Wild Willy's Hot Springs
DETAILS:
Location: Wild Willy’s Hot Springs is located about 20 minutes east of Mammoth Lakes off Benton Crossing Road. You can google these coordinates to get there: 37.6610° N, 118.7678° W.
Hours of Operation: 24/7
Parking: Free parking lot on site.
Cost: Free!
Time Commitment: 1-2 hours
There’s more to do than just skiing in the Mammoth Lakes area! Home to a dense concentration of geothermic surface water, the region is also known for its bountiful collection of natural hot springs and the most famous one of them all just might be Wild Willy’s Hot Springs which is also known as Crowley Hot Springs.
Located in Long Valley Caldera just 20 minutes east of the popular ski town, Wild Willy’s offers a panoramic and stunning view of the Sierra Nevadas to the west and Glass Mountain to the east as you bask in the spa-like waters that typically range from 95 and 105 degrees throughout the year. Located off Benton Crossing Road off Highway 395 (near Mammoth/Yosemite Airport), you’ll eventually turn onto a gravel road and drive for approximately 1.5 miles to the parking area. This stretch of road is actually home to a cluster of hot springs, but Wild Willy’s is definitely the largest and also the easiest to reach due to the rough road conditions. While bumpy, you can still access Wild Willy’s in a sedan while the others might require a high clearance vehicle or 4-wheel drive depending on the time of year.
After you park, you’ll take the short boardwalk (less than a quarter mile) to the hot springs. Once you reach the end, you’ll actually be greeted by two separate springs. On one side will be a large, single pool. The other side features a cascading tier of shallower pools. Most people will gravitate towards the large pool which is also deeper than its sister pools on the other side (I guesstimate that it can comfortably accommodate 15 people), but this also means that it’s always going to be more crowded. The other thing to note is that this pool is also significantly hotter which may or may not be up your alley. While shallower, we preferred the tiered pools because it allowed for a little more privacy due to the fact that it was longer and because each level almost acted as its own private pool.
Wild Willy’s is a popular destination so it can definitely get crowded depending on when you go. The earlier the better, and mid-week is probably best if you can swing it. Regardless, the views and refreshing water will be worth it no matter how many people are there!
