The Tub
The Tub, which OpenStreetMap calls Crab Cooker Hot Springs, is a scalding source on Los Angeles Water and Power land, eleven miles or so out of Mammoth Lakes in Mono County. The source measured 167 degrees. Access is open on file. Neutral pH in a 1973 sample.
Under a quarter mile from an unnamed road. Near seven thousand feet, where winters average seven feet of snow and the yearly mean sits in the upper forties. Sixteen inches of precipitation. The land is city-owned, held by LADWP.
The best season on file is winter. Crowley Lake Campground sits roughly seven miles away. Scalding at the source; it will burn skin at once, so do not enter untested water. The chemistry dates to 1973. No fee on record.
Two names attach to this one. The record calls it The Tub while OpenStreetMap has it as Crab Cooker Hot Springs and tags the place as a bath site. USGS keeps a site here with a sample from July 1973, and the discharge they logged amounts to a trickle.
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 The Tub.
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
- 30 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the west
A slice through the ground from west to east, 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 83% 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 The Tub is slightly alkaline (pH 7.3). It is notably rich in sodium (supports circulation and skin hydration) and chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits).
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Overview Crowley Lake Campground offers 47 RV/tent sites, maximum recommended RV length is 30 feet. All sites include a fire pit, picnic table and a lantern holder. No hook-up. Potable water is available. Dump station fee is $10.00, no passes accepted. Closest amenities are 2 miles south in Crowley, or 10 miles north in Mammoth Lakes. Recreation Popular activities include lake and stream fishing, boating, windsurfing, horseback riding, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Facilities Crowley Lake...
The Tub sits at 6,975 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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The Tub 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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