Bagby Hot Springs

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.

Bagby Hot Springs were used by Native Americans for hundreds or thousands of years. The springs are named after Bob Bagby, a prospector and hunter who came across the site in 1880. The United States Forest Service built a small guard station next to the hot springs in 1913. The Bagby Guard Station was used to house Forest Service fire patrol crews during summer fire season. In 1974, the Forest Service built a new guard station. The original cabin was closed but was left standing. In 2006, the original guard cabin was renovated. Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but is not open to the public.

A bathhouse was constructed at the hot springs in the 1920s. A fire, caused by bathers leaving unattended candles in the old wooden structure, burned the original wooden structures to the ground in 1979. It had become a popular spot for vandals and all-night drinking parties. The volunteer group Friends of Bagby (FOB) formed in 1981 to rebuild the bathhouses. Between 1983 and 1986, the Forest Service and FOB joined forces to build three new bathhouses at Bagby. A conflict among the leadership of FOB led to a rift within the group in the late 1990s, and the Forest Service terminated its contract with the group in summer 2001. In 2011/2012 Bagby was handed over to a concessionaire to operate, leading to a $5-per-person soaking fee. The hot springs was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; many facilities were vandalized or non-functional. In 2023, management of the springs was turned over to Bagby Preservation, run by a couple who met at Bagby and who have experience running hot springs resorts. The facilities re-opened in 2024.

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