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Goldmyer Hot Springs is located north of Snoqualmie Pass on the Cascade Crest Trail along I-90 about 40 miles east of Seattle. The 120 degree F water provides an oasis of relief for the trail weary. Nude use is permitted as long as no one complains. A strict limit of 20 visitors per day is enforced, so be sure to make reservations before going. Midweek is best. Contact info: 202 N. 85th St. #106, Seattle, WA 98103. Telephone is (206) 789-5631.
DIRECTIONS: Go east on I-90 from Seattle to the Snoqualmie Pass and look for the signs to the Cascade Crest trails. You can park just across the river from the caretaker's cabin and access the springs by hiking only a 1/2 mile north in the mountains to Goldmyer Hot Springs.
SITE REVIEWS:
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001
From: DenitaLC@aol.com
Hello,
I was hoping to be able to give you report of our day at GoldMyer but unfortunately, we didn't make it all the way there. Good news for people who do venture up there and have trouble....we found a tow-truck company that would come get us back on the road! When they say primitive road..........they MEAN IT! People, DO NOT TRY THIS ROAD IN ANYTHING BUT A HIGH CLEARANCE/FOUR WHEEL DRIVE RIG! We were in a 4xSuburban and even driving carefully, managed to get into a soft shoulder and get stuck. That was about mile 16 meaning we still had 6 more miles to travel to the parking area. I hiked four of the six miles looking for help and the road only got worst. After our 5 hour wait for help, the tow truck arrived and got us back on the road and we turned around and headed for home. Defeated, but happy no one was hurt and the borrowed vehicle not damaged. Someday we will make it to the springs but not by that road! Think we'll take the 10 mile hike in from the ski area at Snoqualmie Pass and camp overnight. I just wanted to REALLY caution people thinking of visiting Gold Myer that getting there by the Middle Fork Road is VERY ROUGH, BE PREPARED!
Thanks,
Dee
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2000
From: the big m (murphtall@uswest.net)
Because of rude comments in a popular hotspring book about the discouragement of the disrobing of an obese person at Goldmeyer and by hypocritical actions of the caretaker whom we met at the trailhead, Goldmeyer is on our book not one to go visit, see scenic or baker instead!
Subject: goldmyer
Date: Wed, 26 May 1999
From: Will Morgan (Will_Morgan@email.msn.com)
Thanks for your page!
I believe the directions to Goldmyer are way off though, I don't think there's a way to come down from the pass. Instead one takes the middle fork road on up from North Bend past the Taylor River campground and Dingford Creek where there is a foot bridge across the middle fork for a six mile hike or continue on a few high more clearence road miles to a river access road posted with a fishing sign and park and cross the river there.
Cheers, W
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 99
From: "erin" (violet@nwherbs.org)
I accidentally sent you an e-mail intended for soak.net. (I notice you do spell Goldmyer correctly) Sorry! But you may want to know that our office is in Seattle, not North Bend, at 202 N. 85th St., Seattle, WA 98103, (206) 789-5631. Also, as of this writing, there is no longer a seven mile hike to the springs. Folks can park their cars just across the river from the caretaker's cabin and access the springs by hiking only a 1/2 mile. Come on up this summer and check it out!
Erin.
www.goldmyer.org.
http://www.nwherbs.org
Date: Sun, 07 Jul 1996
From: Adam Gottschalk (adam@isomedia.com)
My girlfriend and I visited Goldmyer today. It was a beautiful, hot day, Sunday of July 4th weekend. We had the place to ourselves for the most part. The main pool, in a cave less than a mile up a mild slope from the river, is plenty hot, and hotter the farther back into it you go. Even if all 20 allowed visitors decided to jump into the main pool/cave all at once, there'd still be plenty of room. The stone embankments built up to make the spring a more suitable place for bathing are well-done and not obtrusive. There is a small ice-cold water fall just to the side of the cave where another small pool has been arranged as well, for the ever-essential cold plunge (cleanse thyself, cleanse thyself!)
We saw beautiful old-growth. One tree (too awed at the trunk to look up at the leaves) right on the trail must have been at least 300 years old, huge. Thick, dense, mossy forest. Water falls, tumbling river. Salmonberries galore (not quite ripe). Nicely done trail, must be accessible all year with the good drainage system. We heard there are other pools besides the cave one but that they are currently off limits do to risk and insurance type matters. Excellently isolated at the end of a 20 mile dirt-road. Once you hit dirt, the drive should take you and at least an hour to Goldmeyer's driveway, the latter 10 miles being quite bumpy.
Word is: it's a kind idea to bring the caretaker something, some fresh fruit maybe, or along those lines. You have to sign in and pay the fee anyway, and they are at the end of a 20 mile dirt road with not many signs of civilization and everything...The only way out is the wade across the river, which we did not have any trouble with. I would say my girlfriend is petite, although quite outgoing, and she did not have any trouble. I'm six feet and it was just above the knee for me. Of course, you could bet it would be higher in the spring. Mid-July and spending more than 30 seconds in the ice-cold water is quite unpleasant. Imagine in winter it would be downright prohibitive. Use of precaution is highly recommended. A rope, or carrying a stick might be a good idea, just to catch yourself on a rock if you slip, although that might complicate matters. Good to think about what you might do if you fell before you make the attempt. Above all, don't worry too much. Just think about it, "Okay, I would face my feet downstream and push myself toward the shore, grabbing for rocks to stop myself", etc. It is a swift river, but the key is to not let it dismay you. You will walk away on the other side. You know you will. Oh, and take SHORT steps, one at a time, not lingering, but being confident. It's worth it. It's a blast. A four-mile hike each way, well that's another story. No doubt it would be an excellent walk. But don't let wading through the river scare you off. This is a paradise. We were told it would be worth it. I would have gone through a lot more. Have fun. Oh, and become a member to help save this and other places like it. Peace.
From: Jim Johnson (jjohnson@isomedia.com)
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996
My wife Sheila and I visited Goldmyer Hot Springs a couple of weekends ago, and enjoyed ourselves immensely (with reservations; see below).
After making our reservations ($10 for 24 hours, including camping), we were told to expect a 6 mile hike, and to prepare to ford a hip-deep river. When we arrived, the hike had been shortened to two miles, due to road repairs. The river, though, was not nice: hip-deep, yes, but very swift. A rope had been rigged across the river by previous travelers, and we crossed without incident.
The hot springs themselves are wonderful. Most of the soaking area is inside an old mine shaft, whose walls are darkened by soot from numerous candles. This seems like it would be a fantastic place for nighttime soaks, if you camp overnite. We spent a few hours in the middle of the day Sunday, and had the whole place to ourselves.
On the way out, however, we had some problems. The river (the middle fork of the Snoqualmie) had risen a few inches, but like idiots, we tried to cross anyway. I made it across with no problem, but my wife was not so lucky. About half way across, in the worst part of the river, she lost her balance, and then the rope snapped. She was swept downstream towards some nasty rocks, but fortunately she had the presence of mind to paddle out before she reached the worst part. The only damage was a lot of bruises on her legs.
The river was exceptionally high that day, so this situation is not normal; however, since scrapes with death do not enhance a hot-springs experience, we are recommending that anyone who visits here (especially when the river is high) use the Forest Service's Middle Fork trail to reach the hot springs. This adds four miles each way to the walk, but allows visitors to cross the river on a footbridge. That's the way we will go next time.
Happy Soaking!
Jim and Sheila Johnson
Review written by: Paul Lerch (10/24/95)
Greetings!
Goldmyer Hot Springs is a privately owned piece of paradise. When I was there I was told that it is one of the very last pieces of old growth forest left in the area.
There is a cabin with a live in caretaker and a fee ($9 I think) for twenty four hours. There are primitive campsites near the springs.
The springs come out of a rock hillside next to a steep and swift river. People have blasted back into the hill a ways so you can walk and soak inside the hill. There are also two small attatched pools that are progresively cooler.
The people were very nice and the atmosphere couldn't be beat. Call for directions and info first though!
Take care, Paul.
Contact the author at: Paul Lerch
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