Little Hot Creek Spring
Little Hot Creek Spring sits in Mono County, nine miles or so from Mammoth Lakes, on Inyo National Forest ground, and OpenStreetMap has it as Little Creek Hot Springs. The water is scalding at the source. Access is open, there is a photo, and the 1993 sample shows heavy mineral content with iron in the list.
The walk from Antelope Springs Road is a bit over half a mile. Elevation is about seven thousand feet, high, dry ground that still gets a snowy winter. Sherwin Creek campground is seven miles or so off. National Forest land, no designation beyond that, and the Forest Service is the owner of record.
The best-months figure says winter; weigh that against the snowfall. Water at the source will burn; any soaking depends on finding cooled water, and the record does not say there is any. No fee on file. Chemistry dates from 1993.
OpenStreetMap records the place as Little Creek Hot Springs. A USGS site sits here, with chemistry taken in July 1993.
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 Little Hot Creek 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
- Open ground
- Flat, open ground all around.
- Highest ground nearby
- 66 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the northwest
A slice through the ground from northwest to southeast, 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 79% 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 Little Hot Creek Spring is slightly alkaline (pH 7.8) with 1230 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...
Little Hot Creek Spring sits at 7,035 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 28% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Little Hot Creek Spring is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water is dangerously hot, so bring water shoes and test pools carefully.
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