Hot Springs NW of Drewsey Oregon

[Spike]

Does anyone know about the unnamed hot spring, about 11-miles northwest of Drewsey? It is listed at 165`F.

[Kim_S]

Hey Spike,

Google Earth shows it at 43.8662799, -118.542867. Located about 0.3 miles due west of Clark Lane County Road 308 and about 0.4 miles northwest of the nearest structure/house. The spring appears to be near or in a small water stream or ditch and looks like some trees around it. I couldn't find any info about the flow. And you already saw the temp -165 degrees.

I'm only guessing its on private ranch property.

[fetch]

I'd have to agree being so close to human structures, that one is likely on private land. The area is pocketed with warm/hot sources. Some natural, some not. None have been soakable in my limited exploration unless commercial/well developed. If you choose to explore the area yourself, you really need the proper BLM map to know when you are on public lands and when you are not as it is a literal checkerboard out there.

While I'm on the subject even though the GPS widely reported is completely inaccurate Beulah reservoir hot spring, such as it was, appears to be gone. Well, the walls are down either way which made finding the tub impossible unless you want to walk the entire area. What the coords did mark was an area of several hot seeps and a lot of cow pies.

Also, be forewarned there are a lot of "roads" when you look at the area with things like Google maps or online topos that really are 4WD/Jeep tracks. A good example is trying to take the "Drewsey Market Road cutoff" (IIRC) that cuts between 20 and Drewsey Market Road proper. Not a road for a passenger car and forget about it if there's a chance it'd be muddy even if you have a high clearance/4WD vehicle.

[Tim_Messing]

Is this the one your thinking of Spike?



My friend Rodney and I stopped by there in the spring of 2003, I'd really wanted to go looking for some other hot springs in the area but Rodney wasn't much of a hiker.

As I remember Drewsey Grange itself was at the crossroads we parked at. We then walked to the bridge crossing Malhueur River and from there it was one hundred feet upstream past some no tresspassing signs. Took some pictures and went back to the truck. As we were getting ready to go I was confronted by the rancher who owned said parcel of property and he asked what we were doing on his land. Think I told him that I was a student at the University of Washington doing some field work on my thesis on geothermal activity and the related biology in eastern oregon. That calmed him down and he said that he has had loads of problems with the high school crowd from Burns coming making a mess of the place. He didn't want these hot springs publicized in anyway by web or word of mouth.

Seven years have passed since then so if you wanted to see the pictures they are in the Oregon folder on my Photobucket account. Thats as close as I'm going to get on making a link to the pictures. Since they are on marked private property and looked hot enough to kill I say that there are no soaking opportunities at this one.

-- Tim.M

[fetch]

Sure looks like it.

Shame your friend wasn't up for hiking. Not a soakable spring, either, but like many springs in that region interesting nonetheless. Makes me wish some of them could talk.

[Tim_Messing]

Interesting picture. Where did you find that one? If I had to guess I'd say its Altnow Hot Springs but, I've never actually seen or found that one.

-- Tim.M

[TamTam]

Looks like Sitz to me, hard to tell though.

Tamarah

[Spike]

Thanks for the info. This site is so great.