If it’s lodging you’re looking for you should make it a day trip from Portland or check out nearby Breitenbush Hot Springs. Check with the Forest Service to find other campgrounds and dispersed camping on the way in. Established camp sites can be found at Bagby Trailhead or head past the springs for primitive camping at Shower Creek. There are no lodging facilities and camping is not permitted at Bagby Hot Springs. Family trips are not uncommon so be polite and have a towel handy.Īs with any recreation experience, being mindful and respectful of other users is more important than interpretation of rules. There are communal tubs on both of the other decks and users should use good judgement. There are private stalls in the main bath house, strip down and soak away. According to the Forest Service website: “public nudity is not allowed in open areas”. The Forest Service has taken different stances on this over the years. Clothing At Bagby Hot SpringsĪs with any public place, public nudity is not allowed. This is another great reason to wait for the snowfall, strap some traction on your feet and visit Bagby Hot Springs when other users are staying home. Many online reports are of the hot springs being overcrowded and even wait times to get a soak. As you can see from this picture of the road into Bagby, you could end up in trouble if you aren’t prepared for the conditions. We have found reports online of the road being impassable but most cases report the need for all wheel drive or traction of some kind. However, the Forest Service states that the roads are not plowed during the Winter season and the Springs are occasionally closed due to snow. Well, that’s an easy one … Winter! Bagby Hot Springs is open year round. The road to Bagby Hot Springs after a snowfall Several groups of users can be found on Facebook to share knowledge and organize volunteer work. Today the Bagby Hot Springs are managed by the Clackamas River Ranger District. Since then 3 bath houses have been built and are known as the Private Deck, Public Deck and Upper Deck. In the 1920’s the original bath house was built, but burned down in 1979. While the switchboard and fire crews are no longer needed, the cabin stands to this day and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years the cabin has been home to a switchboard and fire crews. The Forest Service built a guard station at the springs in 1913. We’re pretty sure Bob didn’t discover the place, he just stumbled upon a site that is rumored to have been visited by Native Americans for hundreds of years. Cedar plumbing at Bagby Hot Springs in WinterĪccording to the USFS, which manages Bagby, the hot springs were “discovered” in 1880 by a hunter and prospector named Bob Bagby.

Bagby hot springs