Radium Hot Springs

Baker County, Oregon · Near Baker City
44.9270°N, 117.9390°W · 3,313 ft
135°F 34°F air · Good soaking weather 3,313 ft Short Walk Camping nearby (14.5 mi)
Aerial view of the ground around Radium Hot Springs LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Radium Hot Springs
Aerial LiDAR bare earth

Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.

Radium Hot Springs in Baker County, Oregon, is a hot spring about twelve miles from Baker City. The water on file is hot, above comfortable soaking and short of scalding. It shares a name with the much better known Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia, and the only encyclopedia link on file is for that Canadian village, so don't confuse the two. Who owns this one, and whether you can visit, is not recorded.

Location

Less than half a mile separates the spring from the La Grande-Baker Highway, the closest road, so it is a short walk. It sits at a little over three thousand feet. Winters here drop around six feet of snow and the year is wetter than the Oregon desert to the south, with about two feet of precipitation. No landowner or land unit is listed.

Winter months are flagged as best on file. The water is hot enough that you should test it before getting in, though it is short of the scalding range. Anthony Lake Guard Station, roughly fifteen miles away, is the camping option on record. Access status is blank, so confirm the land is open before walking in from the highway.

Terrain

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 Radium Hot Springs.

Setting
Open ground
Flat, open ground all around.
Highest ground nearby
12 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the southwest
Cross-section through the spring

A slice through the ground from west to east, about 0.6 miles end to end.

Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.

Heat Below
79 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 14% 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.

Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.

Monthly Climate
27°
Jan
31°
Feb
38°
Mar
45°
Apr
54°
May
62°
Jun
71°
Jul
72°
Aug
62°
Sep
49°
Oct
35°
Nov
27°
Dec
Annual Precip: 23.5 in Annual Snow: 72.7 in
Best Time to Visit
January Air 27°F · Water 135°F · +108° contrast
December Air 27°F · Water 135°F · +108° contrast
February Air 31°F · Water 135°F · +104° contrast
January offers 44°F more contrast than August
Current Conditions
34°F
Clear N 0.0 mph 100% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 70° Low 35° Areas Of Fog then Mostly Sunny 5% precip
Spring is +65° warmer
Wednesday 72° Low 39° Sunny 1% precip
Spring is +63° warmer
Thursday 72° Low 40° Rain Showers Likely 58% precip
Spring is +63° warmer
Friday 75° Low 39° Areas Of Fog then Sunny 9% precip
Spring is +60° warmer
Saturday 77° Low 40° Sunny 1% precip
Spring is +58° warmer
Where to Stay

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Nearby Camping
Anthony Lake Guard Station 14.5 mi away

Overview Anthony Lake forms the source of Anthony Creek, named for William 'Doc' Anthony, an ambitious homesteader who came to Baker County in 1864. He was a farmer and a doctor, collected tolls on the Dealy Wagon Road for a time, and ran his ranch until he died in 1914 at age 85. Anthony Lake Guard Station is a historic Civilian Conservation Corps log cabin built in the 1930s - one of only a few Forest Service cabins built of logs. For questions for Anthony Lake, Grande Ronde Lake, Mud Lake,...

Reservable Yes
Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
135°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 135°F (57°C)
Avg Air Temp 48°F
Above Ambient +87°F
Great soaking conditions September
Access
Road Access Short Walk
Nearest Road La Grande-Baker Highway
Distance to Road 0.4 mi
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Radium Hot Springs?
Radium Hot Springs has a water temperature of 135°F (57°C). This is considered a hot spring, well above body temperature.
Where is Radium Hot Springs located?
Radium Hot Springs is located in Baker County, Oregon at 3,313 feet elevation, near Baker City. Coordinates: 44.9270°N, 117.9390°W.
How do I get to Radium Hot Springs?
Radium Hot Springs has Short Walk road access, with the nearest road being La Grande-Baker Highway (0.4 mi from the road).
Can I camp near Radium Hot Springs?
Yes, Anthony Lake Guard Station is located nearby (14.5 miles away).
Is it safe to soak at Radium Hot Springs?
With care. At 135°F Radium Hot Springs is hot enough to need short sessions, fifteen to twenty minutes, and plenty of water. Enter slowly and get out if you feel light-headed.
Sources: Wikipedia