Chance Spring
Chance Spring sits on land belonging to the Los Angeles city water and power department, in Mono County, and Mammoth Lakes is under six miles away. Cool for a soak is the reading, well short of bath warmth, so this is a spring to know about more than one to plan a trip around. Public access is open. A 1991 sample came back alkaline and high in dissolved solids, iron included.
High desert at seventy-two hundred feet, with around eight feet of snow most years and dry conditions otherwise. No name is given for the nearest road, which lies some four hundred forty feet off, short-walk territory. The ground belongs to the utility, without park or forest standing. Sherwin Creek campground is about three miles.
The listed season is winter. Sherwin Creek, three miles, handles camping. The water is too cool to warm you up in winter air, and the sample is from 1991, so the chemistry is an old reading and the temperature carries no date. Fee: nothing listed.
Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Chance Spring.
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
- Setting
- Gentle slope
- The ground tilts gently up to the north.
- Highest ground nearby
- 193 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the north
A slice through the ground from north to south, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 85% of the springs on this site.
Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
The water at Chance Spring is alkaline (pH 8.7) with 1410 mg/L total dissolved solids. It is notably rich in sodium (supports circulation and skin hydration), chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits), and total dissolved solids (higher mineral concentration for therapeutic soaking).
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Overview Sherwin Creek Campground is located in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains within 2 miles of the full-service community of Mammoth Lakes, California. Popular among anglers, hikers, off-road vehicle enthusiasts and photographers, the campground is near some of the most spectacular wilderness and outdoor recreation areas in the Sierras.Recreation With a motocross track and trails, Sherwin Creek is a hot spot for off-road vehicle enthusiasts. The area's majestic scenery and challenging...
Chance Spring sits at 7,200 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 29% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Chance Spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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