Hot Creek

Saw some hot springs on the map between Mammoth and Lake Crowley, and thought I’d check them out. Mmmmm… I’ll take a pass, Hot Creek is INFERNAL 🔥

Hey Mammoth people, where am I supposed to go? Camping out on BLM tonight in the van but I want a soak in the morning! Might hit Travertine later tomorrow…

If you have never read about the Long Valley Caldera I recommend checking it out. “The system in the Long Valley Caldera is recharged primarily from snowmelt in the highlands around the western and southern rims of the caldera. The meltwater infiltrates to depths of a few kilometers (or miles), where some is heated to at least 430 °F (220 °C) by hot rock near the Inyo craters. The heated water, kept from boiling by high pressure, still has lower density than cold water, and it rises along steeply inclined fractures to depths of 0.3–1.25 miles (0.48–2.01 km). It then flows eastward through rock layers to hydrothermal vent discharge points at the surface along Hot Creek and around Crowley Lake. Since May 2006, springs in and near the most popular swimming areas have been geysering or intermittently spurting very hot, sediment-laden water as high as 6 feet (2 m) above the stream surface…”