Bagby Hot Springs is in need of a makeover.
The U.S. Forest Service announced Wednesday that it is seeking private and public entities to help manage the natural hot springs nestled into the woods of the Mount Hood National Forest, in search of a “new vision” for Bagby.
The site includes two bathhouses, two tool sheds, a cabin, a bunkhouse and an 18-site campground, the forest service said, though several of the buildings need repairs and renovation. One bathhouse was recently demolished due to “severe deterioration and rot,” making it unsafe for anyone to be in or on the structure, forest officials said.
The current tubs and bathhouses were constructed at Bagby in 1979, after a fire destroyed tubs that dated back to 1939. The natural hot springs are thought to have been used by local Native American tribes for hundreds of years before white settlers first built structures there in 1908. The hot springs are located on the traditional lands of the Molalla tribes.
Despite its laid-back forest setting, Bagby has attracted vandalism, litter and crime over the years, convincing the forest service to outsource management to a private vendor, California Land Management, in 2012. The new vendor banned public nudity, alcohol and camping, and issued a $5 per person soaking fee in place of the $5 parking fee at the trailhead leading up to the pools.
California Land Management’s permit with the U.S. Forest Service expires at the end of 2021, forest officials said. Depending on the new proposals, the forest service could renew the existing permit at Bagby, issue a new permit to somebody else, or offer a permit for joint management.
That decision will be determined by what ideas are put forth for the hot springs. Interested parties must submit proposals by Sept. 9. Details about submitting a proposal can be found online at fs.usda.gov/goto/mthood/rfei.
Forest rangers are also inviting interested parties to tour the site July 29. Those who want to attend must RSVP to sm.fs.mthpermits@usda.gov by July 19.
“I am looking forward to seeing submitted proposals with the creative concepts people have for this site,” Jackie Groce, a district ranger for the Mount Hood National Forest said in a news release. “This is a great opportunity to bring new ideas to a place used by generations of forest visitors.”
--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB
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