Fish Lake Valley Hot Well — Local services in Bishop

We visited in early October on a Thursday evening and dispersed camped. Beautiful place. The pool area was slippery with algae on the bottom. We wore water shoes. The warmth felt great. There were ducks that were swimming in the lake beside us. In the morning, you could see a herd of wild horses in the distance.

It took us probably 30 minutes to reach the hot well once we turned off the paved road. The beginning of gravel road was very rutted, and I was concerned about my suspension for a few minutes, but it got smoother. If it's raining, I would not attempt it in a regular vehicle (we were in an SUV, nothing fancy, and made it fine when it was dry). I had 1 or 2 bars of cell signal in some spots. Nothing at the actual soaking area/bathroom. The night we stayed, there was only one other family camping. There is plenty of room to spread out even if a crowd is there. This was my first time being in a spot this isolated. Absolutely no lights at night. We heard coyotes at night and there was something the size of a rat but shaped more like a mouse that hung out under our vehicle. I was worried he would chew our wires, but I guess he was just hoping for crumbs to fall out of the car, because we cranked up fine the...

Love this place through the whole year. Plan on a good 10-20 minute drive on gravel road before getting to the area depending on which way you come from. Bring your own TP for the out house and pack a couple trash bags to carry out what you can as it can get crowded on weekends, especially in spring and fall. Great place to relax and enjoy some surreal landscape views. Water in the hot tub is typically 105°, and the pond is usually cooler if you need to get out of the heat. Water shoes highly recommended, bathing suits optional! If you're visiting for the first time please be mindful of your neighbors. No parking/camping inside the fence posts, and don't put tents right next to the hot tub unless they're for shade during the day! Night time is extremely dark so don't forget to bring a flashlight...

Love this oasis in the desert. The hot well is pumped directly from the ground into a cement tub and then flows out to 2 holding ponds and then out into the desert. The water is hot and relaxing. Bring a plastic lawn chair to sit in for the best experience. Use bug repellents to enjoy your time there. Coots and large goldfish inhabit the ponds. Bats and swifts come out in the evenings. There is room for tent camping as well as RV. There is a park service pit toilet that is maintained by volunteers. Bring toilet paper. There are fire rings and a sink with water . There are obsidian,rhyolite, quartz, calcidny, and other volcanic rocks. Some petrified wood. Great for families. Avoid major holidays and Spring Break. We love camping here in late Spring...