Situated in the middle of a national forest, Breitenbush Hot Springs is a special place. The largest hot springs in the Cascades Mountain range are nestled between mountains created by volcanoes along the Breitenbush River. Entirely off the grid, the community makes its own electricity, filters its water, and uses geothermal energy to heat its buildings. The hot springs are clothing optional, but many people choose to wear swimsuits in the pools. Breitenbush is also not served by cell phones or Wi-Fi, so contact with the outside is minimized, and guests can truly get away and appreciate the beauty of the setting.
History of the Hot Springs at Breitenbush
Famous throughout the Pacific Northwest as a fantastic site for hot springs, Breitenbush has attracted families and individuals for thousands of years. For the Indigenous peoples of Oregon, the hot springs were a place where different tribes met to take advantage of the heat and healing qualities of the pools. Kalapuya and Molalla groups came from the west side of the Cascades, while Chinookan and Sahaptin groups arrived from the east. The site was a place for feasts, trading, and ceremonies during the summers.
The first white people to experience the springs were trappers heading through the area in the 1840s. In the 1880s, Judge John Waldo, Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, visited and found the spring breathtaking. He moved to write to then-President Grover Cleveland to encourage him to protect the surrounding forest by creating the Cascade Forest Reserve. This was the precursor to all of the National Forests in the Cascades region.
The tourism era for Breitenbush started in 1927 when Merle Bruckman bought the land. He built a lodge and other outbuildings to welcome visitors to the springs. The hot springs were a popular vacation destination for Marion County residents, particularly for the next 20 years. When Bruckman retired, he sold the property, and it went through multiple owners before being shut down and fenced in 1972.
The Breitenbush Community
The current era of Breitenbush Hot Springs started in 1977. Alex Beamer purchased the property specifically to create an intentional community to operate the hot springs, and this model has continued to the present. Since 1989, the Breitenbush community as a group has owned and operated the retreat and conference center communally – an unusual set-up for this kind of property. Visitors were welcomed starting in 1981.
The early years of the Breitenbush community coincided with years of conflict over the role of logging in Oregon’s old-growth forests. Members of the community filed appeals against timber sales in the area and worked with different environmental groups to prevent clearcutting. In 1993, the community got help from the Clinton Forest Plan, which essentially stopped most regional logging.
Just months into the 2020 pandemic, a fire tore through Breitenbush, and many of the buildings in the community were destroyed. The forest itself was decimated. Building back has taken an enormous amount of work to clear the damage, replant the forest, and rebuild the structures. The efforts and fundraising continue even as the hot springs welcome returning visitors. Roads were also affected, and roadwork is ongoing. Accessing the springs can be challenging because of the roadwork, so visitors should check the website to ensure their route is open.
Visiting Breitenbush Today
As Breitenbush has rebuilt since 2020, more and more visiting possibilities have opened. Guests can now choose between coming for the day or overnight or signing up for one of the workshops and special weekends. Many events center on healing and bodywork – from yoga and ecstatic dance to grief healing.
There are a variety of activities to choose from. The meadow pools include one that is entirely for silent contemplation. The spiral tubs include water at different temperatures, including a cold plunge. Visitors can also sweat it out in the sauna, follow the Labyrinth, or even swim in the chilly Breitenbush River. The Breitenbush Retreat and Conference Center is at the center of an extensive network of hiking trails that span miles of the National Forest. For meals, Breitenbush offers a daily vegetarian buffet and is an entirely substance-free facility.
For those wanting to get away from it all and relax in amazing nature, Breitenbush Hot Springs might be just what you are looking for. A truly unique destination in Marion County, the geothermal springs have brought people back for centuries.
Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat and Conference Center
53000 Breitenbush Road SE, Detroit
