Berkeley Springs, WV

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Description:

Berkeley Springs State Park is located in the center of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The Bathhouse first opened in 1930. Since then, thousands have enjoyed the variety of baths and treatments in the warm mineral waters that flow from the springs at a constant temperature of 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The springs discharge from five principle sources and numerous lesser ones, all within a hundred yards, approximately 2,000 gallons of clear, sparkling water per minute. Bathing in the springs has been popular since before the days of George Washington. The park is located in the heart of town and also has an outdoor pool open in summer, a public tap for free spring water and open pools of springs run-off.

Today scores of people from all over can be seen bringing their plastic jugs and filling them with Berkeley Springs water from the pumps at this building each day. The water has always been free to the public and this right was enshrined by the Virginia Legislature in the 1776 Law establishing a town at the springs.

Berkeley Springs, a fountainhead of warm mineral waters frequented by Native Americans long before Europeans arrived in the New World, are at the heart of a mountain spa community in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. First noted as Medicine Springs in 1747 on a map drawn by Thomas Jefferson’s father, the waters for many centuries have drawn visitors seeking health and relief from the stress of everyday life. In 1776, George Washington’s family and friends drew up a plat of 134 lots, named the streets, and incorporated The Town of Bath, invoking the muses of the renowned English spa. Yet the magic of the springs prevailed, and the town and surrounding area are known by their name — Berkeley Springs. The waters flow at a constant 74°F from the base of Warm Springs Ridge. You may still drink freely and fill your jugs at Lord Fairfax’s public tap, and wade in the ancient stone pools in the nation’s smallest state park. The town has endured cycles of notoriety, fashion, war and modern progress, but remains the Country’s First Spa, a quiet, friendly haven surrounded by West Virginia’s splendid outdoors.
http://www.berkeleysprings.com/history.htm

Important to note the spring water at the pump house where most people fill
up their bottles is chlorinated not heavily but enough to smell if you’re
sensitive…. we fill our bottles up at the big rock spring in the photo.

There is also a wonderful kid’s shallow silica sand spring area ( I can send
a video of this if you want, let me know)
.
In general this is a sublime place to come to relax for the day or weekend,
wonderful place to bring children to play in the summer in the spring water
pools and canals that run through the park. You can also take a private nude
bath all year round in the roman bath house. Hours for the roman bath are
daily 10 am – 4:30 pm and the price for a ½ hour bath is $30 for a couple,
$20 for one person and $10 for any add ional people (see photo attached of
inside baths). We bring our swim suits and enjoy getting into the larger
spring outside where you can watch the water bubble up from underground.
(See photos, this is also the place where we fill up our bottles.)

There is a smaller bath which is said to be George Washington’s Bath tub
(see photo) where people enjoy soaking their feet, or kids look for
crayfish.

There is a farmers market in town every Sunday and Thursday with one or two
organic or naturally grown farmers, there is also a little organic deli like
place with salads, soups and smoothies in town. For Paw Paw lovers WV is a
great place to find them growing wild along the rivers and streams in late
September early October and Paw Paw, WV is about 20 miles up the road! (See
photos of wild paw paws attached)

There are plenty of B& BS in and around town, as well as great camping areas
nearby.

Hours the spring is open …..It is in a park with park hours, but we have
come to the spring at all hours of the night and day.

Nearest Address

#2 S. Washington St Berkeley Springs, WV 25411

Directions from Nearest Address

http://www.berkeleysprings.com/largemap.htm

Vital Information

  • Fee: No Fee
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: N/A
  • Temp: 74.3 F
  • pH: 7.4

Hours Spring is Open:

10 am to 6 pm

Map Link: Berkeley Springs Map

GPS: N/A

Submitted by: Rebeka, Taylor Call

Responses

      1. did anyone find directions to the unchlorinated water? i think its called “Big Rock”? Ive looked all over google maps and cant find it. please help lol

  1. The water at Berkeley Springs is treated in two ways.

    The first one is for the city and municipal use of the spring water in which they chlorinate the water. They do this because of state and local regulations.

    The second method is for the state park use only (ie. their fountains). This one involves running the spring water through an activated charcoal filter, then through a UV light. One of the benefits of using charcoal to filter water is it removes many microorganisms and any foul taste from the water, but keeps the minerals found in the water intact.

    The state park uses the latter while the everyone else uses the former, so if you’re looking to get water from the state park, you should be fine.

    Note: the town does have a pool, but it uses city-treated water. The state park’s bathhouse uses state park water, not the city’s. While it comes out as 72 degrees, they do heat it up to a 100-ish degrees.

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.

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