Description
Visitors over the years built up four soaking pools out of river stones. The pools' sizes range from across and deep. The water source is above the topmost pool where the spring flows from a rock face at approximately , the lowest pool is . The pools are on a hillside and cascade from one to the next so that each pool step lower is cooler than the one above it. The bottoms of the soaking pools are exposed bedrock and gravel, sand and debris. Access to the springs is subject to a fee. Since 2012, the rates have been $10 per person per day or $60 per person for a seasonal pass to visit. Clothing in the bathing areas is optional, however nudity is not permitted within viewing distance from the Aufderheide Scenic Byway (Forest Road 19). Pets are not allowed at the pools, but there is a designated area before the pools where pets can be tied up. The springs are open for day use only, and alcohol is not permitted on site.History
Prior to the arrival of settlers, the hot springs may have been used by the local indigenous peoples. In the 1860s, Hiram Terwilliger founded the site to be used for mineral water baleanotheraputic purposes after originally filing for aIncidents
By the late 90s, issues developed including loud parties during the night, theft, alcohol abuse and drug dealing, as well as vandalism and littering. The Forest Service made several studies of the site in 1978–79, and improved it by building a posted trail, prohibiting nudity along the roads, as well as camping in the parking lot. The problems continued and the site was frequented by "various cult groups, motorcycle gangs, and ex-convicts". Theft and armed robbery were reported in the parking lot. The problems improved following a 1982 study of the site by Chuck Anderson, a Forest Service worker and James L. Caswell, who was a Blue River District Ranger resulting in the area being managed by the Forest Service, the implementation of a day-use fee, with oversight by a non-profit organization, Friends of the Springs, to regulate and monitor its use. The organization provided a caretaker present to maintain trails, clean toilets, and manage a small camping area. The FOS worked with the and Forest Service to construct wooden decks around the soaking pools, and to build a caretaker's cabin. The project was successful for the first two years of operations. In 1994, the body of a deceased young woman with a fractured skull was found near the parking lot having apparently drowned after falling. In 1996, the murder of a Harrisburg man occurred after a "transient" stole the man's motor home while travelling back to town from the hot springs. The same year a man who was camping was shot in the head during a fight about noise at the campground. In 1998, a day-use fee was implemented by the forestry service, alcohol use was banned and night use and overnight camping was prohibited within a nine-mile radius. In 2020 a woman died from a "medical event" at the hot springs while visiting with two friends. She was 25 years of age.See also
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