Last fall we went on a hot springs adventure through the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. We’ve rounded up the best free hot springs in Mammoth Lakes that are easily accessible. In other words, we were able to drive to them in Stan the Tan Van, a low-rider adventure mobile. Also, did I mention that all these amazing pools are free? Yeah, this is definitely our kind of budget travel place.

Humans have been visiting hot springs for thousands of years. They’ve long been thought to have restorative and healing powers. The waters are loaded with minerals. Plus not many things are more relaxing than reclining in a pool of naturally hot bubbling water.

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Location of the 5 Best Free Hot Springs in Mammoth Lakes

The first two hot springs on this list are a bit north of Mammoth Lakes, near Yosemite National Park and the town of Bridgeport. The final three best free hot springs in Mammoth Lakes are in the Long Valley Caldera, which used to be a supervolcano until it erupted 760,000 years ago. This created a magical geothermal place where all roads pretty much lead to hot springs.

The hot springs of the Long Valley Caldera are more exposed than the ones near Bridgeport. There are mountains surrounding you, but the caldera’s enormous—one of the largest in the world—so you’re in the middle of high desert terrain. You’ll find lots of sage, rolling hills, and a few rocky outcrops, but not many trees. This makes for unobscured mountain gazing and some incredible sunsets.

5 Best Free Hot Springs in Mammoth Lakes

1. Buckeye Hot Springs

I’m starting with our very favorite hot springs—Buckeye. This is also the most remote of all the best free hot springs in Mammoth Lakes. The main event here is found right next to a babbling mountain creek. This means you can cool down with a plunge into the icy (literally when we were there) water. There’s another small pool on the hillside under a tree just below the parking lot, but the water was much warmer in the pools by the river.

You can get to these hot springs in two different ways. The most direct way is to park in the lot above them and walk down the steep hill. Alternately you can park in the camping area on the west side of the creek and take the trail along the stream. It’s a nice 10-minute walk through the forest. Just be prepared for some muddy parts of the trail.

2. Travertine Hot Springs

Located in the hills at the edge of Bridgeport, these hot springs win the award for best views. If you’re lucky, you just might meet Ted—the unofficial local tour guide. We ran into him early one morning and he told us all about the Travertine marble that’s mined from the area and regaled us with tales of local lore.

My favorite story was about the time a bear got into Ted’s neighbor’s chicken coop. When the neighbor opened the door to see what the ruckus was about, her Chihuahua ran out and chased the bear. The bear was so frightened by the five-pound dog that it streaked away, ran up a tree, and wouldn’t come down for two days. This was one of Ted’s more light-hearted tales. Others involved hot springs adventures gone wrong. Not nice bedtime stories. Make sure to read the tips at the end of this post to avoid being in one of Ted’s future tales.

If you’re really lucky, you’ll be able to get one of the “View Pools” as Ted calls them. Continue past the main area down the hill, and you’ll find two pools—one on the right and one on the left. They offer some seclusion and views of the Yosemite Valley border. This spot is particularly lovely at sunrise and sunset when you can take in the majestic mountains painted with golden light.

3. Wild Willy’s Hot Springs

The sign leading to the hot springs says, “Discrete Clothing Optional.” Perhaps Willy’s gotten a little too wild in the past? Okay, bad dick jokes aside, this was our favorite hot springs in the Long Valley area. There’s a very well-maintained path/boardwalk and lots of pool space.

The main pool is at the end of the boardwalk. Smaller pools have been created all along the hot spring flow. There’s one additional pool on the left behind the big rock formation as you head down the trail from the parking lot. At night this place can get super crowded and is known as the party zone, so get an early start if you want some peace and quiet. We had the entire big pool to ourselves for at least 20 minutes during sunrise on a Saturday in Fall.

4. Hilltop Hot Springs

Based on the name, I was fully expecting to climb a small mountain to reach this hot spring. Instead this pool sits at the end of a short relatively flat trail from the parking lot. It’s located behind Pulky’s Pool and has a valve to control the water temperature.

5. Rock Pool Hot Springs

This is the smallest pool of all the best free hot springs in Mammoth Lakes, but it has some huge views of the surrounding mountains. As the name implies, this pool is built into a rock pile on a small hill. Water is piped in, but there’s no valve to control the flow. It wasn’t the hottest pool, but we found it to be a nice warm bathwater temperature. Also, because it’s a bit more remote than the other hot springs in Long Valley, it wasn’t overly busy.

Tips for Visiting the Best Free Hot Springs in Mammoth Lakes

Here are a few things you’ll want to know about visiting these hot springs.

• Always test the water before jumping in: If you don’t want to end up in one of Ted’s stories about being boiled alive, always check the water temperature before getting into hot springs.
• Don’t submerge your head: Ted told us about a woman getting an amoeba in her ear and dying. I have no idea if there’s any truth to this tale but wasn’t going to chance it, so we only went neck deep into the water.
• Stay on boardwalks and trails: While it might be tempting to forge your own path, these are geothermal areas which means that searing heat from the earth’s core is escaping into our surface environment. Also, many of these areas are experiencing high-levels of use. Tramping all over the ground can ruin the fragile environment. Don’t Crush the Brush. Stick to established trails to protect yourself and the beautiful natural areas you’re there to enjoy.
• Drink lots of H2O: You likely won’t realize how much you’re sweating in the hot springs so drink lots of water to re-hydrate. Hiking backpacks with hydration bladders are perfect for this sort of thing. We love this particular backpack because it has an external pouch and is roomy enough for microfiber towels, flip flops, and a camera.
• Leave no trace: I can’t stress this enough. You can read more about the Leave No Trace Principles here. Also, check out our post about how to not be an ass in nature.

Camping at the Best Free Hot Springs in Mammoth Lakes

There’s free camping near all these hot springs, but most of it is dry camping. This means there isn’t any potable water or bathrooms. Bring plenty of water with you and be prepared to pack-it-out. I’ll say it again—pack out your trash—yes, even your toilet paper. If this doesn’t sound like something you want to do, then stay somewhere with a bathroom instead. There are plenty of hotels, cabins, and campgrounds with flush toilets in the area.

I can’t tell you how many times we pull into a beautiful wilderness camp spot only to find it littered with toilet paper and trash. If we want these places to continue to exist, it’s up to all of us to minimize our impact and help keep them clean. Okay, rant over. Thanks for listening and being the good stewards of the earth that I know you are friends.

If you find yourself in eastern California, we hope that you’ll visit the best free hot springs in Mammoth Lakes and soak in all of nature’s warmth. We especially recommend visiting in the shoulder seasons—fall and spring when the area is less busy.

Have you ever been to a natural hot spring? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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