Olympic Hot Springs in Olympic National Park, Washington

Olympic Hot Springs belongs to a wilder category of soak. Set in the Elwha backcountry of Olympic National Park, it is a scatter of natural hot-water seeps rather than a developed facility, the remnant of a resort whose lease expired decades ago and was never replaced. The park is clear-eyed about what that means today: these are natural, unmaintained seeps that are not tested or treated, and visiting them is a backcountry undertaking, not a roadside stop.

Access defines the experience. With Olympic Hot Springs Road damaged, the National Park Service directs visitors to park at the Madison Falls Trailhead and travel about 9 miles on foot or by bike up the old road, then continue roughly 1.5 miles farther to reach the springs. Anyone planning to stay overnight in the surrounding wilderness needs a wilderness use permit and must follow the park's camping regulations. This is a place for prepared, self-reliant travelers.

For RV travelers, the draw is the Olympic Peninsula itself. The Elwha Valley, the temperate rainforests, and the wild Pacific coast make this one of the most scenically varied corners of the country, and a rented camper gives you a comfortable basecamp for long days out and a warm return at night. Olympic Hot Springs is best understood as the deep-wilderness chapter of a broader peninsula trip.