Hot Springs

Tucked into King County, Washington, Hot Springs — properly known as Green River Hot Springs — began as a Northern Pacific Railway settlement called Kendon in 1886. The community grew up around natural hot springs and eventually supported a notable sanatorium that drew visitors with amenities including suites, bowling alleys, and pool tables. By 1907–1908 the population had reached 225, and the town supported two practicing physicians, a sign of how seriously the therapeutic waters were taken.

Today Hot Springs is a ghost town, and visitors come more for the historical curiosity and setting than for any intact infrastructure. The sanatorium and the prosperous little community it anchored have long since faded, leaving the natural landscape as the main draw. A postmarked envelope from 1904 survives as one of the rare documentary traces of the town's brief active life.

Access and conditions follow typical Washington seasonal patterns. Summer and early fall offer the most reliable visiting windows, while winter months bring hazardous conditions that make reaching the site difficult. Come prepared for a backcountry experience with few, if any, developed facilities on the ground.