Wilhoit Spring, Molalla, OR 97038

4 people follow this spring.
Directions:

Wilhoit Springs is a county park located in Clackamas County, Oregon, deep in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, roughly 8 miles southeast of Molalla.
Around the turn of the 20th century, the spa and resort there was one
of Clackamas County’s most popular tourist destinations. However, in the
first few decades of the 20th century the facility lost popularity and,
in 1928, closed down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhoit_Springs

Responses

  1. Went to this spring today. It’s a lovely little park off to itself and we easily found the spring but the water doesn’t seem drinkable, and is full of sediment and iron.

  2. I’m wondering if anyone who has been to this spring site has had any testing done by a local lab etc.? If not I may do so, as I just want to make sure that it has not accumulated any pesticides from nearby farmlands on its journey.

  3. I found this spring very easy. The first thing I looked for in the park was the gazebo. We opened the lid and took some water home, it was clear in my glasses but I wanted to boil it for 3 min at home. It was clear until I boiled it then the water turned orange brown like the color of the inside of the pipe and stream running from it. After it cooled it settled to the bottom but the entire water was still brown orange. I filtered it using a coffee filter & it collected a lot of it but it still wasn’t clear water. I decided not to drink it. I talked to someone that lived a mile away and she said there use to also be a pump that pumped the spring but it broke and the covered it & doesn’t look like they will fix it anytime soon. The water flows out from under the lid and flows into a steam close to it I looked at the stream & tons of mosquitoes where flying over it. Even though we didn’t drink the water it was fun to explore for it!

  4. I went here today to fill up on the soda water and it’s still easily accessible. I brought a dolly to cart my 5-gal carboys back & forth which was really helpful.

    The mineral spring pump is broken & taped over, but the soda water well is just covered with a steel lid. Bring a siphon or small bucket to ladle out the water, you’ll need it!

  5. Nothing came out of the pump. But the spring that is covered with a lid and surrounded by a covered deck was easy and fun to access. More of a one-time experience in my opinion, it tasted like salty metal! Only slightly carbonated, so I’m thinking that one is the mineral spring? I’ll try to post a picture, it clearly has a lot of iron in it. TDS meter hovered around the 360 range.

  6. I’m planning a trip to this spring to collect water for the first time . Does anyone know if there’s a pump? I’m new to this and don’t know if I need equipment to tap the water.

    Thanks!

  7. I went there with my son yesterday. It’s a cute park and the spring is an easy 100 yard walk from the parking area. The spring, surrounded by the deck in the picture, has a metal cover on it, which you lift off to access the flow coming up. This water has a heavy mineral taste and is certainly “an acquired taste.” Interesting thing about it is this water comes from the spring with quite a bit of natural carbonation. One of the bottles we filled burbled all the way home and into today.

  8. This is the site of two springs. One is a Soda Spring and the other is a Mineral. It’s a beautiful location, once the site of an old bath house. Now just a small park with a few picnic tables. Easy access to the water.

  9. First and foremost, Wilhoit is a mineral springs. At the end of the 19th century it was the Wilhoit Springs Resort, the 2nd largest tourist destination in Oregon and was acclaimed from here to Eastern Europe for it’s healing waters. During this time, there were soaking tubs to rent and the mineral water is known to do wonders for the skin. Currently there are 2 well heads-the sulfur spring and the soda spring. The sulfur spring is the pump station that’s typically broken. You’re not missing anything because it takes foul and smells like rotten eggs. It is technically safe to drink… but as kids we would dare each other to.
    The soda spring is what we go for. It’s under the gazebo with the stainless steel lid. It is effervescent and is also high in minerals, particularly iron. Kinda like Perrier but better. It is a free-flowing artesian well, so the water constantly overflows and there is no pump. Use a vessel to dip into the well. If you want to take water, it must be bottled and tightly capped at the source, then stored on the side in refrigeration. If not, it will lose the carbonation and the mineral precipitates out. During the resort days it was bottled and sold in Portland. It is an acquired taste but natural springs aficionados consider it excellent. Like it or not, I guarantee it is potable. I have consumed a hundred gallons of it at least. HOWEVER: Wilhoit spring water is a powerful diuretic. If you are unaccustomed to it don’t drink more than a quart at a time. If you want a serious cleanse drink away. In the early days they claimed it was “the cure for consumption.”

How to Collect Spring Water

Drinking pure spring water is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Our bodies are over 99% water at the molecular level, so water affects every aspect of our biology. Yet, not all water is created equal. Almost all the bottled spring water available is pasteurized for shelf stability, which neutralizes many of the powerful health benefits such as increased hydrogen, healthy probiotics, and crystalline structure. For more about why unprocessed spring water is the best water to drink, read this.

The best way to guarantee you are getting real unprocessed spring water is to collect it yourself. This is a short and simple guide filled with information about how to gather spring water. We will cover how to find a spring, how to collect the water, how to honor the spring, how to store the water properly and other tips.

FindASpring.org is the best resource for locating a spring near you. However, not all springs are on the map. First, check the map to see if there is a spring in your local area. If there is, look at the reviews and comments. Has anyone shared helpful information about flow rate or posted a water test result? Is the spring in a pristine area? Do a bit of research and make sure the spring is safe to drink from. If you have any doubt about the purity, don’t risk it and get a water test, HERE. If you don’t see a spring on the map in your area, there still might be some that aren’t listed yet. First, ask the older generation who have lived in your area a long time if they know. You can also ask people in your community who might already get spring water such as people at a health food store or at a farmers market. Another great option is to view A US forest service map, where many springs have been marked. You can view these maps through the Gaia GPS or All Trails hiking apps on your phone. The map overlay you want is USGS Topo. Not all are easily accessible or ideal for drinking, but some are and it can be a fun adventure to find them. We have found over half a dozen great springs this way.

Once you’ve found your spring, figure out how you are going to gather the water. Is it right on the side of the road and easy to access or do you have to hike to it? We recommend storing spring water in glass instead of plastic to preserve the purity of the water. It is better for the environment, your body, and the water. Even BPA free plastic has toxic chemicals that can leach into water and cause health issues. If you do want to use plastic for safety reasons when filling at the spring, we recommend transferring the water to glass as soon as possible. FindASpring is sponsored by Alive Waters, which offers beautiful reusable glass. They have a 2.5 gallon option, which is a convenient size for carrying that isn’t too heavy. They also sell handles that you can use to transport the jugs even more easily. If you have to hike to access the spring, we recommend putting the water jugs into an extra large backpack to hike the water out with ease. We use Osprey packs that hold 2 jugs each. You can also use a wheelbarrow or even a stroller depending on how easy a walk it is.

Filling 2.5 Gallon Alive Waters Jug

When you get to the spring, remember to first give back before you take. Springs are considered sacred in indigenous cultures around the world for their life giving water and also as a connection to the inner earth. A powerful and simple way to give back is to clean up. Is there any trash that needs to be collected? Could you move any dead leaves or sticks to improve the flow rate? Show up in service. Some other wonderful ways to give is with a moment of expressing verbal gratitude, singing songs to the water, offering the water an ethically sourced crystal, a feather, or some other physical gift. Flowers are a popular and beautiful thing to offer, but please be careful to source organic ones as most flowers from the store are sprayed with pesticides and can be toxic to put near a spring. Also, flowers can attract bugs as they decay, so it can be best to offer them to the flowing water directly or a little downstream from the spring head.

When gathering the water, fill the jug as close to the spring head as possible, never gather downstream. Be very careful as wet glass is extremely slippery. Make sure the lid is securely fastened. When transporting the spring water home, the jugs can sometimes slide around the car. Secure them in place or wrap them with towels or something so they don’t crash into each other.

How you store your spring water is essential. It is not pasteurized like spring water from the store, so it will start growing algae if left in direct sunlight. This is good because it means it’s alive! If the water you drink can’t even support the most basic life forms, how do you think it will support your body? Store your water in a cool, dark place such as a dark corner, pantry or closet. The fridge is ideal if you have room. Some people prefer to filter their water through a Berkey filter before drinking, but if the spring is pure, it’s not necessary. We drink our spring water completely unfiltered.

How long the water stays good for depends on how cold a temperature it’s stored at. Spring water is best fresh. We personally do not prefer to drink spring water past 2 weeks old. However, we know other people that will drink it at a month old. It’s great to get in a rhythm where you know how long the water lasts you and put your collection day on the calendar in advance.

I believe that water is calling us to reconnect with her in the deepest way, to gather our own water. Just like our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have fancy water machines. They also didn’t create villages or settle where there was no water. Water was revered as the center of the community and the nodal point around which life could spiral out and take root.

Here’s to restoring the sacred connection with the waters of life.

Create an account or login to upload water test results.

US Find A Spring members can get a 15% discount at WaterCheck.com use coupon code COMMUNITY

Uploaded Water Tests

Create an account or login to upload water test results.

Create an account or login to upload an image.

Do you have info you'd like to add to the main spring description or perhaps a more accurate gps coordinate?

Please start by making a comment on this spring's page with any additional info, or something that you feel should be changed to reflect more accurate data. After your comment is liked by enough community members, this will validate the improved information.

Please notify us if an update with enough likes hasn't been updated in the description yet.