214 Spring, Hunter, NY  5/5 (2)

4 people follow this spring.
Directions:

Description

It has a pvc plastic pipe that appears to come right out the rock. It has a small pool underneath.

The elevation is 2211 feet.

Route 214 is the highest elevation state road in all of New York State (so you know the spring water you’ll be getting is some of the best pure mountain spring water out there!)

Nearest Address

1/4 mile past Lane Rd. on the right hand side. Just past a State Land Property sign on right. There is a small pull off for the spring and it will be just before that pull off.

Directions from Nearest Address


Alternate directions recently submitted by a spring hunter who successfully found this spring:
From Oneonta, take Route 23 (Wal-mart road).  In Grand George, go thru light and road slightly curves (army-navy store on right).  You’ll drive for a while.  Turn right onto Rte. 214 (golf place).  If you see TOPS on the left, you have gone too far.  Up the road on right before you go up the mountain. Right past historical looking state land sign.  Red mark on the tree. If you see the lake, you have gone too far.

 

1/4 mile past Lane Rd. on the right hand side. Just past a State Land Property sign on right. There is a small pull off for the spring and it will be just before that pull off.

If you’re coming to this spring from the south, take Route 28 all the way until you take the turn for Phoenicia, NY (there are 2 turns that will get you off of Rte-28 to the center of Phoenicia—either one is fine to take). In just about 0.2 miles you will see a turn saying “Route 214”. Take Route 214 almost exactly 10.5 miles up the mountain. When you are getting close to the spring, you will pass several locations for a state park called “Devil’s tombstone”. The final location for the state park has a small lake after it, on the left side of the road. Keep going a bit, but slow down, as there will be a very small dirt pull-off on the left-hand side of the road. The spring is not marked, and it’s not visible from the road, but when you pull off and get out of the car, you will see a very small “ditch” where there are some rocks and a piece of black plastic piping. You have found the spring!

Right next to the spring, on the left-hand side of the road is a small sign that says “state land forest preserved acquired 1909. There is also a small mile-market sign that says “214…1302…1068”.

Vital Information

  • Fee: No Fee
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: 21
  • Temp: N/A
  • pH: 5

Hours Spring is Open:

24/7/365

GPS:

42º 10’ 25” N 74º 11’ 56” W

Map Link: 214 Spring Map

Submitted by: Tom Cushwa

Responses

    1. i did not notice that the pipe was hanging out when i visited. thats a shame, hopefully someone can fix it if it truly is a good spring with a low TDS. i was just visiting, i do not live in the area. best of luck!

  1. I love this spring, have been using it all summer/fall/winter – haven’t seen it dry though in summer it was slow coming. I just drove all the way up there today. I was able to park by the spring as the area was ploughed, but I could not get to the spring. It was running full, I could see it ten feet away, but there was a huge snow drift. I tried shoveling with my car shovel, but was too afraid to get stuck in the snow drift if I tried to make it to the spring 🙁

  2. doubt that it was a seepage spring, it has a TDS count of 16ppm

    either way, it looks like someone ripped the pipe out of the ground.. perhaps it was tapped closer to the source so it’s not arriving at the pipe now?

  3. visited this spring yesterday, august 21st, and it was dry. barely a drop coming out. which leads me to believe this is not an actual natural spring, but a seepage spring and therefore should not be used unless tested thoroughly. just a heads up.

  4. I have been to the site of the spring and the water flow was cold and strong. I was just wondering if it has ever been tested for contaminants or should I send a sample out for testing before regularly drinking this water? Thank you.

  5. I am wondering if anyone knows if the spring is running/productive again? It’s a bit of a long drive for me, so I’d like to know if/when it’s back running. Thank you!

  6. Right now this spring is dry, nothing at all coming out of the pipe. So disappointing. We have barely had any rain the past two months or more, and everything is dry. Also the end of the pipe seems to have grown some algae/mold in it…

  7. Lately this spring has been just a trickle, I was there today and didn’t even have time to fill up all my jugs it was so slow. Hopefully it picks up again soon.
    I sent some photos to add to the gallery and some detailed directions also, months ago, but they haven’t been added.

  8. I did go up on October 2, 2013 and it was flowing strong. I went up again the other day and still going strong as usual. This is the best cold mountain spring water with a low TDS.

  9. I go to this spring regularly but when I was there this past Sunday the flow was just a slow trickle, which is rare. I wonder if it is dependent on recent rainfall at all? I am thinking of going up today but there’s been no rain, could it even be dry?? On Sunday it took 20 min. to fill a one gallon jug.

  10. I really love this spring. I have visited twice in the past month and have really enjoyed the water. There are now two black plastic pipes and they are flowing steadily. The water is quite cold and feels so fresh and wild. People who live in this area have told me it is some of the best water around.

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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