Carson Hot Springs has been a Columbia River Gorge bathing destination since Isadore St. Martin first developed the spring on the Wind River in 1876. The current resort property took shape over the next 50 years: the original hotel was completed in 1901 (and still operates today as Hotel St. Martin), the cabins were added in the 1920s, and the bathhouse was built in 1923. The continuous operation across 124 years makes Carson one of the longest-running hot springs resorts in the Pacific Northwest.
What sets Carson apart from contemporary hot springs operations is that the heritage experience has been preserved rather than replaced. The 1923 bathhouse still has its original individual claw-foot porcelain bathtubs, divided into men's and women's floors with attendants of each gender. The bath-and-wrap ritual has been unchanged for a century: a 25-minute private soak in a claw-foot tub filled with naturally heated, unchlorinated mineral water from the Wind River source, followed by 25 minutes wrapped in warm linen sheets on a cot. The bathhouse is small, the staff is small, and the experience is closer to a turn-of-the-century sanitarium than a modern spa.
Beyond the bathhouse, the property includes a steady-104 F outdoor therapy pool, the 1901 Hotel St. Martin, the newer Hotel Carson, and the original 1920s cabins. The on-site St. Martin's Restaurant handles meals. Stevenson, Washington, 10 minutes east, has a small downtown with restaurants and a brewery. Across the Columbia in Hood River, Oregon, a full restaurant and craft-beverage scene wraps the river crossing.
Practically, Carson Hot Springs is the year-round Washington hot springs that solves the Sol Duc problem. Sol Duc inside Olympic National Park is the marquee Washington hot springs, but it is seasonal and the 2026 operator schedule runs from March 20 through November 1 at noon. Carson stays open every day of the year and is reachable in 65 minutes from Portland International Airport. For visitors arriving outside Sol Duc's operating season, Carson is the answer.
