[hikerman77]

I seem to remember reading that there was work being done on reopening the old Kennedy Hot Spring Trail. Doe anyone know if that is true or just a rumor? Thanks Rob

[gb]

Apparently nope: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mbs/recarea/?recid=17820

[Malachai Constant]

It would be pretty much impossible to repair the pre 2003 trail as it is buried. You could perhaps resurrect the old old trail which was 300’ higher, but I do not know. The old old old trail was on the other side of the Whitechuck.

[Kim Brown]

It was hoped for in the few years after the flood. They even flagged the old Glacier View trail that runs parallel and above the white Chuck trail. And I do think they want to eventually bring that area back. Some day. The plan was a new trail to Meadow Mtn via Skar Pass to Crystal Lake, Meadow Lake the ridge to Fire Creek trail to the White Chuck trail. The trail between Circle Peak trailhead to Crystal Lake had already been funded when the floods wiped everything off the map, so they went ahead with that plan. The BullBear trail from the Rat Trap Pass to meet the new Circle/Crystal trail is supposedly funded & flagged, but I haven't heard anything about that in a couple of years. Plus the road has been re-damaged time and again. So the long and short answer is yes and no.

[ale_capone]

fwiw. this is info from june of last year. 5 miles of road walk to trail head has too many trees for biking. first half mile of trail is worst trees on trail ive ever seen. there is an alternate path to the left of the trailhead that avoids this. other then that, its not too terrible to fire creek. except 'the washout'. there is a handline going up and around. we where able to just traverse the washout. we did not continue much further then the fire creek trail. it was tough to locate as the intersection area was full of deadfall. firecreek trail starts rough, but gets better with elevation. i am curious about flagging i seen up there. in line with what Kim says. just wondering if they routed the 'path' purposely by a giant tree on rock combo. possibly the best natural bonzai ive ever seen. also about where the flagging ended.

[hikerman77]

Anything close to the river would be washed out time and again. I knew Kim would be a grat source for information about trails. Rob

[cascadetraverser]

That was a frequent destination of many, especially in the fall for a soak and prime entryway into the GPW, particularly Boulder basin and the climb via the Sitkum. I know it wasn`t super hot, but the springs were still fun. From what I have heard, the FS probably is wary of a fully wooden constructed tub at the springs but its too bad the springs are so inaccessable that they can`t be used in some fashion....

[Randito]

FWIW: Someone posted a TR on TAY a couple years ago about an extended Ptarmingan ski traverse from Cascade Pass to Glacier Peak. They exited via the White Chuck. The section out the White Chuck was epic, by far the most daunting portion of the trip. The springs themselves were completely wiped out with only a hint of there former presence.

[Schenk]

The last time I visited Kennedy HS was in the 80s. The water was tepid (maybe 95 degrees?) and looked like a fungus experiment in a petri dish. We did NOT go in the tub because it looked so nasty. The lack of trail reconstruction has probably saved many a hiker from crotch rot, or worse.

[DIYSteve]

Oh yeah, we called it "Kennedy Tepid Springs" and "Kennedy Petri Dish." I crawled in there once. It was nasty. The silver lining of the road washout is that the GP standard route switched from the ho hum Sitkum to the Gerdine/Cool route, which is roughly 100 times cooler than the Sitkum route.

[cascadetraverser]

I guess one person`s paradise is another`s poison. I must have gone there a dozen times in the 80`s and it was not unusual for a group of us to spend up to 12 hours straight in there with a bunch of dips in the river usually in October or over Thanksgiving. Never rotted off a limb or even got a rash! I can`t help but think with the ingenuity of humans that some sort of primitive rock pool could be engineered but maybe not. That said, its a pretty unique place in the cascades. Etiher way, the access to Kennedy ridge, Boulder basin and Lake Byrne is missed and a trail would fix that. I wonder though, if the FS doesn`t want to open a big can of worms.

[Kim Brown]

[MtnGoat]

[Randito]

In terms of good hot springs experiences in the '80s my vote is for Baker Hot springs. 8x8x5 pool 104F water temp. Sadly it was too close to the road and became too much of a party spot and public nuisance and was torn down and bulldozed. IME: Goldmyr is the current best condition springs with reasonable access. Though I've yet to sample Soleduck.

[JonnyQuest]