Willamette National Forest in Oregon offers incredibly lush forests, rushing rivers, and best of all, steaming hot springs. One of these amazing sites, McCredie Hot Springs, is the perfect place to kick back, relax, and soak in the beautiful views—and the hot water–in a dense pine tree forest. If you want to enjoy the steamy waters for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about visiting McCredie Hot Springs.
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McCredie Hot Springs is a series of geothermally-heated pools, constructed from river rocks, that overlook Salt Creek. Given its location in a luscious forest, with trees dripping with moss overhead, it’s an absolutely stunning place to spend a couple of hours.
Additionally, given that getting to the springs can be a little confusing (don’t worry- we’ll explain everything below!), they’re usually fairly uncrowded.
Sounds like a dream? It is!
Let’s dive in.
How to Get to McCredie Hot Springs
McCredie Hot Springs are located approximately 13 minutes east of the teeny town of Oakridge, Oregon, in the heart of the Willamette National Forest.
The most important thing to understand about McCredie Hot Springs, though, is that there’s two different hot springs located in two different areas—one on the north side and one on the south side of Salt Creek. Each of these locations is accessed via a different route and only one of them is worth stopping at (spoiler alert—it’s the ones on the south side).
To get to the pool on the north side of the creek, you park in the McCredie Day Use Site, located here, along the Willamette Highway. To park here, it’s a $5 day pass or free with the America the Beautiful Pass. From the parking lot, you walk 0.2 miles through the forest to reach the pool.
However, the pool on the north side of the creek is rather small, shallow (as in, basically only deep enough to stick your feet in), murky, and unfortunately, oftentimes trashed by other visitors.
Sounds appealing? Not exactly!
Accordingly, I would strongly recommend skipping the hot springs on the north side of the creek and, instead, only heading to the springs on the south side (which are AWESOME!). There isn’t a safe way to simply walk from the north side of the creek to the south side, given the level of the rushing water.
Instead, to get to the springs on the south side of the creek, you should drive and park here. I would suggest downloading offline maps (for free) on Google Maps ahead of time, as there’s no cell service here, simply plugging in the GPS coordinates, and being on your way.
However, if you prefer directions:
Getting to McCredie Hot Springs from the east (e.g., Bend or Klamath Falls)
- Driving along the Willamette Highway westbound, you’ll pass the Willamette Pass Inn on your right hand side and will continue driving westbound for 24 miles (it should take about 27 minutes).
- Keep an eye out for a dirt road with a sign that says “Wicopee Fields”, where you’ll turn left (the official name of the road is NF- 5875).
- Continue straight on NF-5875, as it passes over Salt Creek and then curves to the right (there’s a few small roads that shoot off from the left; just ignore ‘em!).
- Park on the wide part of the shoulder along this road, which will be before the road curves uphill to the left.
- There will be a small, dusty path, with a brown “Day Use Only” sign that’s tucked into the trees. You’ve made it to the trailhead!
Getting to McCredie Hot Springs from the west (e.g., Eugene or Salem)
- You’ll drive east on the Willamette Highway past the town of Oakridge and all of its awesome Bigfoot signage (seriously, the Pacific Northwest LOVES Bigfoot).
- Continue driving east for about 10 miles (which should take about 11 minutes). You’ll pass the McCredie Day Use Site on your right hand side, which you should continue past. I repeat, continue driving past the McCredie Day Use Site.
- Keep an eye out for a dirt road with a sign that says “Shady Gap Road” and turn right onto it (the official name of the road is National Forest Road 5875).
- Continue straight on NF-5875, as it passes over Salt Creek and then curves to the right (there’s a few small roads that shoot off from the left; just ignore ‘em!).
- Park on the wide part of the shoulder along this road, which will be before the road curves uphill to the left.
- There will be a small, dusty path, with a brown “Day Use Only” sign that’s tucked into the trees. You’ve made it to the trailhead!
My husband, Justin, and I had done a TON of research on these hot springs ahead of time and felt confident that we knew where to go. However, when we arrived, we STILL weren’t totally sure where to park or where the trailhead was when we arrived here and had to wander around for a while before figuring out where the trailhead was.
So really, if you take one piece of advice from this article, it would be just to use and follow these GPS coordinates in your Google Maps app—you’ll thank me later!
Pssst… we use AllTrails 99.9% of the time to help us navigate to the right trailhead location and along the trail itself. However, for McCredie Hot Springs, the AllTrails map will take you to the pool on the north side of the spring—not the one you want to go to—so I wouldn’t recommend using it!
The Hike to McCredie Hot Springs
- Length: 1.11 miles (round-trip)
- Elevation gain: 95 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
From the trailhead, the path to McCredie Hot Springs is very clear-cut and pretty easy for most hikers.
It meanders along the Salt Creek through the lush forest and, while the path is generally flat, you’ll definitely encounter some roots, fallen trees, and rocks along the way.
When we visited during the summertime, the path was totally dry and easily doable in hiking sandals, like our beloved Tevas (these are the ones Justin has and these are the ones I have).
However, I’ve read the path can get very muddy during or after its rained or in the wetter seasons (i.e., October through May), so, if you visit during one of these periods, I’d suggest using waterproof boots (Justin has—and LOVES—this pair and I have this pair).
After about half a mile on the trail, the trees will clear, giving way to views of the rushing water of Salt Creek and several steaming hot springs!
Immediately in front of you, you’ll see the largest, hottest, and deepest pool you’ll find at McCredie Hot Springs. This also happens to be the murkiest pool of the ones you’ll find over here (given that the floor is dirt and sediment, as opposed to the other ones, which are lined with large river rocks).
There will be a social trail leading around this pool on either side, over a small hill and down to the babbling creek. Here, you’ll usually find a series of four small pools of crystal clear water, leading towards the creek. The pools get progressively colder as you get closer to the stream, but at least the views keep getting better and better!
Just be aware that, as the water level rises in the rainier seasons, some (or all!) of these pools can completely disappear under the creek.
When to Visit McCredie Hot Springs
Good news—there’s really no bad time to visit McCredie Hot Springs!
When we visited in the summertime, the trail was dry and all five pools were easily accessible. That being said, if you visit in the summer, you definitely will have a better chance of having to share the pools with others.
Fall and winter are always my favorite time to visit hot springs—what could be better than jumping into a steamy pool, with a chill in the air and maybe even a dusting of snow on the ground?
That being said, the trail will likely be muddy, some of the hot springs closer to the creek will likely be covered by the rising water level, and, in the heart of winter, you might not be able to access NF-5875, due to snowfall. However, you’re much more likely to get the pools all to yourself during this period.
No matter what time of the year you visit, expect the springs to be more crowded on the weekends and as the day wears on. When Justin and I visited in the summertime on a Friday around 7:45 AM, we encountered one other couple that happened to be packing up as we arrived—and got incredibly lucky to enjoy the pools totally to ourselves for a couple of hours!
I’d imagine that you might not be so lucky if you visited on a weekend or later in the afternoon.
Tips for Visiting McCredie Hot Springs
Once you know where you’re going, visiting McCredie Hot Springs is pretty straightforward, but there’s definitely some things I’d keep in mind.
Expect nudity.
Let’s just get this one out of the way.
At many of the pools you’ll find in the Pacific Northwest, like Umpqua Hot Springs, Scenic Hot Springs, or, yup, McCredie, visitors treat them as being clothing optional—meaning, you shouldn’t be surprised to see people completely naked.
I’ve also read reports about naked people at McCredie (and have personally witnessed at other hot springs) nude people doing everything from, ahem, exotic photoshoots to yoga in the nude.
If this makes you uncomfortable, you might want to skip this experience and head to a commercial hot spring in Oregon instead, like Lithia Springs Resort or Belknap Hot Springs.
It may not be child-friendly.
In line with the last tip, it’s not unusual to see folks drinking or smoking at hot springs, especially as the day wears on. If you’re looking to visit with a kiddo (and are okay with possible nudity), I’d suggest visiting during the daytime hours on a weekday to avoid the party crowd.
The pools closer to the creek can be a bit smelly.
Justin and I are weirdos and have come to positively associate the smell of sulfur with all of our favorite places, like Iceland and Japan.
However, we know that lots of people aren’t fans of sulfur—and luckily, we didn’t really notice any kind of smell in the largest pool at McCredit Hot Spring. However, if you’re particularly sensitive to the sulfur smell, you might want to skip the pools closer to the creek—I did notice a teeny bit of a smell in those ones.
There are no changing or toilet facilities here.
These hot springs are totally undeveloped, meaning you won’t find any kind of changing rooms or toilets here.
Before heading to the hot spring, I’d suggest stopping at the McCredie Day Use Site, which is about half a mile west of the trailhead on the Willamette Highway and has a reasonably clean pit toilet.
If nature calls while you’re in the hot spring, remember to follow the leave no trace principles and always pee at least 200 feet away from any kind of water source (including the hot springs themselves!), to protect the environment and other visitors.
The pool on the north side has had some worrisome reports.
If you decide not to heed my suggestion of just heading to the springs on the south side of Salt Creek, please be aware that there have been a number of reports on AllTrails of naked men intentionally exposing themselves, touching themselves inappropriately, and otherwise acting creepy around women at the pool on the north side of the creek.
I personally would avoid visiting the spring on the north side of the creek by myself, especially as a woman. Be safe out there, guys!
There isn’t cell service anywhere nearby.
We didn’t get cell service (using T-Mobile) anywhere near McCredie Hot Springs, including in the town of Oakridge. In fact, we were probably at least half an hour away from the springs before we got service of any kind back on our phone.
So, remember to download offline maps on Google Maps, save the trailhead’s GPS coordinates ahead of time, and make any notes you’ll need to access the hot springs (like saving this article!) ahead of time.
Leave no trace.
Hot springs are SO cool, guys—they’re Mother Nature’s own hot tub! So let’s please treat them with the respect they deserve.
Pack out whatever trash you bring in, be respectful to other visitors, and generally leave them a little bit better than you found them.
Can you camp at McCredie Hot Springs?
No. Given that both of the areas around the pools to the north and south of Salt Creek are day-use only, camping is strictly prohibited.
The Blue Pool Campground is about a mile west of the trailhead, along the Willamette Highway and costs $21 per night. The sites are definitely more on the primitive side (there’s potable water available, but no RV hook-ups of any kind), but the campground’s location, in a mossy forest straight out of a fairytale, is so incredibly gorgeous. Justin and I stayed here for a night before hitting up the hot springs and loved it!
Where to Stay When Visiting McCredie Hot Springs
Not the camping type?
Not to worry—there’s plenty of places to stay near McCredie Hot Springs. Given that this area is fairly remote, the accommodations in the area certainly aren’t luxurious (just being honest!), but they’re plenty cozy to spend a few nights while you explore this beautiful area.
Check out:
- Arbor Inn Motel: This motel offers impeccably clean rooms with comfy beds, friendly staff, and a beautiful location, right on the river. What more could you want?!
- Westfir Lodge: This little lodge has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, like an onsite bar and TONS of amenities, from cozy bathrobes in every room to an outdoor fireplace and garden to relax in the evenings.
- Shelter Cove Resort and Marina: Shelter Cove is a bit further away from McCredie Hot Springs than the other two options (about half an hour), but given its location a bit further east, this might be a great home base if you’re planning on also visiting Crater Lake, considered to be one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon, or Newberry Volcanic National Monument, including the incredible Paulina Lake Hot Springs!
You’ll find a mixture of accommodations at this resort, ranging from small cabins to three-bedroom houses, all of which come with an equipped kitchen, comfy beds, and stunning views of O’Dell Lake.
I hope you enjoy McCredie Hot Springs as much as we did! Do you have any questions about visiting? Let me know in the comments below!
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