In the mid to late 1800's through the early 1920's, the wealthy and elite people of Clackamas County used to come here by stagecoach to “take in the waters” for their health. In it's heyday, Wilhoit Springs Resort was the number one tourist draw in Clackamas County. The resort buildings of that era are now gone though some traces remain. Pictures of what once was here are posted at the entrance.
The physical cache is outside of the park because the park has environmentally sensitive wetlands. If you’re a birdwatcher, bring your binoculars. Visit during daylight hours.
The starting coordinates are on the street at the entrance to the Wilhoit Springs County Park. Drive to the small parking area and leave your car.
Walk on the gravel road into the park. The gravel path narrows after about 50 feet and there's a fork where you'll see an information board. Stay to the right and continue on the narrow gravel path and you'll arrive at a covered area where the wellhead for one of the springs is located. The rusty colored water is full of minerals and this area is where the resort's bathhouse for hydrotherapy once stood.
1. Stand in the covered area and look uphill. How many old concrete staircases do you see? That number is "A".
2. Count the number of handles on the top of the metal cover for the spring. That number is "B".
3. Count the number of narrow vertical spindles on the railing of the covered area. That number is "C".
4. You'll see a bark covered path that leads to the next spring. It's about 60 feet from the first spring. Sometimes there's a water pump at the next spring but when we visited in August 2021 the pump was gone and there was a 3ft by 4ft concrete pad where it once stood. There's a sign posted here with a 2 digit number on it. That number is "D".
Take the number on the sign, "D" and multiply it by 10. From that result, add 10 to find XXX.
Take the number of narrow vertical spindles, "C" and multiply it by 29. From that result, subtract the number of staircases, "A" and the number of handles on the wellhead cover, "B" to find YYY.
The cache is hidden here: N 45° 03.XXX' W 122° 34.YYY'
Be sure to take the time to explore the park before leaving to find the cache. There is also an Earthcache associated with this park.
The container is a small round lock-n-lock container covered in black tape. For more information on this place, visit the Dibble House/Von der Ahe House Museum in Molalla (on Molalla Avenue with parking on Metzler Avenue).