Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa

What to expect

Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa is a big, lodge-style hotel in the woods above North Bonneville, on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, about 45 miles east of Portland. It has had a rocky decade. The resort closed in January 2017, when a drug and alcohol treatment provider planned to turn it into a rehab center. That never happened and the building sat empty. In October 2024 Universal Health Services sold it to Fusion Lodging, which runs about a dozen Oregon Coast hotels, for $12.3 million. After a renovation it reopened to guests in early 2025, now with 68 rooms.

The draw is still the spring water. The resort pipes its geothermal mineral water into an indoor pool and hot tub, an outdoor hot tub and the soaking tubs in its bathhouse. Its water analysis lists sulfates, silica, carbonate and calcium as the main minerals. Around the pools are a sauna and cold plunges for hot-and-cold cycling. The lobby is built around a tall river-stone fireplace, a feature that survived the renovation.

This is a family-capable resort, unlike Carson Hot Springs up the road. Children can use the indoor pool with an adult, and there is a kiddie pool and a mini golf course. The outdoor hot tub is for adults only.

Do not confuse this place with Bonneville Hot Springs in Idaho, a wild spring near Lowman with a similar name.

The pools

• Indoor mineral pool and hot tub. Spring-fed, open year-round, and the main soaking area for day visitors. Children welcome with supervision.
• Outdoor hot tub. Spring-fed. Guests under 18 are not allowed.
• Outdoor pool. Open seasonally.
• Kiddie pool for small children.
• Sauna and cold plunges next to the pools.
• Balcony hot tubs. Many guest rooms have a private hot tub on the balcony, filled with spring water.

The resort does not publish pool temperatures. Ask at the desk on arrival.

The resort asks for a quiet atmosphere: no screaming, splashing, jumping or diving. Pool toys are not allowed, except arm floaties and life jackets.

The bathhouse and spa

Bath and wrap treatments are back. You soak in a warm mineral bath in a shared bathhouse where each tub is screened by partitions, then lie wrapped in warm blankets. The spa adjusts the water temperature to suit you, and may add salts or botanicals. Guests are asked to keep voices low, and swimwear or underwear is recommended. The spa also offers massages and facials. Treatments are generally for guests 18 and over, with some exceptions for younger guests with parental consent. Book online, by phone or at the spa desk.

Getting there

The resort is at 1252 E Cascade Drive in North Bonneville, a small city on Washington State Route 14.

• From Portland: Take I-84 east to Cascade Locks, cross the Bridge of the Gods toll bridge to Washington, and turn left (west) on SR 14 for a few miles to North Bonneville. Or stay on the Washington side and drive SR 14 east from Vancouver. Either way it is roughly an hour.
• From Vancouver, WA: SR 14 east through Camas and Washougal, about 40 miles.
• From Seattle: About 200 miles, via I-5 south to Vancouver and then SR 14.

In town, follow the signs to the resort. Parking is free for guests. Public transit is limited, so plan to drive.

When to go

The resort is open all year. Rain is the norm from fall to spring in the western Gorge, which is when an indoor mineral pool makes the most sense. Summer is busier with Gorge sightseers and is the only time the outdoor pool is open. Weekday afternoons are the easiest time to get a day pass.

Prices and booking

• Day-use passes: sold by the hour, in one-hour and two-hour blocks, online or at the desk, subject to daily capacity. The resort does not publish a single fixed price, and rates vary with day and season. Check the website when you book.
• Rentals: towel $3, lock $2. Unreturned items cost $20 (towel) and $10 (lock).
• Overnight stays: include the hot springs, pools, fitness center, towels and robes, parking and Wi-Fi. A 5% nightly resort fee is added to the room rate, plus tax. Breakfast is not included, but the café sells small breakfast plates.
• Spa treatments: priced separately and best booked ahead.

Phone: (509) 219-6108.

Where to stay nearby

• On site: 68 rooms and suites, many with balcony hot tubs, plus Pacific Crest Dining and a café.
• Beacon Rock State Park, just west of North Bonneville, has a campground and the steep trail up Beacon Rock.
• Stevenson, about 7 miles east on SR 14, has Skamania Lodge, restaurants and shops.
• Carson Hot Springs Resort, about 12 miles east in Carson, has old clawfoot-tub mineral baths for adults. See Carson Hot Springs Resort. Shipherd’s Hot Springs, a primitive spring on the Wind River near Carson, is another option for experienced soakers.
• Cascade Locks, across the Bridge of the Gods in Oregon, has motels, a marine park and food.

Safety notes

• Hot water. Keep hot tub sessions short, drink water and cool off between rounds. Get out if you feel dizzy.
• Children. An adult must supervise kids at all times in the pool area, and children in diapers need swim diapers.
• Health claims. The resort’s marketing makes strong claims about the water’s healing effects. Treat those as marketing. If you are pregnant or have heart or blood pressure problems, ask your doctor before long hot soaks.

Nearby stops worth adding

Bonneville Lock and Dam has a visitor center with fish-viewing windows a few minutes away. Across the river, the Historic Columbia River Highway leads to Multnomah Falls. Back on the Washington side, the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center in Stevenson covers the region’s history.