Pacific Northwest - Bagby Hot Springs Bike Camping

Only 2 more camping trips this year, both in the Mount Hood National Forest! This weekend, it's Bagby Hot Springs!

Departing 9am from Cleveland Avenue MAX stop in Gresham. 58.3 miles one-way, and about 2,200' of elevation gain, mostly gradual with one big hill about halfway and a sustained climb in the last 5 miles.

Bagby is a developed hot springs - the water has been channelized to 2 bath houses with wooden tubs - most hewn out of whole logs. There are also 2 communal tubs. The water temperature of the springs is about 130 degrees, there is cold water outside the bath houses and buckets with which to carry it to the tubs. Bagby is a very popular tourist destination and there is frequently a wait for the tubs.

If you've never been up the Clackamas before, the scenery alone is worth the trip. Now that the rains have moved in, the canyon will be lush and green, sometimes with fog shrouding the tops of the mountains. It's breathtaking, and a view of the Clackamas and Collawash rivers that you don't get in the summertime. This is not a trip for the beginner, however. We'll have limited daylight, and there's a good chance we'll see rain on at least part of the trip.

We will be camping at the trailhead campground. Bicycles are not allowed on the Bagby Trail. Cycle Wild is working with the Forest Service on the current issues regarding access and security, but in the interim we need to comply with existing laws. Bagby is a 1.5 mile hike from the campground. Also, since 1992, there is NO ALCOHOL allowed at Bagby, either at the site, on the trail, or in the trailhead campground. The Forest Service is VERY STRICT about this particular law, and it IS enforced. If you bring alcohol on this trip, you will be asked to leave the group, no exceptions.

We'll have someone at the campground with the bikes and the tents at all times - Bagby has had theft incidents in the past, and it's not safe to leave the camp unattended. (it's perfectly safe as long as someone is there) We HIGHLY recommend bringing a lock to lock your bike overnight.

It's the off-season, and that means WEATHER. If you haven't camped in the off-season before, I recommend downloading our Bike Camping 102 pamphlet, which can be found here: http://www.cyclewild.org/articles/bikecamparticles/6-bike-camping-102.html

It will likely be 60 degrees in town when we leave, and 55 during the day at Bagby. Lows will be BELOW 40, so dress accordingly. Expect rain - it'll likely be scattered showers, but it's almost certain we'll be rained on at least once on this trip. The good news - you won't need sunscreen and you won't need bug repellent - leave them at home this trip! It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you bring 1 or 2 spare tubes. The road up the Clackamas is subject to rockfall, and there are usually a lot of small stones that can puncture a tire if you're unwary or unlucky.

Hope to see you with us!

Bagby Hot Springs (58.3 miles)
Route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Bagby-Hot-Springs
Cuesheet: http://www.bikely.com/cuesheet/route/Bagby-Hot-Springs
Weather: http://tinyurl.com/b2sl7j

Departure Point:
1200 NE 8th Avenue, Gresham, OR

-Matt Picio
matt.picio@cyclewild.org
503.781.5095

Cycle Wild - reconnecting people with nature via the bicycle!
http://www.cyclewild.org

Sounds like a great ride!

I hope the Bagby area has been cleaned up since I last visited, @ 2001. It was strewn with litter everywhere; white trash had taken over, and I expected to find a mobile meth lab around every corner. I don't know, but I've been told, that it's much better now.

I used to hike the Clackamas River (east of Estacada) quite a bit, and it's still one of my fave places in my home state. But I've never ridden there. The scenery sure is gorgeous. Be sure to hug a 14 foot diameter tree for me!

Sounds like a great ride!

I hope the Bagby area has been cleaned up since I last visited, @ 2001. It was strewn with litter everywhere; white trash had taken over, and I expected to find a mobile meth lab around every corner. I don't know, but I've been told, that it's much better now.

I used to hike the Clackamas River (east of Estacada) quite a bit, and it's still one of my fave places in my home state. But I've never ridden there. The scenery sure is gorgeous. Be sure to hug a 14 foot diameter tree for me!

Dirt Farmer, if you haven't been there since 2001, definitely go back - it's totally changed. In 2002, the USFS banned alcohol and stepped up enforcement. They also put a camera in the parking lot which really helped fight the car break-ins. The advocacy group Friends of Bagby went in and helped patrol the area to alert the USFS to problems, cleaned up all the trash, and really made the area a lot nicer. The trail to the hot springs has been completely rebuilt, and a new bridge over the river. It's a lot better than it was in the past.

If anyone is considering going, now's the time - the USFS is talking about having a concessionaire run the site next year, which means the trailhead campground will likely no longer be free. Currently, the site is free for those on bikes - motorists have to pay $5 for a day pass unless they have a valid Northwest Forest Pass.

I'll hug a tree for you - always fantastic scenery up the Clackamas, but especially this time of year when everything has greened back up!

Last-minute news for those who are coming out to Bagby...

DEPARTURE:

We are leaving 9am sharp. (no fooling, we're not waiting past 9am this
time as we have previously) That means if you're taking MAX out, you
need to catch this MAX or the earlier ones:

From Gateway: 8:37am
From Lloyd Center: 8:26am
From Rose Quarter: 8:21am
From Downtown: 8:10am (Pioneer Square)
From Beaverton TC: 7:47am
From Hillsboro Airport: 7:27am
This is the MAX that arrives in Gresham at 8:59am. If you miss these
times, you're not going to make it before we leave.

MAX Blue Line runs every 15 minutes with the first MAX arriving in
Gresham at 6:15am
http://trimet.org/schedules/s/t1100_0.htm

MISSED THE MAX:

You can take the Green Line to Clackamas Town Center and transfer to
the #30 Estacada bus. (previous email said #31 - that is incorrect)
The #30 Estacada bus leaves Clackamas TC 28 minutes after the hour and
runs hourly from 8:28am to 6:28pm. It will drop you off in front of
Estacada City Hall, about 4 blocks south of the Thirtfway where we
will be stopping. We will be there from about 10:30am to about
11:30am - if you are meeting us in Estacada, call me at 503.781.5095
to coordinate meeting with us.

WEATHER:

Saturday - party sunny, NO RAIN FORECAST. We'll have calm winds in
the morning becoming a 5-8mph north wind (which means side- or
tail-wind nearly the whole trip). High 54.
Saturday Night - REALLY COLD. No, seriously, REALLY COLD. 33 degree
low. Bring warm clothes. It's a good idea to bring an emergency
blanket, just in case. An emergency blanket is a mylar sheet, about
the size of a deck of cards folded. They cost less than $5 and can be
found at any store which sells camping goods (including Fred Meyer).
They weigh next to nothing.
Sunday: 80% chance of rain, mostly after 12 noon. We are planning to
leave about 9am from Bagby - this is negotiable. In any case, we will
almost certainly see rain at some point on the trip home. The good
news is the weather system will shift winds to the E / SE, which gives
us a tailwind most of the way home.

---------------------
BREAKFAST:
---------------------

Those who wish to join Paul and I for breakfast, we are meeting at
7:30am at Elmers on Hwy 26. This is one block east of the Cleveland
Avenue MAX Station (turn right when leaving the parking lot - go one
block, Elmers is on the left hand side). I know 7:30 is early (and
ridiculously early when you're leaving home), but I think we'd all
rather have enough time to get and finish our food before meeting the
rest of the group at 8:45.

FIRE, WATER, AND FACILITIES:

We have some friends of mine coming up to Bagby for a soak on Saturday
night. They will be bringing up firewood and 2 5-gallon containers of
water. There is no potable water on-site. Since we have water coming
up, you probably won't need to bring it with you, but just to be safe,
bring something to carry 2-4L of water in an emergency. If the car
breaks (very unlikely) or there are other issues, we need to be able
to haul water up from the nearest source (Kingfisher campground, 5
miles downhill from Bagby).

Bagby's trailhead has vault toilets, and the hot springs themselves
have outhouses, which are generally kind of nasty. (i.e. use the vault
toilets at the trailhead if possible) Bring a roll of toilet paper,
Bagby may not be currently stocked.

HOT SPRINGS

There will be a line. Be prepared for that. Bagby is high-use,
typically there are 10-20 cars at the trailhead, with 15-30 people at
the hotsprings, from about 10am to 2am. You can plan on a 45-60
minute wait to soak for every 15 cars in the lot. Visitors are asked
to limit soak time to 60 minutes, but not everyone obeys the rules.
No soap, shampoo, etc in the tubs - they are made from tree trunks,
and chemicals will damage them, as well as damage all the vegetation
downstream of the hot springs. Bagby is clothing-optional in the bath
houses ONLY - not the rest of the site. If you're caught naked and
you're not standing on a wooden walkway, they will ticket you if one
of the rangers is up there.

Bagby *is* clothing-optional. Most of the tubs are public. You don't
have to be naked, though if everyone else is, it's polite. (don't
feel obligated to be polite - go with what you're comfortable with)

Don't forget a towel, and don't forget warm clothes for the hike back
to camp - it'll be below 40 degrees by the time it gets full dark
around 8pm. The trail is 1.5 miles and climbs about 200 feet. The
first section is managed gravel with wooden bridges over the creeks
and runnels. The last section is steeper and bare dirt with rocks and
tree roots. Remember if you wear sandals that you'll be walking
downhill with wet feet on the way back.

ABOVE ALL, HAVE FUN! See you tomorrow morning!