After a years-long renovation, long delays and months of teasing, Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs Resort has officially announced its reopening date.
The Warm Springs resort announced Monday that it will reopen to the public on Thursday, July 18, debuting its new hot spring soaking pools, poolside cabanas and renovated food and lodging options.
Reservations for overnight stays will be available starting July 17, the resort said.
Day passes will also be available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, for $39 on weekends and $29 on weekdays, according to the Kah-Nee-Ta website.
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, which owns and operates Kah-Nee-Ta, had previously hoped to reopen the resort in 2023. That summer, the tribe officially delayed those plans after fierce spring storms derailed construction. In December, the resort pushed its reopening plans to summer 2024.
In June, Kah-Nee-Ta released tantalizing photos of its new soaking pools, glimmering aquamarine in the brown desert landscape.
Riverfront soaking tubs are one of the new features at Kah-Nee-Ta.Kah-Nee-Ta
Teepees are one of the new lodging options.Kah-Nee-Ta
A new splash pad is found by the soaking pools. Kah-Nee-Ta
The tribe has announced a total of seven pools, as well as 15 VIP poolside cabanas. The larger pools include a children’s spray pool, a sports pool, a lazy river and soaking pools. There will also be three wellness soaking pools, ranging from 92 to 103 degrees.
Lodging will include 20 teepees, 30 hotel rooms, and an RV park with showers, laundry facilities and a game room. Food will be offered at an outside food court as well as a new sports bar and restaurant currently under construction.
Originally built in the 1960s and ‘70s, Kah-Nee-Ta ran successfully for decades, becoming a beloved getaway on the east side of Mount Hood. But in 2018, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs announced it would shut down Kah-Nee-Ta at the end of the summer, saying the resort was operating “below a self-sustaining level” and calling the decision necessary to protect the tribe from financial risk.
Things turned around in 2022, when the tribe announced a partial reopening of the resort, thanks to a partnership with nearby Mt. Hood Skibowl and $6 million of new funding.
That money came from the American Rescue Plan Act, according to the tribe, and includes $1.5 million earmarked specifically to repair the wastewater system that serves Kah-Nee-Ta and the local community. Reopening the Kah-Nee-Ta Village is expected to provide 50 full-time and more than 80 part-time jobs during the busy season, the tribe said.
--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.
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