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Hot spring trek

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On our trip to Mt Rainier last August we dipped our toes into the muddy hot springs at Ohanapecosh. It was fun, but not the real-deal soaking experience. So when I was searching for nearby biking expeditions for Edmond and me to go on, 'Goldmeyer hot springs' stood out as a fun option and only an hour drive to the trail-head (sort of).  During COVID they have been limiting visitors to two small groups per day (so no chance of bumping into weird nudists) -- and as you can probably guess the demand is sky-high right now for outdoorsy family activities. Luckily, I called at midnight on opening day for fall reservations and was surprised to hear a few days later that mid-week slots were the only options left... but I took it!

After a week of steady rain and wind-storms, the forest road to get to the trailhead was virtually washed out. Halfway along the 5-mile bumpy drive we ditched the car and road the rest on our mountain bikes. All in all, it was about 17-miles round trip on a fairly low-grade climb following a very vigorous flowing river. The trek was rainy and cold as we crossed multiple streams, but we were rewarded with dozens of waterfalls and a few peeks of the Yosemite-like tall granite mountains on either side of the river. 

The trip was definitely worth it. After checking in and learning about the history of Goldmeyer and nearby mining claims, we hiked to the hot springs a 1/4 mile up from the caretaker's cabin.  There were a few small pools made from local granite stones, a small restroom, and a beautiful cabana all perched right next to a raging river. It was the perfect temperature and only the faintest whiff of sulfur in the air. It was very hard to get out of the steamy water a couple hours later and dry off to cook lunch (ramen and beef stew!).

The trek back down to the car had better weather and was downhill, making it the perfect end to a fantastic adventure. Highly recommended, but I'm not sure when our kids will be able to hike that far in a day. We'll have to start practicing more this winter!








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