Willow Creek (Whitehorse) Hot Springs

General Description: Two primitive pools under the southeastern Oregon sky.with a BLM campground
General Location: Southeastern Oregon between Jordan Valley and Fields near Whitehorse Ranch
Pool Type: Sand and Gravel with Rocks
Pool Temps: Very Hot (104° - 106° F), Warm (Below 100° F)
(Click to enlarge.)
Accessibility: Year Round
Restrictions: None
Elevation: 4000 feet.
Distance from road: 0.00 mile.
Map Reference: Jordan Resource Area BLM Map, or Burns District South Half BLM Map, or Whitehorse Ranch OR USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle

Videos

The Hot Spring:

  Whitehorse Hot Spring as many of the locals call it, or Willow Creek Hot Spring as it is named in the books, is a gem in the southeastern Oregon high deserts.  The remote desert location, adjacent camping with a nice outhouse, and two different temperatures of water are an amazing combination.  We have visited this spring many times and it has become one of our favorite places to soak because there is something special about this water.  

  There are two pools at Willow Creek, one hotter, and one cooler, divided by a concrete dam.  The hot water bubbles up from under the smaller pool at about 115 deg F.  Usually the average temperature of the pool is between 103 and 106 deg F, but it can cool off in cold and windy conditions.  The second larger pool is the overflow pool from the hot pool and is usually somewhere between 80 and 90 deg F.  Bouncing from the hot to the cool water makes for a great soak, and the cooler pool is very refreshing during the mid-day summer heat.

  Even though it seems like nothing is out in this part of the country, Whitehorse gets quite a lot of visitors, and many of them stay for a week or two.  During hunting season the campground can get packed with excited hunters.  Because of this popularity, camping is prohibited within 100 yards of the springs and limited to 14 days.  The springs are accessible year round but the last couple miles can get very muddy in wet conditions.  Another thing to remember is that the water can cool to below 100 deg F in the winter, and it can get very hot in the summer.

Login or register to add Trip Reports.

Despite the fact that it

Despite the fact that it would appear to be nothing is out in this piece of the nation, Whitehorse gets a considerable amount of guests, and a large number of them stay for a week or two. Amid chasing season the campground can get pressed with energized seekers.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->bali villas

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.