Warm Springs, Oregon: Hot Springs, Huckleberries, and a Casino at the End of the Highway
Let's get one thing straight: Warm Springs, Oregon is a real place with real history. It is also a place where the GPS gets a little nervous. We spent some time with the facts, and then, because this is a roast, we poked at them a bit. Lovingly. Mostly.
Where Exactly Is Warm Springs, Oregon?
Warm Springs sits on Highway 26 in the high desert of north-central Oregon, between Mt. Hood and Central Oregon's bigger tourist draws. If you've driven Highway 26 between the Mt. Hood area and Central Oregon, you've already passed through the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Most people do exactly that: pass through, with the cruise control set and the snack bag half empty.
The scale is what surprises people. The reservation covers 1,019 square miles in north-central Oregon. The community of Warm Springs is its only significant population center. So the "town" is a small dot on a very large map, and the roast's "isolated" jab has some truth to it. Pack snacks and fill the tank.
The Hot Springs Plot Twist
The town is named for hot springs, and the roast is right that getting into them has been complicated. The resort that housed them, Kah-Nee-Ta, has a backstory worth knowing. The Tribes used part of the settlement for the flooding of Celilo Falls by The Dalles Dam to build the resort, which opened in 1964. That makes it a piece of hard-won tribal history that happens to have a pool.
The resort has had a bumpy ride. The Indian Head Casino arrived in 1995. Over time, the hot-springs village came to be an afterthought compared to the casino. Then Kah-Nee-Ta closed in 2018. The good news is that the resort is set to reopen. Check the current status and hours before you pack a swimsuit. A hot spring tour that ends at a locked gate is a bad time.
Indian Head Casino: The Only Neon for Miles
Now to the casino at the center of our roast. Indian Head Casino opened on U.S. Route 26 in 2012. That's not Vegas. It's also not pretending to be.
Moving it made practical sense. The old location, about 11 miles from town, limited its customer and employee base. One of the people behind the move put the goal plainly: "This will be a first time where people come (to Warm Springs) and leave some money." Honest, if a little bold for a tourism slogan.
The casino isn't standing still. Recent expansions include more slot machines, plus craps and roulette, with Spanish 21, 3-Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'em and Mini-Baccarat planned. So the "only entertainment for 100 miles" now has more games in it. Meanwhile, the TripAdvisor reviews are a mixed bag, and one visitor reports a 45-minute wait for a basic gin and tonic. Bring patience, or order a huckleberry milkshake instead.
- Fry bread with huckleberry jam
- 10 out of 10
- Cell service confidence
- 3 out of 10
- Casino drink speed
- 2 out of 10
- Scenery on Highway 26
- 9 out of 10
- Your GPS's emotional stability
- 4 out of 10
The Real Reason to Visit: History, Culture, and Fish
Set the jokes aside for a moment, because this is where Warm Springs earns its stripes. Three tribes form the confederation: the Wasco, Tenino, and Northern Paiute. In 1938, they organized as the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, adopting a constitution and by-laws. That is a very cool fact to drop at your next dinner party.
The culture is alive on the water too. Tribal members still fish with dip nets from wooden scaffolding at the falls near Sherar's Bridge. If you want to learn the full story, The Museum at Warm Springs has exhibits on the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Northern Paiute tribes, along with artifacts and interpretive displays. Go there first, then go to the casino. Your trip will make a lot more sense.
And yes, the huckleberries. The roast says the town has made a wild berry its whole personality. We say there are worse personalities. Berries and roots have sustained a healthy diet in the foothills and mountain slopes of this region for generations, so the huckleberry-everything menu has deep roots, even if the milkshake is a newer idea.
The Verdict
Warm Springs isn't a polished tourist town, and it doesn't try to be. It's a working community with serious history, a big landscape, a casino with ambitions, and a hot springs resort that's back in business. Go with curiosity and respect, gas up beforehand, and order the fry bread.
Think we were too nice? See the full roast on RoastMyTown.com.