Austin hot spring in Oregon, gives soakers an unwanted surprise.
In the fall of 2008 two women and a young child were badly scalded when they stumbled into the wrong pool.
Austin hot springs is on private land, and is closed to the public. However, this doesn’t deter the nearly 50,000 people that continue to flock there to enjoy camping and soaking.
Please let this be a reminder that as amazing as hot springs are, they can be dangerous. Heed caution to any warning signs posted and use common sense.
Happy Soaking
HSG has been driving, hiking and backpacking his way through the backcountry of the northwest since 1996; one hot springs at a time. Aside from years of experience, he has department of water quality (DEQ) watershed and geothermal energy training, and can actually tell you if a hot springs is ‘safe to soak’ – in addition to the history, social attitudes and accessibility information for almost any hot springs in the northwest.