Hot Springs in Mammoth CA

This is a great viewpoint in Yosemite if you're drive to Mammoth takes you through the park. Remember that entrance costs $35/car

We made it to Mono Lake to watch the sunset. It was 20 minutes out of the way, but definitely worth it. It helped us scope out the area for later in the week as well.

1 hr drive We went back to Mono Lake after work for some SUP boarding and another great sunset.

We always try to cook our own food while traveling, so we get hotels/Airbnb's that have a kitchen. It saves a lot of money that we use for more travel later

10 min drive These lakes have a campground them and a nice waterfall just off the road. It's so close that we could visit during our lunch breaks

10 min drive We came back to the same area after work to walk around the lakes. The path we took was about 3 miles and very flat. It's a perfect area for cycling too.

The lake was very dry due to the drought, but it was interesting to walk around on the lake bed.

There are a lot of little lakes right next to each other. Many people rent boats and go fishing. No motorized vehicles keep the area quiet and peaceful.

30 min drive The next town over has its own pair of lakes to enjoy in the alpine scenery

June Lake is big and shallow. Great spot to paddle board or just enjoy the beach. We were the only people there!

20 min drive - 1.5 mile hike This was our second time visiting Inyo Craters. It's a great hike for kids. Make sure you approach from the northeast road! We almost got stuck in the sand from the other direction

Kyle found an unexpected deal on a new pair of skis

40 min drive - 4 mile hike This was an amazing place to explore. If you have a real off road vehicle, you can drive very close and save the walk. Our Subaru couldn't make the hill-climb 😅

30 min drive We decided to camp for the weekend and stayed on BLM land right next to one of our favorite hot springs. It's very easy to get to, but that also makes it super popular. Expect crowds at sunset.

Sunrise at Wild Willy's is the best way to get the hot spring to yourself. A great way to wake up too.

This is the nicest hotspring in the area. We made a liacal friend who was kind enough to show us the way. We won't name it on here, since they asked us not to spread the word too much. It was down 3 miles of dirt road with no signage at all. We were a little worried we might be murdered... 😬

30 min drive Convict lake is pretty cold for swimming, but the view is gorgeous.

We liked the Crowley Columns so much, we we back! It helped that our local friends just drove us right to them.

We were able to bring our paddle boards too. All the sunsets around Mammoth were phenomenal.

We took advantage of the sunrise to get some awesome drone shots of Wild Willy's hot springs. We didn't realize that it was shaped like a heart until we saw it from above!

This is the scenery around Wild Willy's

HillTop hotsprings is another great spot, right near Wild Willy's. It's set up so you can control the temperature of the hot spring (a little)

Great road shot with Mammoth Mountain in the distance. This is right next to Wild Willy's and HillTop hotsprings

We were exploring all the named hotsprings in the area. This is a good one if you camp for the weekend and claim it for yourself

Aerial view of Hot Creek. It meanders a lot and it's great for fishing.

20 min drive This National Monument is like a tiny version of Yellowstone. It's what makes Hot Creek so hot! Don't go swimming because unexpected eruptions have killed people in the past.

1 hr drive A view of Mono Lake from the west shore

15 min drive This is a cool little park with some of the interesting tufas of Mono Lake. It's also a nature reserve for water birds.

1.5 hr drive We went exploring to the north and found this beautiful spot. It's another popular place, so it's difficult to get it when no one is there.

45 min drive Yet another hot spring. This one was unique because it's on the side of a canyon with a freezing cold river just 2 feet away. The overhang makes cool little waterfalls too.

7 mile hike - 2k vertical feet - 4 hours We spent the night just a few miles away from Buckeye Hot Springs in the tiny resort town of Twin Lakes. This was the only trail we had enough time for, but there are a lot of great multi-day hikes around here.

That's the end of this trip! 3 hrs back to Sacramento Thanks for reading 😊