Goldmyer Hot Springs — Sunday, Mar. 12, 2023

This was my first time at Goldmyer and I was very nervous about the road. To be honest, it's not the worst forest service road I've been on in WA, it just has LOTS of potholes. Would definitely recommend a higher clearance, 4wd vehicle though with the snow. We took our Toyota Tacoma truck and used 4-wheel drive to manage some of the slightly sketchier snow spots on the road. No chains were needed and nobody else we saw used them. I'd say the last mile of road leading up to the parking lot was the worst, but again, was manageable without chains for us. 

The trail is snow covered the entire time. I wore spikes on the trail because it was a little slippery, especially as the snow started to melt throughout the day, but I didn't need them. It's just slow going because you're walking in snow the whole time. We saw an otter at the river about a mile into the hike which was cool, and we saw him around the same spot on the way back. Not much else to report on the trail itself up until the caretaker's cabin. Once we got to the caretaker's cabin, we met one of the caretakers who was very sweet and wished me a happy birthday! The 1/4 mile from the caretaker's cabin to the hot springs is where I was happy to have my spikes, but I saw other people just wearing straight hiking boots. We got there the same time as a couple other groups and there was one group already at the hot spring. While we shared the hot spring with a few other groups, it was big enough to trade off spots so everyone was able to be in a pool during our time there. Tip: if you're bringing tea lights for the cave, save a tuna/shallow aluminum can so you can put your tea light in it as the caretaker has to clean up wax if you spill. They do provide tins there if you want to light candles, but if you have an extra one laying around, it wouldn't hurt to bring it :) there are 3 outhouses on the property, only one is right near the hot spring itself, but it was stocked!

This place is pretty magical and I'm glad I was able to finally experience it. The old growth forest around the hot springs is absolutely stunning with massive trees sprinkled throughout the hike. This hot spring is very much worth the trek.