Since my very first hot springs experience years back in Colorado, I was hooked. Everything from the views and the simplicity of it all is what strung me in and had me looking for more. As you may know, I boast about my golden state because you can find every outdoor activity here. But what I had noticed is that I haven’t been to a single hot spring in California yet. And I’m not talking about the hot spring resorts with a hotel and accommodations. I’m talking about natural rivers gushing with hot water rooted from the earth. After doing some research I found a few in the Eastern Sierras. One of them is called Wild Willy’s Hot Springs. This hot spring, along with two neighboring hot pools, is located just a 15 minute drive outside of Mammoth Lakes.
If you haven’t gone to Mammoth Lakes before, driving there is bit of a stretch. It’s takes about 6 hours to get to Mammoth Lakes from San Francisco. The options for accommodations are camping at Brown’s Owens River Campground, which is just 5 mile drive from Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, or staying at hotels that are located in the town of Mammoth Lakes, which is a 20 minute drive from the hot springs. We decided to camp out that weekend. If you want a fulfilling outdoors experience, I recommend camping at a campground. But be cautious of the forecast. The night we camped, the temperature dropped to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. In those conditions, I strongly suggest renting an RV. I also recommend taking a vehicle that is an AWD or a jeep, for the roads to the hot springs can be treacherous. My Toyota Corolla did fine, given that I drove at a VERY SLOW pace. But if you’re hoping to breeze through the gravel, take a jeep.
The hot springs can be difficult to locate so I’ve included a map that was provided by our campgrounds that has the exact coordinates of each hot spring. One of the token locations to look out for when driving down Highway 395 is a green church. When you see that green church, make sure to turn onto the road where the church is located (if you’re going Southbound, make a left; if you’re going Northbound, make a right). Once you’ve turn onto that road, the campground is about 6 miles down Benton Crossing Road. The name of the campgrounds is not easy to find on Google, so you’ll need to plug-in the exact address into your GPS. The exact address for Brown’s Owens River Campground is 6766 Benton Crossing Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546.
The campground is pretty darn epic. The campground has a flowing river running past it and is surrounded by snow capped mountains. It was a piece of heaven on earth. Sunsets and sunrises at the campgrounds were amazing. You can get a spot on the grounds with these views for a mere $60 per night. The spot provides a picnic bench and a fire pit, and a maximum of 4 people is allowed in each spot. On the campgrounds you have access to restrooms, a general store, and showers, which you have to pay a $2 fee to use. There is also camping available right near the parking lot at Wild Willies, however fires are not allowed and you’re required to dispose of any trash and feces off the campgrounds. Having a fire pit was non-negotiable for us, so we opted to camp at Brown Owen’s.
Within a 5 mile radius of the campgrounds are three hot springs: Whitemore Pool, Crab Cooker Hot Tub, Wild Willies Hot Springs. All springs are clothing optional. By far the most popular out of the three is Wild Willies Hot Springs. While the other two consists of a single hot tub, Wild Willies has a flowing river and much larger hot tub. I think what appeals to most visitors is that the hot tub is shaped like a heart. Was it man-made? That I’m not sure. But it sure is IG worthy. Just parallel to the pool is the cascading river, which can accommodate much more people. During sunset, the pools got packed. It was awesome to take in the views while throwing back a cold beer.
After taking in the sunset, we headed back to the campgrounds to make dinner and have a good night’s rest so we could catch the sunrise the following morning. Bathing in the hot springs during sunrise is nothing short of magical. The changing pink hues of the sky and the rising steam all around me made the experience so peaceful. A morning dip at the hot springs is NOT TO BE MISSED. The water feels so much warmer in the morning also.
My friends and I made this a weekend trip. We left at 4am Saturday morning, spent 24 hours there, then headed back Sunday early afternoon. Yes, the drive is long but it is so worth it once you’re there. And the drive through Sonora Pass is so beautiful. So what are you waiting for Weekend Warrior? Head out to Mammoth Lakes for some adventure.
I was recommended this website by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my trouble. You are incredible! Thanks!
This is very interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking
more of your excellent post. Also, I’ve shared your web site in my social networks!
I absolutely love your blog.. Pleasant colors & theme.
Did you develop this web site yourself? Please reply back
as I’m looking to create my own personal website and would love to learn where you got this from or what the theme is called.
Thank you!
Hello it’s me, I am also visiting this website on a regular
basis, this site is actually good and the users are really sharing nice
thoughts.
Appreciate this post. Let me try it out.
I really like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and exposure!
Keep up the excellent works guys I’ve included you guys to
my personal blogroll.
Generally I don’t read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very compelled me
to check out and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me.
Thanks, very great article.
Quality posts is the crucial to invite the viewers to visit the website, that’s
what this site is providing.
Thanks for finally writing about >How To Get to Mammoth
Lakes Hot Springs – Just In A City <Liked it!
An impressive share! І have јust forwarded thіs onto a friend wh᧐ had been conducting a little
research on thіs. And һe in fact ordered mе lunch simply
beｃause I foսnd it foг him… lol. So lеt mｅ reword tһis….
Tһanks foг the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time
to talk aƄoսt tһis matter here on youг site.
Hello there, You’ve done a great job. I’ll definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends.
I am sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
Great infⲟrmation. Lucky me I recеntly found your site Ьy accident (stumbleupon).
I һave saved іt fօr later!
I love what уou guys tend to be up to᧐. Ꮪuch clever ѡork and exposure!
Ⲕeep up thе g᧐od works guys I’ve incorporated үⲟu guys to oսr blogroll.
Уoᥙ ｃould dｅfinitely see your skills ԝithin the article
yoᥙ write. The arena hopes for еvеn more passionate writers ѕuch аs you whօ
aгe not afraid to mention how they believe.
Always go after үour heart.
Hey very nice blog!
Your style is so unique compared to other folks I have read stuff from.
Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark
this site.
My brother recommended I might like this blog.
He was totally right. This publish truly made my
day. You cann’t consider just how so much time I had spent for this info!
Thank you!
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post plus the rest of the website is really good.
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for website
Keep up the good work! Thanks.
My brother recommended I might like this website. He was once totally right.
This post actually made my day. You can not imagine just how a
lot time I had spent for this information! Thank you!
Amazing blog layout here. Was it hard creating a nice looking website like this?
I just want to mention I’m all new to blogs and certainly savored you’re web site. More than likely I’m want to bookmark your site . You surely have good writings. Appreciate it for sharing your web page.
Only wanna tell that this is extremely helpful, Thanks for taking your time to write this.
I just want to say I am very new to blogs and truly savored you’re web site. More than likely I’m likely to bookmark your website . You amazingly come with superb articles and reviews. Regards for sharing your webpage.
Thanks-a-mundo for the blog.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.