Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Northwest

204 Pages·1993·25.691 MB·English

by  Jayson Loam, Marjorie Gersh

'93 • '94
lyson Loam
irjorie Gersh
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BRITISH COLUMBIA IDAHO
WASHINGTON MONTANA
OREGON WYOMING
and EASTERN STATES
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HotSpringsandHotPoolsoftheNorthwest Gratefulacknowledgementsto:
Copyright 1993 byJaysonLoam Staff members at state parks, national forests, national
parks and hot springs resorts for their cooperation and
Revisededition: 1993 encouragement; Diana Lindsay for identifying the
benefits of having separate Southwest and Northwest
Cartography, design, layoutand regionalhotspringguides; DonHaagaforhisoriginal art
productionbyJaysonLoam direction and continuing good influence; the Santa Cruz
firms of Lasersmith for print-outs, Bay Photo for film
ISBN0-9624830-5-2 processing, Dancing Man Imagery for PMTs, John Ryan
for computer cover design, and Aptos Post for color
ManufacturedintheUnitedStates separation proofs and negatives; everyone who has ever
offered new information about any hot spring and all of
Publishedby: AQUATHERMALACCESS the subjects who so graciously consented to be
55 AzaleaLane photographed
SantaCruz,CA95060
PhotoCredits:
BobSeal, 10,97,98T,98B,99T,99B,103CL,103BL, 107T,
FrontCoverLeft-PineFlatsHotSprings /136 107R, 107B, 142T. Libbey Hot Springs Health Spa, 12B,
FrontCoverRight: -UpperHotSpring /39 16T, 185T, 185R. Harrison Hotel, 17T. Phil Wilcox, 23T,
BackCover -KahNeeTa /80 23B, 24T, 24B, 26T, 26B, 27T, 27B, 28L, 28R, 32T, 32B,
33T, 33CR, 33B, 34T, 34L, 34R, 35T, 50L, 50R, 51LT,
51LB,SIR,56,78,146L,182,183.TomDeLong,25T,25B.
Chena Hot Springs, 27B. Marlene Campbell, 29T. Miette
Hot Springs, 36T, 37T. Marjorie Gersh, 48, 74L. British
Columbia Minestry ofForests, 49. Wellspring, 57. Town
Tubs and Massage, 58T, Goldmyer Hot Springs, 59. Doe
BayVillageResort,63.BreitenbushHotSprings,82T,82B.
Susan Carter, 93T, 93B, 101T, 101B, 102T, 141T, 142B,
143T, 143B. Andy Hedden-Nicely, 149. WayneSherr, 155.
J. Russell Criswell, 167T, 168T, 169T, 169L, 170, 171T,
171B. Granite Creek Hot Springs, 167B, David Hummer,
172T, East Heaven Tub Co., 175, Crystal Spa, 176.
BerkeleySpringsStatePark, 177L, 177R,TheGreenbrier,
178L, 178R. The Homestead, 179T, 179B. Safety Harbor
Spa, 183T, 183BL. Arlingon Resort Hotel, 186. Hot
Springs Hilton, 187L, 187R. Elms Resort Hotel, 188.
ClearwaterHotTubs, 190.Jayson Loam,frontcover,back
coverandallothers.
A substantial portion of the material in this book was
suppliedbythefollowingRegionalContributors:
Evie Litton is a dedicated backpacker and hot springs
seeker who is the author of The Hiker's Guide to Hot
Springsin thePacificNorthwest.Copies areavailablefor
$9.95 plus $2.50 shipping from Falcon Press, P.O. Box
MT
1718, Helena, 59624, or by calling toll-free (800)
582-2665.
Phil Wilcox, also known as "The Solar Man", is semi-
retired and lives on a remote piece of land in Northern
California. Recently returned from Canada, Alaska and
Florida, he is at last report off to Mexico. When not
traveling(often insearchofhot springs)hedesigns, sells
and installs remote home solar power systems. Send
$3.00 for a complete solar catalog, or send SASE for
basic information. The SOLAR MAN, P.O. Box 1460,
Lower Lake, CA 95457.
Susan Carter lives with her husband Brian Flick in
Spokane,Washington.Theytravelthebackroadsseeking
and exploring little-known lakes, rivers, and hot springs
oftheinlandnorthwest.
J. Russell Criswell is a member of a volunteer group
which works to preserve local hot springs. He is also a
part time photographer and writer whose address is 243
SoprisAvenue, Carbondale, CO. 81623. [phone].
Bob and Glenna Seal live in the hot water "poor"
section ofIdaho, but spend numerous weekendsdriving,
hiking and cross-country skiing to dip in hot springs.
Together they explore central Idaho, southern Montana
andwesternWyominginsearchoftheperfecthotspring.
They can be reached at 2847 St. Charles Ave., Idaho
Falls,ED 83404. [phone]
.
Jlot Springs
"eHot^ools
Alaska
Page 22
Northwest
CompanionVolume to
Hot Springs andHot Pools ofthe Southwest
AQUATHERMALACCESS
Alberta
British
Page 31
Columbia Midwest and
Page 30 Eastern States
Page 174
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page
Washington
Page 52 \ **-""
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Oregon Idaho *&"«»
Page 64 Page 86 \
Table of Contents
1. Hunting for Hot Water / 10
2. Using This Guide / 14
3. Caring for the Outdoors / 18
Directory Section:
Alaska 22
/
British Columbia 30
/
Alberta 31
/
Washington 52
/
Oregon 64
/
Idaho 86
/
Montana 150
/
Wyoming
160
/
Eastern States 174
/
Alphabetical Master Index 191
/
Introduction byJaysonLoam This book simply accepts the fact that hot springs do
exist, that they have a history, and that soaking the
This is a book for people to use, not an academic human body in geothermal.water does indeed contribute
discussion of geothermal phenomena. For me there is a to a feeling of well-being. That still leaves several
special joy and contentment which comes from soaking substantialpractical questions. "WherecanIgotolegally
ina sandy-bottompool offlowing natural mineral water, put my body in hot water, how do I get there, and what
accompanied by good friends and surrounded by the willI findwhen Iarrive?"Thepurposeofthis book is to
peaceful quiet ofa remote, primitive setting. At such an answerthosequestions.
idyllic moment it is hard to get overly concerned about When I began to design this book, I had to decide
geology,chemistry orhistory. Inthis bookit ismy intent whichgeothermal springswould be leftoutbecause they
to be ofservice to others who also like to soak inpeace are not "hot". Based onmy own experience I picked 90
andwhocouldusesomehelpfindingjusttherightplace. degrees as the cut-off point and ignored any hot springs
Thecataclysmicfoldingandfaultingoftheearth'scrust or hot wells below that level, unless a commercial
over millions ofyears is a fascinating subject, especially operator was using electricity, gas or steam to bump up
where geologic sources have combined just the right thetemperatureofthemineralwater.
amountof underground water withjust therightamount The seconddecisionI had to make was whether or not
ofearth core magma to produce a hot surface flow that to include geothermal springs on property which was
goes on for centuries. It would probably be fun to fenced and posted or otherwise not accessible to the
research and write about all that, including new data on public.There area fewhotspringenthusiasts whoget an
geothermal power installations, but that is not what this extra thrill outofpenetrating such fences and soaking in
bookis about "forbidden" mineral water. It was my conclusion that I
Many hot springs havelong histories ofspecial status wouldbedoingmy readersamajordisservice ifI guided
withIndian tribes which revered the healing and peace- them into a situation where they might get arrested or
makingpowersofthemagicwaters.Thosehistoriesoften shot.Therefore, I do notprovide a descriptive listing for
includebloody battles with "whitemen" overhot spring such hot springs, but I do at least mention the names of
ownership, and there are colorful legends about Indian several such well-knownlocations in the index, with the
cursesthathaddire effects fordecades on a wholeseries notation NUBP, which means "Not Usable By the
of ill-fated owners who tried to deny Indians their Public."
And then there were several more pleasant decisions,
traditional access to a sacred tribal spring. That, too,
would be an interesting theme for a book someday, but such as whetherornot to include hot wells. Technically,
notthisbook. theyarenotnaturalhotsprings,butrealgeothermalwater
In the 19th century it was legal, and often quite doesflow outofthem, so, ifasoaking pool is accessible
profitable,to claimthatmineralwater fromafamous spa to thepublic,Ichosetoincludethem.
had theabilitytocureanimpressivelistofailments. Such Within the last 30years theradical ideaofcommunal
advertisingis nolongerlegal, andmodern medicine does soakinginaredwoodorfiberglasshottubfilledwithgas-
heated tap water has grown into a multi-million-dollar
not include mineral water soaks, or drinks, in its list of
approved treatments. Nevertheless, quite a few people business. Thousands of residential tubs are installed
sttiilmlehsaovaekianng iinntuintaitvuerafleemliinnegrathlat,wasteormeihsowbe,nesfipceinadli.ngI elevaesrtyyoenaer,, allanodfthtehlearregeramreotenlsowanddhoozteenlssnoowfhauvrebaant
agreewith the conclusion thatit is "good for you", but it establishments which offer private-space hot tub rentals
wanodulsdcitenatkiefiacnmeantteirriealbowohkictho wexopullodrebeallneoefdtehdetaoneecxdpoltaailn bwyhitchheishowuhr.yIthcehobasseictoboioncklutidteletihseHroetntS-par-itnugbsloacnadtiHonost,
why.Someoneelsewillhavetowritethatbook. Pools.
Early on I realized that there is no such thing as a
"typical" hot spring and that there is no such thing as a
"typical" hotspring enthusiast. Some readers will have a
whole summer vacation to trek from one remote,
primitivehot spring to another. Others will be trying to
makethemostofatwoweekvacation, alongweekend, a
Saturday, or a few hours after ahard day's work. Some
readerswill have aself-contained RV, while others must
depend on air travel and airport transportation
connections. Some readers will want to find
skinnydippers, while others will want to avoid
skinnydippers.
Whatever your schedule, transportation and modesty
needs, this book is intended to help you make an
informed choice and then get you to the locations you
havechosen.