Alvord Hot Springs Bath House & Campground
Princeton
Getting there. Located off Fields-Denio Road approximately 23 miles north of Fields, with on-site parking at the general store and a short walk of about 100 yards to the soaking pools.
Every hot spring we have written up in Oregon: where to park, whether the road is open, what the water is actually like, and which ones are clothing-optional.
15 spots have been written up by hand. A further 4 are on the map from public data but nobody has confirmed them yet.
Someone has actually been to each of these. Where we are unsure, the spot page says so.
Princeton
Getting there. Located off Fields-Denio Road approximately 23 miles north of Fields, with on-site parking at the general store and a short walk of about 100 yards to the soaking pools.
Mt Hood NF · Cascades
Getting there. ~1.5 mi forest trail to hand-hewn cedar tubs. NW Forest Pass. CO by custom.
Rules on the ground. CLOSED as of 2026-08-26. The managing agency lists this site as closed on its own page. Source: Mt. Hood National Forest, 503-668-1700. [monitor/v1]
If it is your first time. Rustic cedar tubs. The hike keeps crowds down midweek.
McKenzie River, near Belknap · Cascades
Getting there. Tiny riverside grotto pool right off Hwy 126 near the McKenzie. Short steep scramble down. Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. National Forest; CO customary.
If it is your first time. Only fits a few people — go early or midweek. Do not park illegally on the highway shoulder.
Rules on the ground. ACCESS DISPUTED - verify before driving 15 miles of dirt road. The tubs and the parking area sit on private land (the source spring may be on public land). Sources contradict each other: Oregon Discovery and Hot Springs Locator both state the owner currently does NOT allow access, while Travel Southern Oregon describes it as open if you respect the property. No BLM statement exists either way. BLM Lakeview District: 541-947-2177.
Hart Mountain Refuge, near Plush · SE Oregon
Getting there. Rock-walled pool (and an open-air bathhouse) in the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. Long gravel drive. Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. CHECK BEFORE YOU GO as of 2026-08-26. Waterline construction is taking place along Hot Springs Road and at Refuge Headquarters from July 1 through late fall; visitors should expect construction stops and note that no water is available at the headquarters visitor center. Source: Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, 541-947-2731. Checked automatically against their alerts page; ring them if you are travelling and the page is ambiguous. [monitor/v1]
If it is your first time. Remote high-desert refuge — antelope, dark skies, primitive camping nearby. Come prepared and self-sufficient.
Near Juntura · Eastern Oregon
Getting there. Reached by fording the Malheur River (do not attempt in high water). Primitive dug pools. Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. BLM land; CO customary.
If it is your first time. The river crossing is the whole trip — only when flow is low and safe. Remote eastern Oregon.
Near Oakridge · Eugene
Getting there. Pools on the bank of Salt Creek, across OR 58 from the McCredie Springs community, about 10.7 miles east of Oakridge. Clothing optional by custom. The bridge that used to reach the springs was destroyed in the 1964 Christmas flood and never replaced, so there are no services on site, though there is a toilet in a nearby parking lot.
Rules on the ground. National Forest; CO customary.
If it is your first time. Easy access from Eugene via Hwy 58. Can get busy; early is better.
Rules on the ground. DO NOT SOAK. The BLM states plainly: "All Mickey Hot Springs pools are too dangerously hot for soaking." Water runs 120-206F and the thin ground crust can break under your weight into boiling water. A death occurred here in 1996 and a rescuer was severely burned in 2017. Pets are especially at risk - keep dogs leashed and well back from every pool edge. Come to look at the thermal features; do not get in.
If it is your first time. A miniature geothermal field - boiling mud pots, steam vents and Oregon's only natural mini-geyser - not a soaking spot. Stay off the sinter crust and back from the edges. No facilities, no water, no shade, no cell service.
Newberry Caldera, near La Pine · Central Oregon
Getting there. Dig-your-own gravel pools on the NE shore of Paulina Lake — reached by a ~2 mi lakeshore hike or a paddle across. Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. Newberry National Volcanic Monument; CO customary.
If it is your first time. A small adventure, not a quick soak. Bring a trowel; pools are what you make them.
Owyhee River, near Vale · Eastern Oregon
Getting there. BLM riverside site along the Owyhee below the dam. Water temp swings with the river; rock-lined pools. Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. BLM land; CO customary.
If it is your first time. Temperature is hit-or-miss depending on river flow. Easy drive-up but no shade.
Near Blue River · Cascades
Getting there. Forest Service site, day-use fee. ~0.25 mi trail from the lot. Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. Governed by Willamette NF Forest Order 06-18-01-26-03, in force 15 March 2026 to 14 March 2028. The Forest Service describes this as a clothing optional hot springs and the order does NOT prohibit nudity at the pools - what it prohibits is "being publicly nude visible from Forest Road 19" (36 CFR 261.58(j)). Also prohibited: possessing any alcoholic beverage, and entering or using the site between 10:00pm and sunrise. Note the change - the previous order closed the site at sundown, so any guide still saying sundown is out of date. Violations carry fines up to $5,000 for an individual and up to six months imprisonment. McKenzie River Ranger Station 541-822-3381.
If it is your first time. Six pools stepped down a ravine, roughly 85F at the bottom to 112F at the top, quarter-mile walk in on the Rider Creek Trail. $12 per person for two hours, ages 12 and up, paid on site - the time limit exists because it gets crowded. No pets except service animals. Loose rock, debris flow and falling weakened trees are ongoing hazards from the 2018 fire. RVs and trailers must use the pullout near FR 1985/1986 or Cougar Crossing, not the main lot.
Rules on the ground. NOT public land, despite sitting near a BLM recreation site. Two conservation organisations (ONDA and Wild Owyhee) both state the hot springs and much of the riverbank are on unmarked private land, visited only because the owners have so far allowed it - and, in their words, "there is no guarantee this will always be the case". BLM does not manage the springs and its Three Forks page does not mention them. Treat access as a courtesy, not a right.
Near Toketee · Southern Oregon
Getting there. Hillside travertine pools above the North Umpqua. NW Forest Pass; short steep trail. CO by custom.
Rules on the ground. National Forest; CO customary.
If it is your first time. Iconic view. A destination, not a quick trip from the launch core.
Near Oakridge · Cascades
Getting there. Willamette NF. ~0.4 mi easy trail off FR 1934 to a shallow, tepid pool (~body temp). Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. National Forest; CO customary, non-sexual.
If it is your first time. Mellow and shallow — more a warm soak than a hot one. Good gentle first CO spot near Eugene.
Near Whitehorse Ranch · SE Oregon
Getting there. Primitive BLM rock pools way out a gravel road in the far SE corner. High-clearance vehicle wise. Clothing-optional by custom.
Rules on the ground. BLM land; CO customary. No services.
If it is your first time. Deep-backcountry soak — self-sufficient only. Tell someone your plan; there is no cell service.
These come from OpenStreetMap. They are real places at real coordinates, but nobody has been to them for us yet, so there is no write-up: no parking notes, no word on whether the road is open, no clothing policy. We label them exactly that way rather than pretending otherwise.
If you go to one, you can be the first person to confirm it, and you stay credited on that spot permanently.
Oregon's public indecency statute, ORS 163.465, is written around sexual conduct. It reaches a person who engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse in public, or who exposes their genitals with the intent of arousing the sexual desire of themselves or another. Simple, non-sexual nudity does not meet those elements. That is why Oregon has long-standing customary nude beaches and why the Portland World Naked Bike Ride happens without mass arrests.
This is not a green light, and please do not read it as one. A state statute is only the first of several rules that apply where you are standing. Counties and cities pass their own ordinances, and the land manager, whether that is the Forest Service, the BLM, State Parks, a county parks department or a private owner, sets its own rules on top of the law and can enforce them regardless of what the statute says. A place can be perfectly lawful under state law and still get you a citation from a ranger.
What we do on each spot page is tell you what is actually known about that specific place: who manages it, whether nudity is customary or designated there, and what people who have been report. Where we do not know, we say we do not know. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice.
Statute: ORS 163.465. Last reviewed August 2026. If you think anything here is out of date, tell us. We would rather be corrected than wrong.
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