🇺🇸 Mammoth Lakes Natural Hot Springs – The Ultimate Guide 🏔️💦

I usually visit Mammoth for skiing in the winter and soak in the hot springs afterward, but this time I went during the peak of summer! Surprisingly, the outdoor temperature wasn’t too hot, and the mountain roads were much easier to drive than in winter. I even saw a dust devil for the first time—a mini tornado on a sunny dirt road! 🌪️😮 The five main natural hot springs are clustered along Highway 395 past Mammoth Airport. Turn near the Little Green Church, or just search the spring names on Google Maps! Here’s the order I visited them: 1. The Rock Tub Hot Springs – Closest to the highway. Fits 2–4 people, but a bit dirty with some floating debris. Not too crowded. 2. Shepherd Hot Springs – Next to a white salt lake. Also fits 2–4 people. A bit murky, but you can drive right up! 3. Crab Cooker Hot Springs – A bit of a detour from #2, but only a 15-minute round-trip hike with nice views. No crowds, larger and cleaner than #1 and #2. Deserves higher than its 3.4 Google rating! • Hot Creek Geologic Site – Not just hot springs—the whole creek is warm, and there are fish swimming in it! 🐟 Formed by volcanic activity over 700,000 years ago. 4. Hilltop Hot Springs – A 10-minute walk from the parking lot. Larger than the first three, with the clearest water and the hottest temperature. My legs turned red after just 5 minutes! 🔥 5. Wild Willy Hot Springs – Also a 10-minute walk from parking. The biggest one: two main pools on one side, and a chain of five on the other—each getting hotter as you go up. The most popular spot; even on a weekday, there were 20-30 people! P.S. Mammoth Mountain Inn is a great place to stay—the gondola is right at the doorstep. Super convenient in winter! 🏂❄️ #48HoursOutdoors #NaturalHotSprings #MammothLakes #MountainSoaking #SummerWellness #HeatwaveSurvival #HotSpringJoy #CaliforniaTravel #RoadTripGoals