Hot Lake Springs
Hot Lake Springs is the thermal spring behind the historic Hot Lake Hotel in Union County, Oregon, about five miles from the town of Union. The water is scalding at the source, well above anything you could sit in. The record has nothing on owner or access, though Wikipedia ties the spring to the hotel property, so expect the property to set the terms.
The spring is a bit over a hundred feet off a road, at an elevation the record leaves blank. Moderate snow, moderate rain. Moss Springs Campground, around fourteen miles off, is the one campground listed.
Winter is marked as best. Do not touch the source water; it is hot enough to cause serious burns. Access is not on file, and this is a historic hotel property, so go in expecting the hotel to govern access. Camping is a drive away at Moss Springs.
Hot Lake Hotel, also called Hot Lake Sanatorium and Hot Lake Resort, is a Colonial Revival building first put up in 1864 and named for the thermal spring on its grounds. Around the turn of the twentieth century it ran as a luxury resort and sanatorium, advertising the medicinal qualities of the mineral water and drawing visitors from around the world, according to Wikipedia.
Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Hot Lake Springs.
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the southwest.
- Highest ground nearby
- 523 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the southwest
A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 3% of the springs on this site.
Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Located above Cove, Oregon, the Moss Springs Campground lies on a ridgeline within view of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and is next to Moss Springs Trailhead. This popular campground was constructed to accommodate visitors with packstock, riding stock and campers bound for the wilderness. The site also has 3 accessible campsites and toilets. Trails from the campground drop steeply into the Minam River drainage or follow Grande Ronde Ridge.
Hot Lake Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water is dangerously hot, so bring water shoes and test pools carefully.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Springs Near Hot Lake Springs
More Springs Around 176°F
Hike 6 waterfalls near Hot Lake Springs
Looking for more outdoor adventures? Explore waterfall hikes near Hot Lake Springs, Oregon.