earth will continue to exist and not mourn us when our species is gone.
We turned around and started up the bypass trail, which was honestly a bit stressful. It was fairly steep in places with big rocks, and provided a challenge for navigating with fully loaded bikes! I walked my bike quite a bit, but felt a lot less stressed on the way back since I knew what to expect. Once we popped out of the woods, the road continued on the other side of the river, and provided a simple path up the mountain. We saw deer, rabbits, wildflowers, moss, and got to hear the trickle of creeks and the river. The road was fairly shady since we were moving through a forest, but we could tell we were on south and west exposures as the plants changed from fir, cedar, salal, and moss to madrone, maple, and manzanita.
After struggling up the road to the Boulder Creek Trailhead (I forgot to keep eating and nearly bonked) we came to a clearing with a bathroom and trash can (both are locked). We had a snack, locked up the bikes, and walked the remaining 2 miles up the trail and across a creek until we found a sweet ‘campsite’ that overlooked the creek. We set up camp and then set out to find the springs.
We kept going up the trail and found a grassy clearing with this haunted-looking outhouse. Past the outhouse are a few more trail signs; we kept walking, crossed another creek, and finally found the pools. There were three that we found: The first was full of decomposing leaves and looked pretty uninviting, the second and third were the biggest and smallest, respectively. The largest one was the hottest and the one where we spent the most time. The smallest one was cooler, but the bottom was so thick with moss and mud it was not that appealing.
Later in the season it would have been really great to be able to do a cold plunge in the creek, but in late June the creek was still very high and moving very fast. After an hour or so of soaking, I felt really relaxed and really clean after sweating all day. I slept like a baby that night and I think I got 10+ hours.
The next morning we packed up and coasted back down the mountain. Temperatures were in the 90s so we spent some time playing in the river before heading back to Seattle. It was a beautiful weekend and I will definitely be back!
