We stumbled across Wild Willy’s Hot Spring while we were on our search for all the hot springs near Mammoth Lakes. It is the largest and most popular hot spring in Mammoth Lakes, and for good reason. Tucked in the middle of the beautiful green valley and majestic mountains, Wild Willy’s is the perfect place to soak after a long hike.
A quick note: please make sure to take out ALL your trash, and help keep the hot spring nice and clean for our future generations.
STATS:
Where:
Parking: 37°39’32.6″N 118°46’15.5″W
Wild Willy’s Hot Spring: 37°39’40.4″N 118°46’04.1″W
Parking: This trail has a large, dirt parking lot.
Fee: It is free to be here.
Hour: Open 24/7
Camping Info:
It is free to camp since it’s located on BLM land. However, you need to take along all the required amenities such as tents, sleeping bags, etc. There are also no toilet facilities so you need to bury your 💩. And practice LEAVE NO TRACE! BRING ALL YOUR TRASH OUT!
Restrooms: Nope
Distance: About 0.2 miles walk from the parking to the hot spring
Fit: It can hold anywhere from 40-50 people
Ideal Weather:
It’s open all season, however, the access road might be closed during winter.
Ideal Time:
Early mornings if you want fewer people. Sunsets can get very crowded.
Weather:
HISTORY:
Wild Willy’s hot spring is the result of volcanic activity from thousands of years ago. It is one of the many natural hot springs in the Long Valley region. Early Native Americans and early American settlers regarded this hot spring as “sacred” ground. Nowadays, it is managed by Mono County and BLM.
GETTING THERE:
From Mammoth Lakes, heading south on Highway 395, you’ll want to turn left onto Benton Crossing. There is the landmark green church at the corner of the turn. From there, you’ll want to drive about 2.9 miles, passing the second cattle guard. As soon as you pass this cattle guard, turn right onto a dirt road. Drive about 1.5 miles until you reach the dirt parking lot. There is a small trail right after the parking lot. The trail is well-defined with an elevated wooden path. The road is bumpy and full of washboards so high-clearance vehicles are recommended. However, you still can get here with your regular cars, you just need to take it slow.
Please don’t try to go and park in the grassy area behind the hot spring. When we were there, a car tried to do that and got stuck there. The ground is made of a soft, slippery white clay so it’s easy for cars to sink it. By the time we left, they were still there.
THE ADVENTURE:
From the parking lot, there is a short walk, 0.2 miles, to the hot spring. This little walk is really beautiful, especially during sunset. The boardwalk alternates from wooden planks to gravel. Please make sure to stay on the path as the area is a sensitive habitat.
As the boardwalk curves downhill, you can see the main hot spring at the end of the boardwalk. That is the bigger one. The main hot spring temperature range from 95 – 105 degrees. It is about 10 ft wide and 3 ft deep. On its left, about 50ft away, there is a smaller pool that is shaped like a heart. This smaller pool has a beautiful blue color. However, it is hotter and a lot smaller than the main hot spring.
We got there close to sunset and the place was still busy. We decided to come back early morning the next day. Lucky for us, everyone seemed to like sleeping in, so we got the whole place to ourselves. The smaller hot spring is a bit too hot for us, so we spent most of our time at the main one.
I love the fact that Wild Willy’s Hot Spring is 100% natural, unlike the other springs around the area. You pretty much sit on the mud in the spring. Be careful when you get in and out. The clay dirt and rocks around the springs are VERY slippery, especially when wet. Dustin almost killed himself (I’m exaggerating a bit…) trying to get out of the water.
This place can get very busy. Therefore, it is important to be respectful, take out ALL your trash, and stay on the boardwalk to help preserve the fragile ecosystem.
There is so much to do around here besides the hot springs. If you love hiking, check out Devils Postpile and Rainbow Falls. Oh, and don’t forget the Duck Lake Pass trail. You’ll get to see a bunch of beautiful, pristine lakes! Some other cool things to do around or near Mammoth would be the unique Mono Lake, where you can kayak among the unique tufas, take a quick stop at the Hot Creek Geological Site. Along the 395, you can stop at Fossil Falls, the awesome roadside sculptures of Olancha. If you head up to Tahoe, don’t forget to go kayak at Sand Harbor, check out the sunset at Chimney Beach, or be super adventurous and climb up Via Ferrata Tahoe.
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RECOMMEND GEAR:
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
The majority of these links are through our affiliate links so if you buy something, it is at no extra cost for you but it helps us support the site. That being said, don’t buy something just to support us, buy something if you think it will enhance your travels and adventures.
• Sandles that can get dirty
The mud can be hard to wash out.
• Snacks/Lunch
Depends on how long you want to stay here
• Sunscreen
You’ll get a lot of suns here. We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter – Zinc Oxide – Coral Reef Safe, and All Good Sport Sunscreen Lotion – Coral Reef Safe (3 oz)(2-Pack) or Stream2Sea SPF 30 Reef Safe Sport Tinted Sunscreen.
• Water
Bring A LOT of water! You can get dehydrated real quick sitting in the hot spring. I love my hydro flask. It’s perfect for refilling and keeping my water hot or cold.
• Jacket
Depends on the season, it might get a bit chilly. We love our packable Patagonia Puff Jackets! It can keep you warm, yet pack up super light. You can get Vy’s version here, and Dustin’s version here. If you want some lighter, we love the packable Patagonia Women’s Houdini® Jacket and Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Jacket.
• Swimsuit
Unless you prefer al natural…
• Towel
To dry off
CAMERA GEAR:
• Camera:
Sony a7 III
Gopro Hero 7 Black
• Lenses:
Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens
• Accessories:
GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip – Official GoPro Mount
Aluminum GoPro protection frame
SandMarc Extended GoPro Pole
Hybrid Pro Filters – DSLR / Mirrorless
Cinema CPL Filter – HERO 9
One Comment
Finding Hot Springs
Great photos! Yes, the move is definitely to get to Wild Willey’s super early on a weekday so you can have it all to yourself 🙂 Definitely gets crowded later in the day and weekends! It’s my go to spot when I visit mammoth since it’s the easiest to access.