7 springs, and almost every one asks you to plan ahead. Washington doesn't have many hot springs, and the famous ones run on reservations, trails or both.
Last checked 19 September 2026 · prices and hours change, so confirm with the operator before you drive
Washington
Moss hangs thick from the old trees of the Hoh Rainforest, Washington.
Washington is the state where the hot springs make you work a little, and there's a certain charm in that. Sol Duc, inside Olympic National Park, is the developed resort. Olympic Hot Springs, in the same park, became a long walk or bike ride once its access road washed out. Goldmyer, in the Cascades east of Seattle, is run by a nonprofit that lets in 20 people a day. Scenic, near Stevens Pass, is reservation only. Carson and Bonneville in the Columbia Gorge are the ones you can simply drive to.
So plan around a booking or a trail rather than a whim. Summer reservations fill weeks out, the park roads close in winter, and the Gorge resorts are the only ones you can decide on over breakfast.
Skykomish (about 10 miles east, near Stevens Pass)
Hike-in
hike-in
$30
year-round, daylight hours on…
111–122
Before you go
Goldmyer books through a monthly lottery two months ahead. Walk-ins are cash only and first come, and the last miles of the Middle Fork road want AWD or 4WD with 8 to 9 inches of clearance.
Olympic Hot Springs is about 9 miles from Madison Falls by foot or bike, then 1.5 miles of trail. The pools are untested and the Park Service warns of fecal coliform, so keep your head above water. The $30 park entrance fee applies.
Sol Duc runs from roughly March 20 to the end of October in 90-minute sessions, $19 for adults plus the park entrance fee.
Scenic is private land: reservation only, no walk-ins, clothing-optional, and $30 to $35 a person depending on the season.
Reopened as a hotel after years closed, Bonneville is the indoor, family-friendly option: mineral-fed indoor pools and hot tub, an outdoor hot tub, a kiddie pool, a sauna and a 37 F cold plunge for the brave. The indoor mineral pool and hot tub are listed at about 86 F, closer to a warm bath than a scald. Day passes come in one- and two-hour lengths, online or at the door, but they don't publish the price, so check before you go. Public pool hours are 12 to 7 p.m. daily, with adult swim 8 to 10 p.m. Under-18s stay out of the outdoor hot tub. Towels rent for $3.
The reason to come to Carson is the 1930s bathhouse: clawfoot tubs filled with mineral water pumped straight in, a 25-minute soak, then a 25-minute linen wrap. Non-guests can also buy an hourly pass to the mineral therapy pool at about 104 F, $19 for an hour or $31 for two, and the bath alone starts at $27. The spa and bathhouse open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Bring photo ID, and leave the kids with someone: under-18s aren't allowed in the soaking tub or bathhouses. Lodging and a golf course are on site if you'd like to make a night of it.
Resortdrive-up (Anacortes-Orcas ferry, then island roads)clothing-optionalreservations requiredlodging on site
°F scale 60–120
Waternot published
FeeFrom $30
Seasonyear-round
Landprivate
WhereOlga, Orcas Island, Washington
DriveSeattle ≈ 4 h
Across the water from Anacortes on the Orcas ferry, Doe Bay's soaking tubs sit on a creek-side deck above Otters Cove, with a sauna, outdoor showers and a garden lawn. They're resort hot tubs, and the resort doesn't claim a natural hot spring, so come for the island setting. Communal sessions ($30 an adult for 3.5 hours) are for lodging guests only. Everyone else can rent the private spa at $150 per 90 minutes for up to 15 people, offered last-minute midweek when there's room. It's clothing optional in every session, and pets stay home.
Port Angeles (40 minutes west) · Olympic National Park, Sol Duc Valley
Resortdrive-up (Sol Duc Hot Springs Road; park entrance fee $30 per vehicle)lodging on site
50–104 °F · body temp marked
Water50–104 °F
FeeFrom $19
SeasonMarch 20
LandNPS (Olympic National Park)
WherePort Angeles (40 minutes west), Washington
DriveSeattle ≈ 3 h 45, Portland ≈ 5 h
Sol Duc is the tidy, tested side of Olympic soaking: three mineral pools at 99, 101 and 104 F plus a freshwater pool, run by the park's concessioner and tested daily. Sessions last 1.5 hours and cost $19 an adult, with the $30 park entrance fee on top. It's seasonal, March 20 to October 31 in 2026, so plan a summer or shoulder-season trip. Pools open at 8 a.m., and closing time shifts with the season. Stay in a cabin and pool use comes with it, or book one of the 82 sites at the NPS campground on recreation.gov.
North Bend (about 25 miles east) · Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, adjoining Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Hike-inhike-in (4.5-5 miles each way via Dutch Miller Gap trail from Dingford Creek trailhead; AWD/4WD with 8-9 inches clearance needed for the road)clothing-optionalreservations required
°F scale 60–120
Waternot published
FeeFrom $30
Seasonyear-round
Landprivate (nonprofit)
WhereNorth Bend (about 25 miles east), Washington
DriveSeattle ≈ 2 h, Portland ≈ 4 h 30
Goldmyer is the hot spring you plan two months ahead, so learn the system first. A nonprofit, volunteer-managed preserve, it lets in 20 visitors a day through a monthly lottery: enter in January for March dates, and if you win, confirm by phone within one business day. Adults pay $30. The road in needs AWD or 4WD with 8-9 inches of clearance, then it's 4.5 to 5 miles each way on the Dutch Miller Gap trail. Skip the Middle Fork Trail route and its creek crossings. Walk-ins are first come and need exact cash. Some visitors soak nude.
Port Angeles (Elwha Valley) · Olympic National Park, Boulder Creek
Hike-inhike-in (about 9 miles on the closed Olympic Hot Springs Road by foot or bike from Madison Falls, then 1.5-2.5 miles of trail with no bicycles)clothing-optional
°F scale 60–120
Waternot published
FeeSee the operator's prices
Seasonyear-round access on foot
LandNPS (Olympic National Park)
WherePort Angeles (Elwha Valley), Washington
DriveSeattle ≈ 3 h, Portland ≈ 4 h 30
Know this first: the park doesn't test or treat these pools, warns they may carry high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, and leaves bathing at your own risk. They're natural, unmaintained seeps in the Elwha River Valley wilderness, and getting there is a day's outing. Flood damage closed the road to cars at Madison Falls, so you hike or bike about 9 miles to the Boulder Creek trailhead, then walk 1.5 to 2.5 miles more, where bikes aren't allowed. A bike makes the road miles go quickly. The $30 park entrance fee applies, overnight trips need a wilderness permit, and nudity is common.
Skykomish (about 10 miles east, near Stevens Pass) · US-2 corridor, west slope of Stevens Pass
Hike-inhike-in (2 miles, 1,100 feet of gain; 4WD or chains in winter)clothing-optionalreservations required
111–122 °F · body temp marked
Water111–122 °F
FeeFrom $30
Seasonyear-round, daylight hours only
Landprivate
WhereSkykomish (about 10 miles east, near Stevens Pass), Washington
DriveSeattle ≈ 2 h, Portland ≈ 4 h 30
Two hot sources feed the tubs at Scenic, Lobster at about 118-122 F and Bear Den at about 111-114 F at the source, on private land about two hours from Seattle. Getting in takes a reservation, with no walk-ins and caretakers patrolling daily, plus legs for a 2-mile trail that climbs 1,100 feet. It's $30-35 a person depending on season. Visits run dawn to dusk only, the person booking must be 18 or older, and no children under six. Clothing-optional is the norm in the pools and often on the trail. In winter, pack snow gear and bring 4WD or chains for the drive.
We last checked every spring here on 19 September 2026, against the page of whoever runs it or manages the land, and that page is linked under each entry. Springs are grouped by what they are rather than ranked, since a resort pool and a creekside rock tub aren't competing for the same afternoon. Where the fee says "See the operator's prices", the price list changes often enough that you're better off reading it there.
