How To Get To Scenic Hot Springs In The Cascade Mountains

So there’s been these scenic hot springs that we’ve seen pop up on social media every once in a while. You’ve probably seen it too; three steaming tubs surrounded by a dense forest – the perfect relaxing getaway any time of year.

The only problem is, it’s so dang hard to find!

That is, until we decided to spend the weekend up near Steven’s Pass at Tye Haus.

As we were confirming dates to spend a few days in this adorable A-frame, Tom and Sarah suggested we go and check out this place called Scenic Hot Springs. Lo and behold, the opportunity for a long-awaited soak had finally come!

Read on to hear about our experience and how you can arrange your own trip up to these natural hot springs!

(By the way if it’s your first time booking with Airbnb, get $40 off booking Tye Haus here!)

Scenic Hot Springs - Pacific Northwest Hot Springs TheMandagies.com

A Snowy Day At Scenic Hot Springs

Just to be completely transparent about the process, we’re here to tell you what’s up about Scenic Hot Springs.

This hot springs is on private property. You are allowed to visit by invitation only, and only 10 people are allowed per day. Showing up uninvited can result in your car getting towed leaving you stranded and soaking wet (not fun in the wintertime).

To preserve the privacy and system in place for reservations, please visit this site to reserve a date. Once you have been approved, you will be sent directions.

The Hike Up To Scenic Hot Springs

Scenic Hot Springs is not for the faint of heart. Getting there requires you to strap on your hiking boots and make your way up into the dense forest. The trail is at an incline 100% of the way. Berty and I would consider ourselves a tiny-bit-above-average hikers, and it took us about an hour to reach the pools. 

Here is some general info when making the journey:

The forest road (where you need to park your car) is unmarked and pretty suddenly off Highway 2. Make sure to reserve a spot and you will get emailed descriptive directions.

Speaking of directions, the hike itself has no signs or descriptive markings to guide the way. You need to rely on the directions of Mark (reservation coordinator at this current time) to give you details of the way. Don’t worry though, they are very detailed and clear.

Snowing? Middle of winter? Bring snowshoes. We brought ours but thankfully didn’t have to use them. Maybe a few inches more of snow and we would have strapped them on.

Wear hiking/snow boots. The incline is steep enough that you will be uncomfortable in flip flops or sandals.

As we said, the trail is entirely uphill. It took us about an hour to reach the top with a few shortcuts we found on the trail.

You’ll be hiking up an electrical tower clearing for half of the way, and through the forest for the other.

READ THE POST BELOW FOR MORE HOT SPRINGS LOCATION IDEAS!

Read More: 5 Pacific Northwest Hot Springs You Must Visit

Arriving at the Hot Springs

After an hour of hiking in the snow, we finally arrived at Scenic Hot Springs. Berty and I were surprised at how established it was! We could only imagine what it could have been like carrying loads of 2x4s up this trail. Kudos to whoever did that!

There is a wooden platform, a bench, and some hooks for towels and other gear. On a clear day, we would have hung up our backpack and towels for easy access, but we tucked our gear under the bench because of the snow. Here’s a complete list of what to pack for a hot springs trip.

We recommend bringing a few garbage bags to keep your stuff dry while you soak.

Read More: The Ultimate Pacific Northwest Winter Packing List

We finally got to enjoy our hard-earned soak. We ended up staying for 2 hours, having conversations with the other visitors who were coming and going. We really appreciated that only 10 people were allowed per day – this made the experience intimate and relaxing!

Scenic Hot Springs in Washington takes reservations so there is little chance of the pools being crowded. Nevertheless, you may encounter others with reservations. Therefore, it’s essential to brush up on hot springs etiquette tips before your trip, so you and others can have an enjoyable and respectful experience together!

The black tubs are fed through the yellow tubes that collect the water and bring it down into the basins. The water was clearer than most hot springs we’ve visited because of the ever-flowing supply.

There wasn’t really a sulfur smell either which made it the perfect place for spending the entire afternoon!

Read More: The Essential PNW Bucket List

Looking for a winter getaway? Look no further that this dense-forest scenic hot springs in the cascade mountains of Washington! Read of to find out how to get here and get relaxing right away! TheMandagies.com

It was fun to meet the few people coming and going, hearing about their stories of how they came across Scenic Hot Springs.

This place was definitely worth the visit, and we are returning at the next opportunity we get!

If you are looking for more things to do around this area, feel free to check out our Washington map for more Pacific Northwest inspiration! All of these points are clickable and will send you to a blog post we created!

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Make sure to pin these to save and read later!

Discover Washington's Secret Mountain Hot springs! We're sharing exactly hot to find this amazing hike, what to expect, and beautiful hot springs photos in the forest! Don't miss out - save this post for your next hike! #washington #hotsprings #hiking

Have you visited Scenic Hot Springs? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below!

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3 Comments

  1. Is the hike easy to follow? Like are there signs or a map to guide you toward the hot springs once you get permission to access the springs? I would plan on going by myself, that is why I ask.

    1. Hi Monique! Good question. I will update the post with the info here. There are no signs, and the forest road is not marked. The directions that were emailed to us (once we confirmed) were very descriptive, and we didn’t have much problem following them. I would say it may be a little harder to spot landmarks in the snow, but there should be a pretty clear path of boot prints from previous users so you should be fine. πŸ™‚ Just pack according to the elements!