Holy smokes! Three nights on the road, and we found gold! After a couple of nights of nearly freezing temps at the higher elevations, we were set on finding something warm to get into! And shoot Juntura Hot Springs did not disappoint!
Eastern Oregon is full of all sorts of hot springs. They range from paid-for hot springs, to single-person springs, and then the holy grails of hot springs like Juntura.
Juntura Hot Springs is a free hot spring large enough for an entire football team to get in!
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Getting to Juntura Hot Springs
Located just outside of Burns, Oregon, the town of Juntura is really small. The only way to know you’re coming up on a town is the trees that surround Juntura. Blink and you’re already through the entire town. A couple more minutes down the road is a dirt road on the edge of a turn — and there you’ll find these hidden hot springs.
Thanks to freecampsites.net, and some Google recon, we were able to find the springs rather easily.. accessing them on the other hand isn’t really meant for anything other than a high clearance vehicle. (More on that below).
Google Pin of Juntura Hot Springs
A quick Google search for the hot springs will take you to this pin point. And while you can access Juntura Hot Springs from Juniper Gulch (where the map will take you_, you’ll have to forge the Malheur River! A couple of people did this while we were at the springs (in October), and so we know it can be done, however, there are a couple of alternative approaches!
Non-High Clearance Vehicle Access
If you don’t have a high clearance vehicle, we recommend you park at this old broken down bridge, then walk the 1/2 mile to the hot springs. To do so, cross over the bridge (via foot) and then hang a left, following the dirt road all the way to the water.
From there, you’ll see rocks piled up to get you across the water, and then follow the path through the bushes. Once you get out of the bushes, go basically directly across the island, and you’ll see the hot springs!
High Clearance Vehicle Access
We saw a couple of vehicles down closer to the springs, and it just so happened that one of the trucks was leaving as we were game-planning a way to get closer to the springs after getting to the old bridge. We popped open maps.me (one of our favorite van life apps) and saw another road leading to the other side of the bridge.
This is where the large truck was coming up. We watched him hop and bop down the terrible dirt road, and weren’t too sure we would make it with our weighed down Previa.
However, if there’s a will, there’s a way.. and sweaty palms, near tears, and loads of prayers that we didn’t get stuck!
This road is the way to access Juntura Hot Springs if you have a high clearance vehicle. We made it in our Previa, and there was a little hatchback Volkswagen down the road too, and even a Prius!! However, honestly, we wouldn’t recommend doing the drive without high clearance.
If you want to drive down, take it slow and steady. Check where the weak spots (low points) are under your vehicle and make sure to keep that side of the vehicle on the high spots in the road.
You may even want to walk the road a bit first to make sure you’re comfortable driving it, as there are no real turnaround points until some major washed-out sections of the road!
What Kind of Vehicle Do You Need to Get To Juntura Hot Springs + Camping Area
Willy, our Previa, made it, but just barely! We also saw all sorts of vehicles down at the campsites when we were there. One lady was driving a Prius, another couple was driving a Volkswagen, but most people were in big rig trucks.
There were even some hunters that came down pulling a full-on trailer.. Honestly have no clue how they made it!
It really comes down to what you’re comfortable driving, and how maneuverable your vehicle is. If in doubt, just park up at the old bridge and walk the half-mile to the springs!
Don’t think you can make it there? Check out more in the area…
Couple Adventures in Bend, Oregon
Finding Free Places to Camp in Oregon
Things to do in Central Oregon
The Painted Cove Trail of The Painted Hills
Oregon’s Blue Basin — Something You’ll Never Believe Exists in Oregon
Juntura Hot Spring Full Review
How Big is Juntura Hot Spring
There is one main pool that literally a hundred people could soak in, and a couple of smaller hot spring pools closer to the river. Juntura’s big hot spring is about three feet deep in the deepest part, and is perfect to get some full-body soaking in!
The smaller springs are much more shallow, however, they make the perfect little pools to lay completely flat in with your head just resting on rocks surrounding the spring! When the river water level is higher from spring runoff, the smaller soaking pools are completely covered by the river.
The Location of the Hot Springs
The hot springs themselves are absolutely lovely. They’re located on an island right on a horseshoe bend of the river, making it a truly dreamy location.
The highway is just on the other side of a hill from the hot springs, and while most of the road noise gets blocked out, you can still hear the road sometimes. This is especially true when semi-trucks are j-braking going through the canyon.
There’s little light pollution at the springs and the night sky is beautiful. You’ll get a bit of light in the hills as cars drive by on the highway, but the lights never actually shine on the springs, so it’s really nice!
The Floor of Juntura Hot Springs
There are rocks in the springs to sit on, or you can just kind of float around. The bottom of the big spring is just dirt, so it’s really soft to walk around on and be in. The smaller springs are mainly little river rock pebbles, making the water a bit less murky with move around in.
A few large rocks, paired oddly enough with some cement slabs make for multiple places to just lounge in the springs! Honestly, you could even just sit on the dirt bottom to the springs and be just fine!
The Temperature of the Hot Springs
The smaller pools are quite a bit warmer than the large one in our experience, but all of them are a fantastic temperature!
When heat bubbles come up from underground, it’s so hot it feels like it’s burning.. but the overall temperature of the water is perfect!
Camping at Juntura Hot Springs
Quick Facts on Camping at Juntura Hot Springs
- No toilets
- No facilities or services
- Lots of great flat spots
- There are a couple of secluded spots if you have extremely high clearance
- Loads of fire rings, but no fires if windy.. and no wood around, so need to pack your own
- During hunting season, can get busy with hunters
- Right on the river, so easy to filter water as need be
- Walking distance from hot springs
- Not very much shade — so probably pretty hot in the summer
- No cell service
- Pack it in, Pack it out
Camping at Juntura Hot Springs
With all that said, Juntura Hot Springs offers some phenomenal free camping! After getting past the rough part of the road, there are loads of different places to park up for a night or two, and plenty of flat spots to pitch a tent!
With fire rings scattered all throughout the area, you’ll be lucky to actually have a fire with the winds. But shoot — if it’s not windy, and not fire season, there are plenty of fire rings around for the taking!
We visiting Juntura Hot Springs in October and stayed for three nights. The area definitely got more crowded over the weekend, however, was never too busy for us to feel too close to people or uncomfortable letting Georgie (our cat) roam around outside.
The dirt road across the river from the camping area is quite busy with hunters going to and from their camp during hunting season, but other than that, the road noise from the highway is really no bother and basically comes to an end in the evening.. minus the occasional sound of a semi-truck or car.
If you choose to camp here, please leave the place better than you found it. Pack out all your trash.. including your used toilet paper. And jiminy-cricket…Dig a freaking hole to use the bathroom.
And, one more thing.. don’t cut down branches off living trees for your fires! (Yes, we actually saw someone trying to do this and obviously, the living tree didn’t light! Duh!!)
And for the love of Oregon….
DO NOT HAVE A FIRE IF IT’S FIRE SEASON… yes, the signs say don’t have a fire if it’s windy out.. and to completely put out your fire before leaving it.. but shoot — common sense also says don’t have a fire during fire season! It’s literally illegal, and also a huge way that forest fires start!!
Honestly, if you’re not going to respect nature and take care of the place.. then don’t come here! It’s not for you. Go to a paid for hot spring and campground that have bathrooms, trash bins, and proper fire rings that are allowed to be used during fire season.
More to Explore in the Area
Couple Adventures in Bend, Oregon
Finding Free Places to Camp in Oregon
Things to do in Central Oregon
The Painted Cove Trail of The Painted Hills
Oregon’s Blue Basin — Something You’ll Never Believe Exists in Oregon
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