1) Forest Bliss
The drive from Oregon’s forested fairyland to the eastern desert reminded me of many journeys descending the mountains of my home state, New Mexico. I’d gone to the PNW to escape the brutality of the desert, but our brief time in eastern Oregon renewed my appreciation for arid adventures.
After a pleasant morning soak at McCredie Hot Springs, a wild hot spring in the Willamette National Forest, we stopped for berry-covered waffles and much-needed coffee. Phil had flown into Portland on his birthday several days before to support our big white van’s return back to Arizona.
With more than 20 hours of driving ahead and no concrete plans, other than a short stint in Vegas to watch my dad’s favorite children (his dogs), we searched online and talked to locals to find out what we needed to see.
These last Oregon hot springs were promised to wow us in a different way than their woodland neighbors. So, after the cafe, we made one last stop for forest fun at Crater Lake National Park.
2) A Rustic Hot Springs Resort
The bright blue waters and depth of the lake inspired curiosity in us again for volcanic learning and appreciation. Several fellow nomads suggested Summer Lake Hot Springs, a few hours from Crater Lake. We were easily able to reserve one-night camping over the phone and were happy to get to experience a desert Oregon Hot Spring.
Watching the sunset from Summer Lake’s rock pool was so serene, and we loved that the pools were open all night to enjoy. The indoor pool was unique, surrounded by changing stalls and showers, with the only toilets available to campers immediately next to the large soaking pool.
3) Volcanic Vibe
Some friendly soakers encouraged us to check out Glass Butte, where you can find so many varieties of Obsidian – and collect up to 250 pounds per person for free! As we drove onto the public land we could see the black glass littering the roads. Thankfully it didn’t pop our tires, but we have heard of that happening!
We were able to surface collect an entire bucket of mahogany and ‘plain’ black obsidian. You can see from the photo that there were many pieces left by prospectors that we thought were perfectly beautiful for our collection.
And, we camped there for the night since we were tired from the long day of soaking, rockhounding, and driving.
It was just us, the cows, and these crazy colors overhead.
4) High Desert Hot Springs
Waking up in the van the next day, we felt a pang of joy but also an undercurrent of sadness that summer was coming to an end.
But hey, at least there are hot springs on the way and we feel so fortunate to get to enjoy natural places like this often. Being stewards of the land and ethical visitors is always active in our work and play, and we encourage all travelers to talk to locals, be mindful of their impact, and embrace slow(er) travel.
We once again checked which hot springs were on the way south, and decided to go out of our way to see Antelope Hot Springs.
It was about three hours from Glass Buttes to the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, where these free natural pools can be found with surprisingly amazing views (though we shouldn’t be surprised, Oregon has always amazed us).
We share these sacred spots with reverence, and expect all potential visitors to uphold the respect for the land and water we’ve seen at these hot springs and surrounding areas. We’re grateful we didn’t see much trash left behind, but that’s not always the case and we have to prioritize sharing not just Leave No Trace principles, but picking up trash anywhere we see it as well.
This was mid-September, and every camping site in the area was taken probably by hunters and of course other hot springers. We had the natural hot pool to ourselves, even with so many people around in what felt like the middle of nowhere. That night we camped on public land nearby and then said goodbye to Oregon for the year, with prospects on California hot springs and some great podcasts to fill the drive.
