ritter hot springs

Cabin was marginal with many flies and ants all over the kitchen. The running water smells of the sulphuric springs. Bath houses were just gross. Pool was out of commission and the "hot tub" we were offered was dinged up, rusty and dirty. There is an old single wide trashy trailer right at the entrance and the "store" is a mess. The natural setting is beautiful and interesting, but the rest ruins it.

Poor stewardship of a nice resource. The grounds were littered with trashed mobile homes packed with garbage. The cinderblock housing for the springs were falling down. The whirlpool tub was an old hot tub up on cinderblocks with all the workings exposed. Not very esthetically pleasing. The pool and bathhouse looked nice but I didn't go to them since we were more interested in the spring. We turned around and left without using them. I like rustic but these were not well cared for or treated with any care. ONe of the rental cottages had a falling apart dirty old sofa on the porch. There was an old travel trailer parked next to it filled with garbage.

Growing up in the 60's i spent lots of time in Ritter and surrounding ranches. Hunted, fished bucked hay went on cattle drives and helped out on the Heise Ranch. Swam in the stinky sulpher water pool (smelled like rotton eggs) and relaxed in the hot springs. Back then there was a cafe in Ritter and it had great food. A family named the Jordons ran the cafe and general store and before that the Swaggerts. One chilly halloween night some of the locals & I sat around the old pot belly stove in the general store & listened to Orson Wells. spin his tale "War OF The Worlds " on an old scratchy sounding radio. Of course it was a repeat. (I'm not that old) TV reception was bad so radio was the only form of entertainment. Local ranchers and residence of that time included the Heises, Raiders, Calvins, Swaggerts. Jordons, Feldman, Dickersons, & The Winslows, There were others but over time i have forgot. I'm sure that most of these people have died by now and some are probably buried in the Ritter Cemetery. These tough and gritty people were the ones that shaped this beautiful country and gave Ritter it's charactor. I will always remember these grand pioneers with fond memories for they and this land is what helped to shape me.

I have mixed feelings about reviewing Ritter Hot Springs since I believe it is an undiscovered gem. Witness that there are only two reviews here about it, and I am not sure the other one is actually about the same place since Ritter has never had a cafe. What it is is an old stagecoach stop on the middle fork of the John Day river. I think it used to be called McDuffy Hot Springs after the trapper that originally discovered the place (although the Native Americans probably used it long before McDuffy stumbled across it). It is very, very rustic. There is a very old hotel with very small rooms with spartan furnishings. The bath room and shower are "down the hall". The second floor of the building is the old dance hall and if you are lucky Mike the owner will open it up and show it to you, There are names and initials carved into the walls and you can see marks from boots where men used to lean against the wall and nervously scrape their spurs. If you are really lucky you will have the chance to talk to a local who actually got to participate in the events held in the hall. Some of them still come to soak in the hot water at the springs. The main water feature is the Olympic sized swimming pool. It is huge and can accommodate even large crowds. Because of it's size it is usually not as warm as most people expect. If you want really hot water you will need to take the short walk up the hill to the soaking tubs, which is actually a concrete building separated into four compartments big enough for two or three each. In addition to the hotel, there is room for several self-contained RVs on the grounds and MIke has restored or constructed a few very nice cabins that are for rent. There is also the outdoor shower right next to the river that uses the same geo-thermal water that goes into the pools. A good description of the place is that it is a relaxing step back in time, and we love it. Once again, there is no store or cafe on the property so you need to bring everything with you and then pack out your garbage. Ritter Hot Springs is only open from Memorial Day thru Labor Day each year. We have been here a half-dozen times and will continue to go back.

Maybe I shouldn't say that I wasn't too impressed as it was over 10 years ago that we went, but at the time the cafe was not up and running and I don't know if it now. But to give credit it's due their are many from the area here that go their quite often and like it so I don't think my opinion should count,