Summer Lake Hot Springs are natural

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

s at the south end of Summer Lake in south-central

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. They are artesian mineral springs with four surface sources. The springs have complex water chemistry. The temperature of the main source is approximately with a water flow of approximately per minute. Over the years, the site has been developed as a rustic family bathing and relaxation resort. The hot springs are southeast of

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...

, near the small town of

Paisley, Oregon Paisley is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is along Oregon Route 31 between Summer Lake and Lake Abert. The population was 250 at the 2020 census. History There are two theories regarding the origin of the name "Paisley". On ...

Hot mineral springs

Summer Lake Hot Springs are natural artesian springs that emit geothermally heated groundwater with a complex mineral content.Chiasson, Andrew
''Lake County''
, ''The Economic, Environmental, and Social Benefits of Geothermal Use in Oregon'', Geo‐Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon, October 2011, p. 9. In 1908, the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

reported that the hot springs were probably the result of faulting, noting that the springs were located at the base of a mountain with a steep rim rock face.Waring, Gerald A.
"Springs"
, ''Geology and Water Resources of a Portion of South-Central Oregon'', Water Supply Paper 220, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, District of Columbia, 1908, p. 55. Later, the Geological Survey identified the geology below the springs as lake sediment overlaying

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

rock.Stearns, Norah D., Harold Thornton Stearns, and Gerald Ashley Waring
"Data on Thermal Springs in the United States"
, ''Thermal Springs in the United States'', Water Supply Paper 679-B, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, District of Columbia, 1937, p. 174. Eventually, four separate springs were identified at the site. In 1937, the Geological Survey measured the main spring’s temperature at with a flow of per minute. In 1948, the Geological Survey re-measured the flow at per minute. A more detailed measurement in 1978 found the reservoir temperature below the springs varied between and with an average reservoir temperature of 118. The average surface temperature of the springs was with discharge of per minute.Muffler, L. J. P.
Table 6—Location, temperatures, volumes, and thermal energies of identified hot-water hydrothermal convection systems
, ''Assessment of Geothermal resources in the United States—1978'', Geological Survey Circular 790, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior in cooperation with United States Department of Energy, Arlington, Virginia, 1979, p. 82-83. In 2012, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries reported that the hot springs’ temperature was with a water flow of per minute.Niewendorp, Clark
"Summer Lake Hot Spring"
, GTILO – Geothermal Information Layer for Oregon, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, Portland, Oregon, 5 June 2012. At the release point in the main pool of the Summer Lake Hot Springs bathhouse, the water temperature is approximately . The three other hot springs produce water temperatures between and at their release points. The water chemistry at the springs is complex. The water has heavy concentrations of

sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...

(399 ppm),

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

(374 ppm),

chloride The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...

(285 ppm),

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

(111 ppm), and

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...

(96 ppm). The water also contains smaller amounts of

boron Boron is a chemical element; it has symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the boron group it has three ...

(4.1 ppm),

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at Standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions as pale yellow Diatomic molecule, diatomic gas. Fluorine is extre ...

(2.2 ppm),

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

(1.4 ppm), and

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

(.4 ppm). There are also traces of

lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...

hydrogen carbonate In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate (IUPAC-recommended nomenclature: hydrogencarbonate) is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid. It is a polyatomic anion with the chemical formula . Bicarbonate serves a crucial biochemical ...

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

, and

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

found in the water."Summer Lake Hot Springs – Southern Oregon"
, ''Oregon Discovery'', ''www.oregondiscovery.com'', Salem, Oregon, accessed 8 December 2017.Whittle, MaKenzie
"History, tranquility await in Summer Lake Basin"
''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 27 January 2019, p. C2.

Local environment

The climate in the Summer Lake Valley including the area around Summer Lake Hot Springs, is milder than much of Oregon’s high desert county. This is due to the protection provided by Winter Ridge that rises approximately above the west side of the valley. The temperature in the area averages to during the summer months and to in the winter. The extreme high and low temperatures generally reach on the high side with lows around . Precipitation in the area around the hot springs averages per year."Description and Environment"
, ''Summer Lake Wildlife Area Management Plan'', Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem, Oregon, October 2007, pp. 8–10. The soil around Summer Lake is mostly layered lakebed sand and silt sediments. The soil deposits are several hundred feet deep. On the surface, winds transport sand and soil particles across the Summer Lake playa, creating dunes along the shoreline of the lake. The landscape’s plant life is dominated by desert shrubs, primarily

big sagebrush '' Artemisia tridentata'', commonly called big sagebrush,MacKay, Pam (2013), ''Mojave Desert Wildflowers'', 2nd ed., , p. 264. Great Basin sagebrush or simply sagebrush (one of several related species of this name), is an aromatic shrub from the ...

, green rabbitbrush, and black greasewood. Larger mammals found near the hot springs include

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...

s, and

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

s. American badgers,

black-tailed jackrabbit The black-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus californicus''), also known as the American desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to . Reaching a length around , and a ...

white-tailed jackrabbit The white-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus townsendii''), also known as the prairie hare and the white jack, is a species of hare found in western North America. Like all hares and rabbits, it is a member of the family Leporidae of order Lagomorpha. I ...

s, and

Mountain cottontail The mountain cottontail or Nuttall's cottontail (''Sylvilagus nuttallii'') is a species of rabbit found in western Canada and the United States. It is a medium- to small-sized rabbit with pale brown fur, white undersides, a two-colored tail, and ...

are common in the area. Smaller mammals found around the hot springs include

Belding's ground squirrel Belding's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus beldingi''), also called pot gut, sage rat or picket-pin, is a squirrel that lives on mountains in the Western United States, western United States. In California, it often is found at in meadows between ...

golden-mantled ground squirrel The golden-mantled ground squirrel (''Callospermophilus lateralis'') is a ground squirrel native to western North America. It is distributed in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and through much of the western United States. D ...

least chipmunk The least chipmunk (''Neotamias minimus'') is the smallest species of chipmunk and the most widespread in North America. Description It is the smallest species of chipmunk, measuring about in total length with a weight of . The body is gray to ...

s, and

Ord's kangaroo rat Ord's kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys ordii'') is a kangaroo rat native to western North America, specifically the Great Plains and the Great Basin, with its range extending from extreme southern Canada to central Mexico. Ord's kangaroo rat has a fi ...

s."Worlow Creek"
, ''Wildlife Viewer'', Oregon Explorer Natural Resource Digital Library, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, accessed 16 December 2017. There are 250 bird species found in the Summer Lake Valley. As a result, the area around Summer Lake Hot Springs is an excellent place for

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

. Summer Lake is an important stop on the

Pacific flyway The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...

, so migrating

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

pass through the area twice a year. This includes

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), sometimes called Canadian goose, is a large species of goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North ...

snow geese The snow goose (''Anser caerulescens'') is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed ...

swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

cinnamon teal The cinnamon teal (''Spatula cyanoptera'') is a species of duck found in western North and South America. It is a small dabbling duck, with bright reddish plumage on the male and duller brown plumage on the female. It lives in marshes and ponds, ...

, and other duck species. Many shore birds are also common in the area, including

American avocet The American avocet (''Recurvirostra americana'') is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae, found in North America. It spends much of its time foraging in shallow water or on mud flats, often sweeping its bill from side ...

snowy plover The snowy plover (''Anarhynchus nivosus'') is a small shorebird found in the Americas. It is a member of the bird family Charadriidae, which includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. The snowy plover was originally described by John Cassin ...

black-necked stilt The black-necked stilt (''Himantopus mexicanus'') is a locally abundant shorebird of North and South American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along ...

willet The willet (''Tringa semipalmata'') is a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is a relatively large and robust sandpiper and is the largest of the species called "shanks" in the genus ''Tringa''. Its closest relative is the lesser yell ...

Wilson's phalarope Wilson's phalarope (''Phalaropus tricolor'') is a small wader. This bird, the largest of the phalaropes, breeds in the prairies of North America in western Canada and the western United States. It is migratory, wintering in inland salt lakes n ...

great egret The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. R ...

s, and

sandhill crane The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large Crane (bird), cranes of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to its habitat, such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's S ...

s. Among the smaller birds,

cliff swallow The cliff swallow or American cliff swallow (''Petrochelidon pyrrhonota'') is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. The generic name ''Petrochelidon'' is derived from the Ancient Greek meaning "stone" and ...

s are common. Local birds of prey include

great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...

s, and

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

History

Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

occupied the area around Summer Lake Hot Springs for at least 14,000 years. Evidence of this was found in the

Paisley Caves The Paisley Caves or the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves complex is a system of eight caves in an arid, desolate region of south-central Oregon, United States north of the present-day city of Paisley, Oregon. The caves are located in the Summer L ...

, which are located just a few miles east of the springs. To Native Americans, the artesian hot springs at the south end of Summer Lake were known as ''Medicine Springs''. In 1843, Captain

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

passed near the springs while exploring south central Oregon. It was Fremont who named the large

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

lake just north of the hot springs, Summer Lake. The hot springs are named after the lake.Anderson, John Gottberg
"Into the Great Wide Open"
''The Bulletin'', Bend Oregon, 27 May 2007. The early pioneers in the Summer Lake area called the springs ''Woodward Hot Springs''. The springs were named after the Woodward family who arrived in 1902 and were among the first pioneers to homestead at the south end of the Summer Lake. The springs were initially used for irrigating vegetable gardens and for bathing. Members of the Woodward family lived at the site until at least 1907. Summer Lake Hot Springs pool

The Summer Lake Hot Springs bathhouse was built in 1928. It is a rustic wood frame structure covered with corrugated tin panels. Inside the building there is a bathing pool along with men's and women's dressing rooms.Findling, Kim Cooper
"Shades of Blue: Summer Lake Hot Springs"
, ''Travel Oregon'', Oregon Tourism Commission, Salem, Oregon, 13 February 2012. Over the years, thousands of Native American artifacts were found at the Summer Lake Hot Springs site including many high-quality arrowheads. In addition to the artifacts, fossil bones of extinct

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s and

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

s have been found at the site. In 1959, a large cache of Native American artifacts were found at the Summer Lake Hot Springs site. The artifacts included a large lava

metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organi ...

grinding stone with three legs for stability. The cache was discovered during a construction project undertaken to expand the mineral bath into a commercial resort.Brogan, Phil F.
"Bulldozer Rips into Prehistoric Jackpot"
, ''The Bulletin'', Bend Oregon, 25 April 1959, p. 1."History of Metate Clouded"
, ''The Bulletin'', Bend Oregon, 2 May 1959, p. 4. While Summer Lake Hot Springs had long been used for bathing, the site was not developed into a commercial resort until 1959. The project that began resort development was undertaken by Jeff McDaniel shortly after he bought the hot springs property from Ray Gibson. McDaniel kept the original bathhouse while adding several cottages and a barn. He also installed hook-ups to accommodate travel trailers and recreational vehicles. McDaniel and his wife ran the resort until 1985, when the operation was taken over by their son. He sold the hot springs to Duane Graham in 1997."Summer Lake Hot Springs"
, ''www.summerlakehotsprings.com'', Summer Lake Hot Springs Resort, Paisley, Oregon, accessed 8 December 2017, After purchasing the property, Graham continued to develop the resort around the old bathhouse. Today, the bathing facilities include the original bathhouse and two outdoor hot water bathing pools. The overnight accommodations consist of rental cottages and

duplexes A duplex house plan has two living units attached to each other, either next to each other as townhouses, condominiums or one above the other like apartments. By contrast, a building comprising two attached units on two distinct properties is ...

, studio cabins, recreational vehicle parking spaces, and a tent camping area. Other amenities include picnic tables, fire pits, and a public restroom and shower building. The resort property also has several ponds as well as nature trails for hikers.Richard, Terry
"Summer Lake Hot Springs offers four new guest rooms"
, ''The Oregonian'', Portland, Oregon, 24 November 2015. Over the years, the Summer Lake Hot Springs resort has hosted a number of festivals, concerts, and other events. From 2006 to 2014, the ''Coyote Festival'' was held in mid-summer while the ''Outback Music Festival'' was an annual fall event. These festivals featured

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, and bluegrass musicians from around Oregon. Other events held at the site included

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

, and

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

workshops.

Access

The Summer Lake Hot Springs are located just off

Oregon Route 31 Oregon Route 31 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon that runs between the Central Oregon cities of La Pine and Lakeview. OR 31 traverses most of the Fremont Highway No. 19 of the Oregon state highway system, named after ...

, northwest of Paisley, Oregon. The

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

has designated Oregon Route 31 as the Outback Scenic Byway, part of

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

system. The nearest large population center is Bend, Oregon, which is located northwest of the hot springs.Oregon topographic map
, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior, Reston, Virginia; displayed via ACME mapper, ''www.acme.com'', 16 December 2017.

References

External links

{{Commons category
Summer Lake Hot Springs Retreat
Hot springs of Oregon Lake County, Oregon Bodies of water of Lake County, Oregon

Hot mineral springs

Local environment

History

Access

See also

References

External links