Belknap Hot Springs

Belknap is the tidy, family-friendly soak on the McKenzie River corridor east of Eugene. Two mineral pools sit above the river at McKenzie Bridge, and the property wraps around several acres of planted gardens, including a walled Secret Garden that is worth a slow lap between soaks. Walk-in day use runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except federal holidays, and it is sold strictly by the hour: 12 USD per person buys a single one-hour session, and full-day passes are no longer offered.

Stay the night and the pools are yours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lodging spans lodge rooms, cabins, RV sites, tent sites and a group camp; the regional visitor bureau lists lodge rooms at roughly 140 to 215 USD and cabins from about 150 USD. Swimsuits are required, pets are kept away from the pools, and children must be at least five to enter the pool area.

Belknap makes an easy add-on to a day on the McKenzie River Trail or at Sahalie and Koosah Falls up Highway 126. The honest downside: one hour goes quickly, and on busy summer days the lower pool can fill toward its 50-person limit.