Klickitat Mineral Springs

What to expect

Klickitat Mineral Springs is a place to look at, camp beside and learn about, not a hot spring to soak in. Carbon dioxide seeps up through cracks in the basalt along the Klickitat River and carbonates the groundwater, which comes out in a string of small springs near the river. Washington State Parks puts the water at about 80°F27°C. WDFW says most of the springs still flow, and their little pools are tinted orange by algae that thrives in the mineral water. There is no developed pool and no bathhouse, and nothing about the site is set up for bathing. If you want a hot soak, this is the wrong trip.

What you do get is a pleasant river campground in a narrow canyon of oak, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. The site is part of the Mineral Springs Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area, 1,101 acres run by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The unit mostly exists for public river access and fish habitat. There is a concrete boat ramp, one parking lot, one restroom and a campground. The Klickitat Trail, a long-distance trail on an old railroad grade, runs past it.

History

The springs have a long human story. Washington State Parks says Indigenous people used the carbonated springs for medicine and ceremony for thousands of years. Wikipedia’s account adds that people from the nearby village of Wahkiacus used the warm, fizzy water in sweat houses.

Settlers saw money in the water. State Parks says James A. Rusk built a Mineral Springs Spa near the river in 1890. From 1902 a bottling plant sold mineral water mixed with syrups under names like “Klickitat Pop” and “Mineral Ale.” According to Wikipedia, the bottled water went flat too quickly to keep customers. Warren Langdon bought the plant in 1928, and it closed during the Depression.

In the early 1930s Ray Newbern turned the plant into a dry ice factory that captured the spring’s carbon dioxide. Wikipedia says output peaked at 18 tons a day, limited by how much gas the ground gave up. WDFW and State Parks both date the end of dry ice production to 1957. (Wikipedia gives 1968 for Newbern’s sale; the official sources are the safer date.) The Washington Department of Game, now WDFW, bought the idle property for public recreation in the 1970s.

The plant’s chimney is the one big relic left. WDFW kept it on purpose: Vaux’s swifts use it as a roost during their spring and fall migrations, and watching them drop into the chimney at dusk is one of the better reasons to visit.

Getting there

The springs are in the Klickitat River canyon on the dry east slope of the Cascades, about halfway between the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Adams.

• From the Columbia River Gorge: Leave SR 14 at Lyle and follow State Route 142 north up the Klickitat River. Go through the small town of Klickitat. The Mineral Springs Campground and boat launch are about 1.7 miles upstream of town, on SR 142.
• From Goldendale: SR 142 also runs west from the Goldendale area down into the canyon to Klickitat.

The access road is short and the campground is next to the highway, so any car can make it. Only drive to the river’s edge inside the campground and boat launch area. WDFW bans driving elsewhere on the unit to protect riverbank plants.

For the Klickitat Trail, WDFW points to the Wahkiacus Trailhead, next to Schilling Road near its junction with Horseshoe Bend Road, as the nearest trail parking.

When to go

The site is open all year.

• Summer: WDFW says swimming and floating the river are popular in summer, with July the best month, when the water is warm and the flow has dropped. Later in summer the river gets bony and rocks are harder to avoid. Expect hot, dry days in the canyon.
• Spring and fall: these are the swift months. The birds use the chimney as a roost on migration.
• Winter: bald eagles are along the river. The campground stays open, but nights are cold.

During fire season (usually June 1 to October 12), campfires are banned even in the campground, and the Swale Creek section of the Klickitat Trail closes seasonally because of high fire danger.

Rules and etiquette

These are WDFW rules for the Mineral Springs Unit:

• Pass: a Discover Pass is required, unless you have a Vehicle Access Pass from an eligible hunting or fishing license.
• Camping: only inside the Mineral Springs Campground, for no more than 14 days in any 30-day period.
• Campfires: only in the campground, and never during the seasonal burn ban.
• Driving: to the river’s edge only within the campground and boat launch area.
• Hunting: no hunting with firearms within 500 feet of the campground.
• Klickitat Trail: non-motorized use only, no horses, dogs on leash.

Leave the springs alone. The algae mats and mineral deposits are what make the pools interesting, and the water is not a drinking source.

Where to stay nearby

The Mineral Springs Campground is the obvious base, and it is first come, first served. Klickitat itself is a very small town. For motels, food and fuel, head to Goldendale to the east, or down to the Columbia River Gorge towns along SR 14, such as Lyle, White Salmon and Bingen.

Safety notes

• River: the Klickitat is cold and can run fast in spring. Wear a life jacket if you float it, and scout the rocks in low water.
• Gas: the springs give off carbon dioxide. In the open air this is harmless, but do not put your face into hollows or enclosed spaces around the springs.
• Water quality: do not drink from the springs. The pools grow algae and are not tested as a water supply.
• Fire: this is dry oak and pine country. Respect the burn ban and drown any fire you build in the campground.
• Wildlife: watch for rattlesnakes on warm days, ticks in the grass, and poison oak in the canyon brush.