Beulah Hot Springs

Current status: nothing to soak in

Beulah Hot Springs still flows, but it is no longer a place to soak. For a long time the spring fed a single bathtub inside a small, rough privacy shelter, with hot water running in through a hose. That setup was always basic. A 2003 review on Idaho Hot Springs graded it a D, describing a sunken tub caked with rust and algae, a structure that needed replacing and a flow that came and went. A Soak Oregon reader in 2015 said the water just dribbled out of a pipe.

Hot Springs Locator, which first wrote up the spring in 2018, later added an update saying the tub had disappeared and bathing was no longer possible. We found nothing newer showing that anyone has rebuilt it. Many older lists and maps still show Beulah as a soak, so treat those as out of date.

We have listed it as closed so that nobody drives two hours of gravel expecting a bath. If you are already headed to Beulah Reservoir, it is a curiosity worth a short look. Do not make it the point of the trip.

What you will find

The spring is in Agency Valley, high sagebrush and grazing country in northern Malheur County, at roughly 3,350 to 3,600 feet depending on the source. It sits a few yards west of Beulah Road, just past the upper end of Beulah Reservoir. The reservoir level drops a long way in dry years, and guides describe the area near the spring as former reservoir bed that is now grazed by cattle.

Expect a pipe, damp ground, mineral staining and whatever remains of the old shelter. The water is hot at the source. Hot Springs Locator puts it at about 130-140°F54-60°C and reports that the tub water was about 120°F49°C in September, back when there was a tub. The 2003 reviewer found the tub water too cool, which shows how much the setup depended on how the hose happened to be placed. There are no toilets, trash cans, picnic tables or signs.

The site is listed in the USGS mineral resources database as a geothermal occurrence called Beulah Hot Springs, with no production or development recorded. That database says its own locations are unverified, so use the coordinates on this page as a guide and look for the structure beside the road.

Getting there

Juntura is a tiny town on US-20 in Malheur County, roughly halfway between Burns to the west and Vale and Ontario to the east.

1. From the west end of Juntura, turn north onto Beulah Road.
2. Follow it about 17 miles north. It is gravel the whole way.
3. Past the upper end of Beulah Reservoir, look for the remains of the structure a few yards west of the road. Hot Springs Locator measures it at about 17.4 miles from the turn.

In dry weather a normal car can usually make it if you go slowly. When it rains or snows, the road turns into deep, sticky mud that gets worse as you get closer to the spring. Every guide we checked recommends four-wheel drive or high clearance in wet weather, and Soak Oregon says the road is often closed in winter. If it has rained recently, wait.

There is no fuel or food past Juntura. Fill up in Burns or Vale, carry water, and bring a spare tire.

When to go

Late spring through fall is the only sensible window, and dry spells within it are better. Summer days in this part of Oregon are hot and dusty, and there is no shade at the spring. Fall is cooler and the road is usually dry until the first storms. Winter is a poor time to go, with a muddy or snowbound road and nothing to soak in at the end.

Rules and etiquette

There is no fee and no posted set of rules. Land status is the main thing to keep in mind. Soak Oregon lists the spring as Vale District BLM land in the Malheur Resource Area, yet both Soak Oregon and the Idaho Hot Springs review say the land around it appears to be private, even though maps mark it as BLM. The mineral database lists ownership as unknown.

So:

• Stay on the road side. Do not cross fences or open gates onto ranch land.
• Leave gates as you find them. Cattle graze here.
• Do not try to rebuild a soak. Damming or piping the spring on land you do not own, or without BLM approval, is not allowed.
• Pack out everything. There are no services of any kind.

Where to stay nearby

Camping is not allowed at the spring itself. Hot Springs Locator reports free dispersed camping on the BLM-managed shoreline of Beulah Reservoir, and the older reviews mention BLM camping a few miles back down the road toward Juntura. Bring all your water and plan to be self-sufficient.

For a bed, Burns and Hines to the west and Vale and Ontario to the east have motels and full services. Juntura itself has very little, so do not count on it for supplies.

Safety notes

• Scalding water: The source is hot enough to burn. Keep hands, feet and dogs out of it, and watch children closely.
• Mud: Getting stuck is the most likely problem here. Towing from this far out is slow and expensive.
• No signal: Cell coverage is poor to absent north of Juntura. Tell someone where you are going.
• Heat and sun: Carry more water than you think you need in summer.

Where to soak instead

If you want a real soak on a trip through this corner of Oregon, plan around a developed pool rather than Beulah. Crystal Crane Hot Springs, a commercial soak east of Burns on Highway 78, is the closest option we know of with a maintained pool. Farther south, the Alvord Desert has Alvord Hot Springs, a private ranch campground with two concrete pools. Check current hours and booking rules before you drive to either.