Every hot spring we have written up in Washington: where to park, whether the road is open, what the water is actually like, and which ones are clothing-optional.
Written from published records
Researched from official and public sources and checked by a moderator. Nobody has been
to confirm these for us yet, and we say so rather than pretend. If you go, you can be the first.
Baker Hot Springs
Getting there. From Highway 20 take Baker Lake Road about 18 miles, then Forest Road 1130 for 3.9 miles and FR 1144 to the pullout. Rough road, high clearance helps. Then a 0.3 mile walk to two primitive log and rock pools.
Rules on the ground. National forest, no fee, no facilities. Pools run around 104 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit at the source and smell of sulfur.
If it is your first time. Weekday mornings are quiet. Suits depend on who is there when you arrive, and the pin says clothing optional because that is the custom.
See it on the map →
Gamma Hot Springs
Getting there. Glacier Peak Wilderness, roughly 12 miles one way via the Suiattle River Trail and PCT, then a steep off trail descent into the Gamma Creek drainage. The Suiattle road had a washout reported in late 2025, check before driving.
Rules on the ground. Wilderness, experts only. The source runs near 140 degrees Fahrenheit and only the creek mixing zone is soakable. Pool fits about four.
If it is your first time. This is a two or three day backpacking trip with navigation, not a destination. If you are asking whether you are ready, you are not yet.
See it on the map →
Getting there. Drive via the rugged, unpaved Middle Fork Road to park at Dingford Creek Trailhead, which requires a high-clearance vehicle, a Northwest Forest Pass, and advance reservations. From the gate, reach the hot springs via a 4.5-mile hike or mountain bike ride each way along a closed forest road. Reservations required and capped at 20 people a day, run by the nonprofit Northwest Wilderness Programs. Without a reservation the springs are off limits.
Rules on the ground. Private land held by a nonprofit land trust. The cap is enforced. Book at goldmyer.org before you drive anywhere.
If it is your first time. Book weeks ahead, then treat the day as a long quiet hike with a soak at the end. Dogs stay home.
Full details, map and directions →
Getting there. A 0.4 mile nature loop from the day use area by Ohanapecosh Campground off Highway 123. No fee for the walk.
Rules on the ground. Soaking is prohibited. The springs are small protected seeps inside Mount Rainier National Park. You come here to look, not to get in.
If it is your first time. If you want to actually soak, this is not your stop. Look, then drive on.
Full details, map and directions →
Olympic NP, near Port Angeles · Olympic Peninsula
Hot spring
Getting there. The road washed out for good. Park at Madison Falls and walk or bike the old road, about 9.8 miles each way to the pools, 19.6 round trip. America the Beautiful pass to park. Most people bike the road section.
Rules on the ground. CHECK BEFORE YOU GO as of 2026-08-28. Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed to vehicular traffic at the Madison Falls parking area due to a washout, though pedestrian and bicycle access remains open. Source: Olympic National Park, 360-565-3130. 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. This is a full day or an overnight, not a quick soak. A bike turns the road miles into an hour each way.
Full details, map and directions →
Near Skykomish · Central Cascades
Hot spring
Getting there. Private land above Stevens Pass. Ten visitors a day, arranged in advance with the owner, around ten dollars a person as of late 2023. About two miles up with 1,100 feet of gain, steep near the top.
Rules on the ground. Private property, visits by permission only. Show up unannounced and access closes for everyone.
If it is your first time. Email ahead, months ahead for weekends. Nudity is fine up there. Pack layers, it is exposed.
Full details, map and directions →
Sulphur Creek Hot Springs
Getting there. Park near Sulphur Creek Campground on NF 26 off the Suiattle road. About 4 miles round trip on a faint, overgrown path, left at the fork at 0.7 miles, cross the log bridge, then stone steps upstream.
Rules on the ground. National forest. This is a warm spring, around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the pool fits two. Go for the solitude, not the heat.
If it is your first time. Long pants, the brush is real. If you want hot water, Baker is the better drive.
See it on the map →
What the law in Washington actually says
Washington's indecent exposure statute, RCW 9A.88.010,
requires an open and obscene exposure that the person knows is likely to cause reasonable
affront or alarm. Nudity by itself is not the offence. The statute is aimed at conduct directed at
someone, and it explicitly exempts breastfeeding. Washington courts have read it narrowly for that
reason.
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: RCW 9A.88.010. Last reviewed August 2026.
If you think anything here is out of date, tell us. We would rather be corrected than wrong.