The Hot Spring:

    Scenic Hot Spring is by far the best soak in Washington near Seattle that is open all year round.  It is so nice because the water is a good temperature and an amazing view of the mountains and the water makes you feel pretty good.  Unfortunately the spring is not open for public use and if caught on the property you could get banned or even get tresspassing charges.  In early 2010 video cameras were intalled at the forest service road entrance and at the spring itself to keep tresspassers out. 

    The spring was closed in 2005 by the local sheriff who destroyed all the wooden tubs and structures because of bad behavior and overuse of the site.  After this the property changed owners and the current owner is trying to get permits to re-open the spring.  If you want to soak, there are cleaning parties a couple times a year, and you can meet the owner and possibly get permission to use the site.

    After the wooden tubs and decks were destroyed, the only tub left is the one big concrete pool.  Volunteers cleaned the site of wood debris and lined the concrete pool with tarps that are set in place very nicely.  The pool is divided into two sides by a wood board divider and one side is about 106 degrees fahrenheit and the other is about 102 degrees fahrenheit or so.  The pools stay at these temperatures even into the cold winter but if it is really cold the pools could be as cool as about 101 degrees on the hot side.  There are always siphon hoses around the pool and many times a scrub brush is around also.

    To get to the springs you need to climb one of the steepest 2.5 mile hikes ever!  The hike starts steep and then gets steeper and steeper all the way to the spring.  This is nice because it keeps many people out and it makes it so your legs are ready to soak when you get there.  Even with the hike and the cameras there are still many visitors that seem to leave garbage often, so bringing some trash bags to clean the site is always a good thing to do.  Also cleaning the site is a good thing to do when visiting any hot spring but especially when it is on private property and you need permission to be there.