Ryan, of Walkifornia, tipped me off in regard to a video he made of a recent visit to Scenic Hot Springs in Washington. Since Scenic is a personal favorite, one that I sadly do not have the pleasure of frequenting often, I wanted to share…

If you are interested in visiting Scenic Hot Springs, please read his post, or visit the caretakers blog to learn about how to setup a visit for yourself.

Rick, Matt and Mike – Thank you for taking such good care of Scenic over the years!

Related: Salute to Scenic Hot Springs – View All Scenic Posts

Scenic Hot Springs in Washington has always been one of my favorites. Truly a stellar soak. Rick updated Scenic’s Blog on Thursday with the sad news… complete closure. It’s the same story we hear all too often in regard to public hot springs – the few that ruined it for the many.

Before it’s official closure, this hot springs was something else. It was my first brush with a backcountry hot springs community. A place where all walks of life seemingly blended into one, that of the hot springer. Here’s the trip report I wrote after visiting Scenic for the first time in August of 2001:

08.2001
My good friend and I were camping throughout central Washington when we finally decided that this insane, dry, hot, desert camping was getting to be too much… all sun and no shade made us very unhappy. The areas I speak of are around Wenatchee, George, and Moses Lake, Washington.


After a few brutal days of camping we decided that this was enough. We first sought water, and camped in a not so bad BLM wildlife protected area near the sand dunes south of Moses Lake. The camping was still hot and dry, but at least there were a few small trees around – and the amount of cool looking birds that used the nearby wetlands was off the chart. I wished I knew more about bird species. Around 2am we were startled when a huge pack of coyotes ripped through our campsite howling like mad, and then back again an hour later. It was quite exciting! We made it out of our tents and into truck cabs seconds before our tents and camp were rampaged by about 20 running coyotes.


Anyway, after that adventure we headed straight for Leavenworth (the unique German-Bavarian looking town), we needed permits for camping and hiking before heading towards Steven’s Pass. I remember seeing some alternative looking folks by the roadside in town, holding signs that simply stated “Scenic”. Little did I know that I would later share a soak with the sign-holders.


It seemed like a rainforest to us after all the previous environments we’d experienced along our trip. We past the ski lodge at the summit and continued down I2 a bit further before pulling off onto a dirt road that took us down to some train tracks (just after the turn off to the train tunnel on the other side of the road) and a couple old cabins that mother nature was attempting to retake (they looked scary even during the day).


We then found a nice little road that took us about a mile or two into the forest, and then hiked a couple miles in and found a perfect campsite, one with a small waterfall only a minute away. A lady hiking around the waterfall that we talked to was there visiting because the ashes of her sister were spread at that very place. She and her sister had grown up near here, and she still lived in the area today. We spent time hiking out to Surprise and Glacier Lakes – the hikes were unreal, the scenery breathtaking!


Our first night camping in the area we hiked up to Scenic Hot Springs. It was quite a brisk little hike. Short, but steep at times. And, with it getting dark on us, we nearly missed a couple key turns at intersections we didn’t even know we were at. It was all worth it though. The hike was spectacular, and the hot pools amazing. Lots of work went into the construction of the huge soaker pools, each lined with thick plastic and filled with piped in water. Wood decks and walkways skirted each pool which in turn had it’s own specific temperature range with the Lobster Pot at the top.


There were at least 30 to 40 people there. A small percentage of the soakers had suits or bottoms on while the majority enjoyed the springs the natural way. Words can’t even describe this place. The views were rare to me and were obtainable from a sitting position in any pool.


I remember sitting in a pool with a couple off-duty wildland firefighters, a couple from Finland, a bevy of businessmen and women from Seattle and a handful of hippies from Eugene, and was amazed at how kind and decent everyone was to each other. This theme ensued, and it reminded me of how Native Americans historically treated hot springs; as sacred places where all are equal. Even during times of war, there was always peace at the hot springs.

A special thanks to Rick and friends for taking care of Scenic. Even though it’s closed, you can bet that group will continue to move forward with plans to re-open Scenic in the future. Until then, Scenic need be left in peace, it’s in good hands.

View all Scenic Hot Springs Posts

View Scenic on IHS

Serious injury and even death can and have occurred at hot springs. The most common dangers/warnings are listed below:

• Alcohol consumption and dehydration in hot springs – drinking and soaking gets you wasted fast because hot springs dehydrate the body. Many have drown or fallen off a ledge while hiking due to mixing alcohol and hot springs together.

• Soaking in the sun without replenishment – sun and hot springs can sap the juice right out of your body quickly; keep water, electrolyte drinks, sunscreen and sun protection handy.

• Avoid visiting popular hot springs at the most popular times – I’ve heard horror story after horror story about how a newbie visited a popular hot springs on a Saturday afternoon and had a terrible time. Same goes for popular hot springs on weekend evenings. Fights, vehicle break-ins, vandalism and overcrowded pools are not just something people in Oregon and Washington have to worry about. Unfortunately, it happens all too often in Idaho too.

• Acanthamoeba – an amoeba that is known to inhabit some hot springs which can enter the brain through nasal passages and cause meningitis. This is another reason to keep your head above water while soaking. Usually, hot springs with acanthamoeba are signed.

• Hot Springs & Red Spider Mites

• Snakes – this is generally not a concern, but a few hot springs feature nearby thermal vents that provide year-round habitat for snakes. If you leave them alone – they’ll leave you alone.

• Hunters – hunters like hot springs so much that they often (and illegally mind you) build tree-perches so that they can shoot deer and elk that graze on hot springs algae. Their illegal kills and hasty clean-ups can lead to animal parasites entering the water complex and any people that soak in it along with attracting scavengers. While I’ve encountered respectable hunters in Idaho, the bulk majority have discouraged me greatly. I’ve seen drunk hunters shooting out their truck window while barley being able to drive, coke-head hunting parties and idiot hunters so paranoid of the woods and bears that they randomly shoot off their guns throughout the night.

• Adult Situations – that’s right, unfortunately. For some reason, people think that popular hot springs are a good place to get their freak-on. Not such a great idea. And really, how would it feel to get busted by little Johnny or Suzy with their family in tow, or a dozen drunk hunters? Think about it.

• Spring Runoff – even small creeks and rivers experience large undertows during spring runoff. Don’t try to cross anything fast moving until spring runoff is over, which is usually around late June to early July depending on elevation. See Research Seasonal Barriers for more information.

• Pets – soaking with Fido can be an enjoyable experience, but the majority of hot springs are NOT dog safe for a variety of reasons.

Related Links:

Hot Springs Etiquette from the Scenic Hot Springs Blog
Guide to Backcountry Hot Springs
Guide to Roadside Hot Springs

Scenic Hot Springs

08.20.05 Trip Report
Ahh yes! This trip was excellent! I was a tad bit nervous just because of all the PR surrounding Scenic, but after taking a look at the official Scenic Hot Springs Blog I felt much better. The mild sunny temps made for a great hike up the hill towards the hot springs. We arrived to find 3 friendly guys from Seattle enjoying a soak. We soaked and chatted for a while then the 3 headed out… good guys too, packed out more than their fair share of trash.

Scenic Hot Springs

I was awestruck; here I was enjoying this incredible hot springs that I thought inconceivable to ever have to myself, one last time before it turns completely into a commercial hot springs. It was one of those good and bad moments. I found out from a couple friends that on 08.21.05 (Sunday) the owners were present and working on building construction. Last time I soaked here I meet some people from Sweden and Finland, not too mention experience the gourmet cooking of the naked chef. Seems like eons ago. The single pool was in great shape, and apparently is a temporary soaking solution until natural rock pools can be developed.

Scenic Hot Springs

Much has changed since I was here last. Wikipedia hosts a general description of the hot springs along with a brief history of the springs back in their day as a commercial resort – ironic that now it is once again becoming commercial.

Here’s what Wikipedia currently has to say about Scenic:

“…a very popular natural hot spring in Washington State. Located on US Route 2, about 8 miles west of Stevens Pass (via road) and high on a steep northwestern slope.

Known as Madison Hot Springs in the 1890′s, a lodge was built to accomadate seekers of mineral baths who arrived by train from Seattle. The name was later changed to Scenic Hot Springs and survived as a commercial venture until 1928.

Construction by the Great Northern Railroad of an 8-mile tunnel under Stevens Pass dumped rubble into the front yard of the lodge and effected its destruction.

Largely forgotten until the 1980′s, it then became a popular gathering spot for mineral water bathers with several tubs constructed of various temperatures.

Reports of vandalism to vehicles, as well as rowdy behaviour prompted the landowner to instruct the King County sheriff to destroy the tubs in October 2002.

A new landowner is in the process of reconstructing the tubs and making improvements to the property to support visitors in the near future. The two external links discuss this progress.”

Rating A+

According to an avid Scenic Hot Springer as of 11.09.04 the turnoff towards Scenic Hot Springs off I-2 is now gated with a very large “NO TRESPASSING – MUST BE EXPLICITLY INVITED” sign. It looks like Scenic’s new owners are finally setting up shop. So long old friend, many will miss you.

Controversial Scenic Hot Springs in Washington near Steven’s Pass currently has 1 pool which is available for soaking opportunities. The land owner apparently has no problems as long as the area and pool is well respected. Plans for commercialization are still in the works despite not meeting their goal of opening in September 04. Construction of the pools is currently tied up with plenty of red tape. It looks like us soakers will have one last time to enjoy Scenic before the commercialization transformation occurs. Special thanks to a friend of hot springs for the information.