Snively Hot Springs in Oregon: Ultimate Guide

It’s hard to beat soaking in a natural hot spring, especially when you have such magnificent views to enjoy. Snively Hot Spring, located in eastern Oregon near the border with Idaho, is one of those places where you can do just that.

In this article, I’ll share my recent experience at Snively Hot Springs and offer some tips to help you make the most of your visit, as they can be a bit unpredictable!

What is Snively Hot Spring

Snively Hot Springs is a natural hot spring located in eastern Oregon, near the border with Idaho. It is situated on the bank of the Owyhee River and is a popular spot for visitors seeking a relaxing soak..

The pool is man-made, with hot spring water reportedly routed from Deer Butte Hot Springs (you can see the pipeline as you arrive at the springs). This hot water mixes with the cold Owyhee River water to make an ideal soaking temperature. But more on that later….

A few things to know about visiting the hot springs….

• The site is closed from sunset to sunrise
• If you’re visiting in the spring when there is peak summer snow melt, be advised that the water levels may be too high to soak in the springs. (The pictures that you will see in this article are from early August.)
• Glass containers are not allowed at the Hot Springs and there is no camping or fires allowed.
• I read that there could be poison ivy near the pools and the trails (but we did not run into any thankfully).
• Nudity is considered to be a nuisance

Getting to Snively Hot Spring

If you are headed to Snively Hot Spring I highly recommend that you download a map off-line because chances are you will have zero service out here.

We made the trip from Boise, Idaho, and there were a lot of twists and turns involved in the route so it might be difficult to remember how to get out if you don’t have access to GPS.

Visiting Snively Hot Spring

I’m still a relative newcomer to hot springs, to be honest.

I really fell in love with soaking in hot springs during our month-long stay in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I realized just how therapeutic the waters can be, and ever since then, I’ve been looking for more opportunities to soak.

The springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas, offer a completely different experience, though. The water there is routed, cooled down, and then pumped through various bathhouses, so you don’t have the opportunity to soak in a natural setting.

That was really appealed to me about Snively Hot Spring.

The drive up from Idaho is interesting because you pass through the typical agricultural landscapes found along the Snake River in southern Idaho. Then, all of a sudden, you start to approach this canyon, and it’s like you’re in a completely different world.

When you arrive, you will come across two parking lots. I know this place can get busy based on some of the photos I’ve seen, so we opted to arrive right at sunrise, which is around the time the park opens since they don’t allow overnight access.

We were the only ones there and made our way to the hot springs, which is just a very short walk from the parking lot—no hiking necessary.

Immediately, I was impressed by the scenery. It’s one thing to be able to soak in a hot spring, but it’s quite another to do it in such a magnificent canyon setting. It was just beautiful.

I first stepped into the small creek that channels the hot spring water to the hot spring pool. The water was scalding hot, and I had to jump out immediately! Then I tried stepping into the water just outside the pool, which was freezing cold, and I quickly retreated again.

I had heard about the temperature fluctuations at Snively Hot Springs, but at this point, I was starting to think this was going to be a battle of extremes, making the experience quite uncomfortable.

But then I ventured further into the pool and found more moderate temperatures, which my Apple Watch told me was about 100 to 101º F.

The pool is not very deep (~2 to 3 feet deep), so you mostly lie on your back or stomach to soak, or sit partially submerged. In some ways, it reminded me of a sitz bath.

The bottom is rocky, so having water shoes would help you get around. If you’re barefoot, you can still manage—just move a bit slowly. You won’t find many jagged rocks on the bottom; instead, there are larger river stones and finer gravel-like rocks, so it’s not too bad.

You can use the pool’s border rocks to prop up your head like a “rock pillow.” I know that doesn’t sound very appealing, but with your buoyancy in the water, it actually becomes quite comfortable.

I finally found a position I liked and just lay down—it was so peaceful.

You have the river running right behind your head, so you can enjoy the soothing sounds of the water while bobbing in the warm hot spring pool, surrounded by stunning canon walls. The fact that we had it all to ourselves for a while was amazing, definitely one of the biggest highlights of my Pacific Northwest travels.

Anyway, after soaking for a bit, I started to notice the underwater streams of different temperatures hitting me. Sometimes the water was very hot, and other times it was a bit cooler. When the really hot jets hit me, I just raised my legs out of the water, and it was fine.

I also ventured to another part of the pool, which was significantly cooler.

On one hand, it’s a bit annoying not to have a stable temperature, but on the other hand, it makes the experience feel more natural. I kind of liked the unpredictability and the fact that you didn’t really know what to expect from one moment to the next.

The only drawback for me was the litter. I saw beer cans, discarded joints, and bottle caps. I simply can’t fathom leaving behind that kind of trash at a place like this, but unfortunately, destinations like this do attract people who just don’t seem to care.

After about 30 to 45 minutes of taking in the sunrise, soaking, and just relaxing, it was time for us to head out.

There is a vault toilet on site you could use to change but because nobody was around we just changed behind some bushes.

This was actually my very first experience in Oregon and it was just a fantastic morning that I will surely remember for a while. If we didn’t have to get back to tend to our dog, I would’ve loved to have explored more of the canyon including Lake Owyhee State Park.