Adventure
Soaking in the Scenery
At Summer Lake Hot Springs
Story and photography by Lee Juillerat
The play of morning light on the distant playa.
Clouds with ever-changing shapes and formations. One minute billowing bales of puffy cotton, seconds later like a tsunami wave frozen on the Warner Mountains, then suddenly dark, angry and forbidding.
The sounds of singing, chattering and trilling birds. Sudden silence as a hawk, its wings spread wide, effortlessly glides overhead.
We watched and experienced the ever-changing symphony of life in the impossibly calming, comfort from an outdoor pond at the Summer Lake Hot Springs, its mineral-rich waters soothing, soaking and caressing us with its comfortably toasty 108-degree water. It is a place I’ve enjoyed in all seasons, from summer days after hikes in the nearby Warners to winter, when the weather outside isn’t so delightful.
Located in Oregon’s Outback, Summer Lake Hot Springs isn’t fancy or posh. Its main 15X30-foot pool is located inside a 1928 timber frame and corrugated metal bathhouse that some have compared to an over-sized chicken coop. In recent years, a trio of outdoor geothermally heated ponds have been added.
During wet and windy weather, the indoor pool—flanked on three sides by dressing areas, showers, and bathrooms—is a place to stay dry and warm. Geothermal water from nearby underground aquifers typically ranges between 106 and 113 degrees when it’s piped into the pool.
The small outside ponds—only one or two are heated during the cool winter months—are better for soaking or, most nights, stargazing. Because of its remoteness—Paisley, the nearest community is six miles south while the hamlet of Summer Lake is 22 miles north—there’s little to interfere with the very alive night sky.
Archeological studies indicate the region has been inhabited at least 9,000 years, and that early Indians knew the area as “medicine springs.” Early settlers have soaked in the springs since the late 1800s, and there are stories of cowboys using the waters to shave, bathe, and do laundry. In 1904 it was known as Woodward Springs, named for owners Jonas and Lizzie Woodward, who charged 10 cents a visit.
Duane Graham, who bought the 145-acre property in 1997, first visited the hot springs in 1988 “on a little desert road trip. Then I kept coming back.” Why? “The draw is the hot water, the desert. I’ve always been drawn to the desert.”
The historic focus, the bathhouse, is funky and fun. Its architecture has been described as incidental architecture because “you can’t design or build that kind of building.” Graham has gradually added amenities. He built the outdoor ponds “so you could see the stars at night. It always felt a little confining in the bathhouse.” He added cabins, a dozen RV spaces, and another dozen campsites. Development has been slow and deliberate, with a desire to be eco-friendly and to maintain its kick-back atmosphere.
“I see it as a healing place, not a party place. I want to keep it similar to the way it is.”
The resort’s limited housing is usually occupied, with a year-around occupancy rate of 80-percent plus, especially when winter temperatures discourage tent campers and RVers. Many visitors come from Bend and Portland, but it’s common to meet hot springs aficionados from around the U.S. and the world. During a recent visit, the outside tub was variously shared with regulars from Reno, a recently retired University of California professor, a pair of Southern California vagabonds, and two shaggy-haired, bearded men whose families fled Communist Russia for China and Argentina before immigrating to Portland.
Many believe the silica-rich waters are healing. “That’s what gives your skin that smooth feeling,” Graham says of the silica and other minerals. “To me, it just feels good.”
While the hot springs is the prime attraction, nearby lures include petroglyphs at Picture Rock Pass, geologic curiosities like Crack in the Ground and Fort Rock, fishing along the Chewaucan River, backcountry roads and hiking trails along Winter Rim, occasional music festivals and retreats, birdlife at the Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge, sunstone mines, or just sitting and watching as clouds roll by.
“Most people come and create their own experience,” Graham says.
And, with a temporary lull from work-a-day duties, he striped down to his shorts, sank into the toasty outdoor pool, and created his own experience: savoring a Summer Lake Hot Springs soak as snowflakes, seemingly in no hurry to touch the earth, fluttered in the winter sky.
Summer Lake Hot Springs is located off Highway 31 six miles north of Paisley, Oregon, and 22 miles south of Summer Lake. Cabins and two guest houses, along with RV and camping, are offered. Overnight accommodations range from $20 per camper to about $100 per night for cabins and up to $325 per night for a four-person cabin. For information visit the website at www.summerlakehotsprings.com or call 541-943-3931.
