Cougar Hot Springs

Katie D.

November 7, 2011 - 7:02 AM

One of my favorite parts of life in Eugene is how near we live to adventures. If you've read my blog for long, you know I take frequent advantage of the natural beauty in the region: hikes in the Cascades, days at the beach, trips to the redwoods, visits to Bend, long walks around Eugene, and days sitting beside the Willamette.

Another favorite of mine is a visit to the hot springs. There are several good spots within an hour and a half of Eugene, with various levels of popularity and seasonal availability. I used to go to the hot springs at McCready with a group of my friends, often in the evening to take advantage of the excellent star gazing through the steam.

So when my friend Lexi offered a break from homework yesterday, I leapt at the chance. Being spontaneous is absolutely key to my own health and happiness as I move through busy weeks of school and work. So I was excited to visit hot springs, and to take my first trip to the popular Cougar Springs.

Oregon is so astoundingly beautiful. Our drive up along the McKenzie was gorgeous: river vistas with old growth forests, blazing autumnal foliage, and deep green moss covering everything.

I feel so lucky to live here.

The hot springs themselves are somewhat removed from both highway and back road, and has been recently re-outfitted with a little changing area and benches sheltered from the rain. The spring itself emerges from a small cave, and falls into a series of pools lined with smooth rocks.

It was perfect. A bit crowded: Cougar is definitely on the circuit for hot springs enthusiasts, but the beauty of the place deserves the crowd.

Even when things are going really well here in Eugene, it is possible to feel a bit stagnant around town. I need some kind of adventure at least once a month, preferably much more than that. Yesterday's afternoon trip to the hot springs was the perfect rest from work and studies, and an opportunity to soak away some of the stress and intensity of this time.

Today is the start of Week 7 of fall term. That means we are drawing to a close in this term: that we are nearing finals and winter break, and that very soon we will be registering for new classes and moving on with the academic year. It's about this time in the term that it's especially important to pause and take in the beauty and potential of our surroundings.

There's a lot to do, and part of that list should always include the hot springs.