In the 1960s, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs opened Kah-Nee-Ta, a hot springs resort along the Warm Springs River. The tribe built the resort using money from a $4.4 million settlement, after the US Army Corps of Engineers constructed The Dalles Dam and silenced Celilo Falls, an ancestral Warm Springs fishing site. For many in the surrounding area, Kah-Nee-Ta was a regular vacation destination, thanks to its swimming pools, restaurants, grand lodge, riding stables, and tepees for overnight guests.

In the summer of 2018, Warm Springs announced that it would close the resort, saying it was financially unsustainable for the tribe. After six years and $13.1 million in renovation and redevelopment costs, however, Kah-Nee-Ta has reopened in Warm Springs, with several soaking pools, cold plunges, and remodeled rooms, plus a three-mile river tube float and a minigolf course opening in the coming weeks.

Below, we dig into the highlights of the newly opened resort, plus what’s to come.

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Where You’ll Stay

The lodge’s 30 newly designed rooms accommodate between four and 12 people. Many visitors, however, specifically seek out Kah-Nee-Ta for its outdoor tepees; the resort has introduced 20 new ones, plus a clubhouse with a barbecue for family cookouts and a tribal firepit. The resort’s RV park has 50 sites with utility hookups and 20 additional RV parking spots, plus a shared athletic center for the park. 

The Pools 

The mineral hot springs have always been the main draw of Kah-Nee-Ta; now, the resort is home to 30 pools, pulling from or heated by the springs. The hot springs' water contains 32 naturally occurring minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium; it fills the resort's wellness pools, after passing through a natural filtration system involving sand and gravel. Kah-Nee-Ta also has recreational pools including a lazy river, a kid-friendly spray park, and six-person soaking tubs with temperature controls. The team designed the pool area for year-round use, with surrounding decks that stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The pools are also ADA accessible—the wellness leisure pool has a ramp for waterproof wheelchairs, for instance, in addition to underwater benches. 

Around the pools, Kah-Nee-Ta has a snack bar and cabanas of various sizes, including private cabanas with river views and their own soaking tubs.

Beyond the Pools

The main restaurant at Kah-Nee-Ta is the Chinook Restaurant and Appaloosa Bar, run by an Indigenous kitchen manager serving fry bread in various preparations (think classics like tacos and burgers). The resort is also home to a poolside snack bar and grab-and-go market. In the future, an onsite food cart will serve ice cream and cheesesteaks.

Kah-Nee-Ta's outdoor sports setup involves a sprawling range of recreation courts, including pickleball, basketball, volleyball, and bocci; you’ll also find minigolf, Ping-Pong tables, disc golf, and cornhole, not to mention biking and hiking trails. 

Coming Soon

In August, the resort will begin offering horseback riding and a three-mile river float, with a shuttle that will pick up guests to ferry them back to the resort. Kah-Nee-Ta’s spa will open in August, as well, with mud baths, salt baths, a sauna, and foot baths, plus pedicures and massages. 

How to Visit

Anyone interested in a visit can book a hotel room, tepee, or RV site now, or opt for day passes to the resort’s pools starting July 27.