Things to do nearOlympic Hot Springs

Situated within Olympic National Park in Washington State, Olympic Hot Springs has drawn visitors since the early twentieth century, when a small resort once operated nearby. That development is long gone, and the area has returned to a wilder character that suits the surrounding park landscape.

The springs are reached via a roughly two-mile trail from the Appleton Pass trailhead area, passing through dense temperate rainforest along Boulder Creek. Visitors encounter a string of shallow soaking pools of varying temperatures, each fed by geothermal water seeping naturally from the hillside. No facilities or infrastructure exist at the pools themselves.

Wildlife sightings along the trail are common, including Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, and a range of bird species native to the Olympic Peninsula. The forest floor is thick with ferns and mosses, giving the walk a lush, otherworldly quality even before you reach the springs.

Olympic Hot Springs offers something increasingly rare: a natural thermal experience without crowds, commerce, or development. For those who value quiet immersion in an intact wilderness setting, it remains one of the Pacific Northwest's most rewarding backcountry destinations.