2.6 hr
Overview
NOTICE: Trails in this area have been affected by the 2021 Bull Complex Fire. Please check current closures in the Clackamas River Ranger District before planning an outing. The Bagby Hot Springs Trail #544, originally called the South Fork Mountain Trail, is a historic route, used by settlers since the mid-19th century and by Native Americans before that. It essentially splits the Bull of the Woods Wilderness as it climbs from Bagby Hot Springs and then continues, for a total length of 12 1/2 miles, to Elk Lake. From the trailhead, the northern section described here is a wonderland of massive old growth and pristine creeks as yet unscarred by recent fires. The trail follows the Hot Springs Fork of the Collawash River as it crosses numerous side creeks, many of them named. Once in the wilderness area, the trail is often brushy, and there may be some blowdown to negotiate. The overhanging shrubbery, when wet, will give you a solid soaking, so make sure you come equipped with rain gear. Of course, a major attraction (or blight, to some) on the trail are the Bagby Hot Springs themselves. They are well worth a stopover at the end of your hike. Friends of Bagby Hot Springs long ago restored the communal and individual soaking tubs that were destroyed in an act of arson in 1979. The place is still popular but rather more sedate (alcohol is prohibited) and much, much safer. A $5 soaking fee, payable at the trailhead, is required for use of the bathhouse facilities, which are now managed by a concessionaire. Make sure you wear the wristband provided. Clothing is optional only at the bathhouses themselves. Take the wide trail and cross the footbridge over pristine Nohorn Creek. You will enter a lovely old-growth forest of large Douglas-firs with western red-cedar, western hemlock, and an understory of yew, vine maple, and Oregon grape. The path crosses a short boardwalk, and soon you’ll see the Hot Springs Fork of the Collawash River flowing to your left. This scene, with the mossy rocks and shallow pools of the c
Trail Stats
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777 m
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