Scenic Hot Springs
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Scenic Hot Springs is a natural hot spring in Washington. It is located on US Route 2 about 8 miles west of Stevens Pass, and high on a steep northwestern slope.
Known as Madison Hot Springs in the 1890s, a lodge was built to accommodate seekers of mineral baths who arrived by train from Seattle. The name was later changed to Scenic Hot Springs and it survived as a commercial venture until 1928. Construction by the Great Northern Railroad of an 8-mile tunnel under Stevens Pass dumped rubble into the front yard of the lodge and effected its destruction. Largely forgotten until the 1980s, it then became a popular gathering spot for mineral water bathers with several tubs constructed of various temperatures.
In October 2001 the King County Sheriff shut down the springs and threatened to arrest bathers for trespassing, at the land owner's request. The land owner was apparently not aware of what was taking place on the property. Activities occurring at the springs were a liability risk and the fact that the area is environmentally protected and no building permits had been issued was used as a reason to demolish the decking.[1]
It is not clear that the springs will ever be available in the form they were before the incident in 2001. A new landowner is in the process of reconstructing the tubs and making improvements to the property to support visitors in the near future.[2][3]
