Access Report: Updated at least every Wednesday evening
February 28th, 2021:
ROAD AND TRAIL CONDITIONS:
There are 6-12 inches of snow on the 6 mile dirt road. Vehicles can make it IF you have a High Ground Clearance Vehicle such as a large truck or lifted SUV (Jeep, etc.) with 4WD and snow chains. Subaru/Honda or other small/midsize SUVs are NOT suitable!! If you cannot make it to the trailhead, PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK THE ROAD or turn-around areas. Safely park along the road and hike the rest of the way.
Snow shoes or xx-skis, and trekking poles are essential for the hike. The trail and Goldmyer property has about 10-20 inches of snow. More snow is expected throughout this week.
- Minimum of 5 hours of driving+hiking (each way) from the Seattle area to the Goldmyer Property in the winter.
- 18 miles of FS road with no reception, 6+ miles of which are rough, unpaved road; the whole road is un-plowed when it snows.
- 4.5 mile hike each way to the property (9 miles round trip).
- Follow the directions that were emailed to you, DO NOT use GPS or other resources.
You should always travel with the following emergency equipment in your vehicle:- Snow Chains
- Extra Water and Food
- A Full Gas Tank and Extra Gas
- Chainsaw (for clearing deadfall trees on remote forest roads)
- Axe or Hand Saw
- Shovel
- Jumper Cables
- Nylon Tow Strap and a Winch
- First Aid Kit
- Basic Repair Kit and Tool Box
- Spare Tire (fully inflated!)
- Blankets or Sleeping Bags (even if you don't plan to camp)
- Appropriate Clothing
- Hand and Foot Warmers
- In addition: let someone know when you're due home or back in phone service area and what emergency service to contact if you are not reachable by a certain time (the office is not an emergency number).
RESERVATION PROCESS:
To create a more efficient and equitable process for visiting Goldmyer Hot Springs, we are implementing a web based lottery submission for reservations. Please see the RESERVATION LOTTERY Page for more details. Follow the link at the top of the Home Page under "Please Note:" or the drop down tab "VISIT > Lottery".
Calls will be accepted starting at 9:00 am on March 1st for April dates; this is the last month of voicemail requests. Call the office (206-789-5631) and leave a voicemail to get in the queue.
- Any messages left before March 1st, 9:00 am PST asking for April will be DELETED.
- 100s of people call at once. The line may be busy when you call, keep trying.
- Requests are accepted in the order we receive your voicemail. Please be specific with your dates or flexibility in your message and leave your name and phone number twice.
- April weekends will be full by 9:02 am (via voicemail) and the voicemail fills up by 9:10 am.
- We mark the calendar as full as we receive enough messages for those days.
- March 1-20: calls will be returned for April dates (you may not receive a call back if dates are full).
- Remaining dates or cancellations will appear on the calendar.
- Requests for May must be done via the online lottery March 2-31 (do not call the office to enter the May lottery).