Hunters Hot Springs Oregon: Old Perpetual & 104°F Pool

Old Perpetual and the pool: what makes Hunter's Hot Springs worth the stop

Old Perpetual is the headline. Oregon's continuously spouting geyser throws a plume of 200 degree water 50 to 60 feet into the air roughly every 90 seconds, and the water it discharges fills the ponds around the property that draw a varied bird population. The geyser is among the best-known attractions in Lakeview, and watching it costs you nothing but the time it takes to wait for the next eruption.

The pool is the second draw. It is an outdoor hot mineral pool kept at about 104 degrees, and guests and day visitors can both use it, with dressing rooms and shower facilities on site. That combination of a soakable pool and a geyser on the same plot is what separates this stop from the many single-pool resorts along the corridor.

Where Hunter's Hot Springs sits: US 395, about 2 miles north of Lakeview

The resort stands at 18088 N Highway 395, roughly 2 miles north of Lakeview in Lake County. Heading north out of town, the property appears on the east side of the highway, so you do not need a map or a forest road to find it. Lakeview, 2 miles south, is the nearest full-service town, with groceries, fuel, restaurants, and the Lakeview Airport.

Paved parking sits directly off the highway, which makes the stop easy for RVs, trailers, and anyone traveling with a full car. The site is generally level between the parking area, the pool deck, and the geyser viewing area, so it works as a leg-stretch stop as well as a soak.

Getting there: drive times from Lakeview, Klamath Falls, and Bend

From Lakeview the drive is about 5 minutes north on Highway 395, which makes the spring an easy add-on to a town stay. From Klamath Falls, the run north on Highway 395 takes approximately 2 hours. From Bend, the route goes south and east on Highway 31 through Summer Lake, then south on Highway 395, for a total of roughly 2.5 to 3 hours.

That geography puts Hunter's on the natural overnight line between the Klamath Basin and the high desert country around Burns and Summer Lake. If you are working through the bigger list of hot springs in oregon, this is the one developed stop on the US 395 stretch near Lakeview, which changes how you plan the rest of the day: you can soak here without a hike, then save the primitive soaks for the following morning.

The outdoor mineral pool: about 104°F, untreated alkaline sulfate water, drained and refilled nightly

The outdoor pool is maintained at approximately 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The geothermal source behind it reaches 185 to 205 degrees, and the water is cooled before it reaches the pool, so what you step into is far tamer than what comes out of the ground. The water is untreated, alkaline, and rich in sulfate, which is why it often carries a greenish tint; that color is a mineral characteristic, not a sign of poor upkeep.

The pool is drained and refilled nightly, which matters if you are choosing between a late-afternoon soak and a morning one. At 104 degrees, the pool sits at the warm end of what most people find comfortable for a long soak, so plan to alternate soaking with time on the deck.

Swimwear is required in the soaking pool and the surrounding area, and this is not a clothing-optional spring. The pool accommodates both swimmers and soakers, which makes it workable for families and groups with mixed preferences. Children should be supervised around the water and kept well away from the geyser vent and its outflow channels.

Old Perpetual: a 200°F plume roughly 50 to 60 feet high every 90 seconds

Old Perpetual discharges water at approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit to heights of 50 to 60 feet about every 90 seconds. The geyser formed by accident during well-drilling in the 1920s, when Harry Hunter was developing the resort, and the viewing area has traditionally been open to the public. That eruption interval is short enough that you can settle in and catch several cycles without a long wait.

The geyser's activity has varied over the decades, including a pause after 2009 before it resumed. If the geyser is the main reason for your trip, ask about its current activity when you call ahead. Either way, keep to the designated viewing distance and stay back from the vent and the hot runoff channels around it.

Day use and overnight stays: pool access, dressing rooms, showers, and the historic motel and restaurant

The pool is part of a motel-style resort, and the property's restaurant and lodging have historically served overnight guests and diners. Day visitors have historically been able to use the mineral pool for a fee, with dressing rooms and showers on site. The resort has been under new ownership with a planned reopening, so call to find out what is available on the day you plan to arrive.

Overnight lodging has historically included pool access for guests, which is the simplest way to make the soak the centerpiece of a Lakeview night rather than a quick pull-off. The trade-off is that a day visit is lighter and cheaper in time, while an overnight stay gives you both an evening and a morning in the pool.

Call 541-947-4242 to ask what is operating the week you plan to come, including the pool and the restaurant. A single phone call before the drive is the most reliable way to know what to expect when you arrive from Klamath Falls or Bend.

Pool-area rules: swimwear required, no alcohol

Two pool-area rules shape how you pack and plan: swimwear is required at all times in the soaking pool and the surrounding area, and no alcohol is permitted in the pool area. Pack a suit and a towel rather than a cooler with beer, and keep the picnic for later in Lakeview or at a campground.

The pool area has dressing rooms and showers, so you can change on site rather than in the car. Leave glassware and anything fragile at home; the pool deck and geyser viewing area are shared spaces where other visitors are walking in wet shoes.

Watching the geyser safely: viewing distance and hot runoff channels

The geyser throws water at roughly 200 degrees, so treat the vent and the runoff channels with the same respect you would give a boiling kettle. Stay in the designated viewing area and keep children close and away from the vent. The water can appear in bursts between eruptions, so the hot ground around the vent is not a place to wander.

In the pool itself, test the temperature before you step in and keep your head above water rather than submerging it in untreated geothermal water. The pool is cooled to about 104 degrees, but the source runs far hotter, which tells you the plumbing and outflow areas deserve caution.

When to go: pairing the soak with a Highway 395 road trip

Hunter's fits neatly into a Highway 395 run between Klamath Falls and Burns, and staying overnight in Lakeview puts you on the road early for the next stretch. Late spring through early fall is when the highway corridor is at its easiest and when you can count on daylight for the drive in and out.

A morning visit gives you the geyser and the pool before the day's driving, while an evening soak pairs well with dinner in Lakeview and a short hop back to the motel. Because Old Perpetual erupts roughly every 90 seconds, you can watch a few cycles in a few minutes rather than building a day around it.

Nearby soaks: Summer Lake Hot Springs and other stops within a day's drive

Summer Lake Hot Springs sits about 70 miles northwest of Hunter's via Highway 31, which makes it a natural second soak if you are touring the Outback rather than turning straight home. The road through Summer Lake is scenic, with wide basin views that make the drive part of the trip.

Further afield, Oregon offers plenty of contrast: Austin Hot Springs sits on the Clackamas River, hours of driving to the northwest and far wilder in feel than the developed pool at Lakeview. Use the contrast to decide what kind of soak you want on each day of the trip. If you are weighing developed resorts against wild soaks across the wider region, the hot springs in Washington offer a similar mix of gorge resorts and Cascade soaks.

What to bring for a Highway 395 soak stop

Pack a swimsuit, a towel, and sandals for the pool deck; the site has dressing rooms and showers, so you can change there instead of at the car. Add a water bottle and sunscreen for the time you spend watching Old Perpetual, since the viewing area is outdoors.

For the drive, fill the tank and stock groceries in Lakeview rather than counting on services along the highway. A light jacket helps in the early morning and evening, and cash is worth carrying in town, though the resort's own payment methods are worth asking about when you call.

Planning around the property's changing operations

Hunter's Hot Springs has passed through several owners since it opened in the 1920s, and new owners have operated under the name The New Hunters Hot Springs with a planned reopening. The safest plan is to call ahead about the pool and restaurant and to build a Lakeview stop or a morning at Summer Lake into your itinerary as backup.

The geyser has historically been viewable from a public area even when the resort was not fully operating, so Old Perpetual alone can justify the drive. Lakeview, 2 miles south, keeps you close to fuel, food, and lodging, which makes the stop easy to reshuffle.

Plan Your Soak at Hunter's Hot Springs

Hunter's Hot Springs is best treated as a two-part stop: a geyser you can watch in minutes and a developed mineral pool you can soak in for an hour or two. Located 2 miles north of Lakeview on Highway 395, it is an easy add-on to a Klamath Falls or Bend road trip and a good base for the Oregon Outback.

Pack your suit and towel, leave the drinks at home, and keep children back from the geyser vent. Check the resort's current status with a quick call before you leave town, then build the rest of the day around the drive and any other hot springs on your route.