A full moon, a cool desert night, and the warmth of some of the best hot springs in Oregon – sounds amazing, right?
There’s a place where you can experience this. Just visit Alvord Hot Springs, located in the far southeastern reaches of the state. They’re situated on private land, but visitors can take a dip for only $5.
The hot springs are all but hidden 110 miles out in the desert, east of Burns and at the base of Steens Mountain. They’re at the edge of the Alvord Desert, and are set up to be friendly to guests, with a parking lot and public restrooms. It is maintained by two on-site caretakers. One can also purchase items like flashlights, gloves, cold drink and snacks.
Alvord Hot Springs is accessible by the all-weather county road on the east side of Steens Mountain. The water springs from the ground at about 170 degrees, but it gets cooled when it's mixed in the bathing pools. Day visitors are allowed to soak between 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. in the offseason.
Two additional notes to keep in mind:
- The springs are clothing optional.
- They were quite hot when we visited, which seemed like a max temperature for adults, but they might be too much for children. Crystal Crane Hot Springs located east of Burns could be a better family option, especially their large, outdoor hot springs pond: https://www.shareoregon.com/en/listings/125075-soak-at-crystal-crane-hot-springs
Rick
9 years agoWe got to experience the hot springs on our recent Eastern Oregon adventure and it was wonderful. Rose, the caretaker, was, too!