My Velvet Bumper: Hill Top Hot Spring

Sweet Sixteen. That was a memorable birthday.

Stephanie, my step-mom planned the family birthday expedition. She outfitted us all with our first Nalgenes, wow how many have I owned since then? Indestructible, ha..

After a long drive and a night at the Hacienda our journey was about to begin. We started at the base of the Hoover Dam and we’re to kayak down the Colorado River. I can’t remember exactly how many miles, but I think roughly 9, then we would get picked up by the same outfitter that dropped us off.

I imagine people could kayak the whole section in a matter of hours, but we took our time, spending 3 days camping near the water and hot springing at all the pools a long the way.

One of the pools in Boy Scout Canyon. Although this photo was taken in 2011 on a different trip with Phil.

I remember there being a pool in a cave, the sauna cave, yes the name was quite appropriate. You had to walk in ankle deep water, maybe 100 feet, and at the end there was a pool you could sit in. But the cave was pitch black and following my dad and Steph I chickened out and turned around. I remember seeing what I thought were lizards, crawling on the walls and the squishing of mud between my toes. Getting a little nervous in the dark, having deserted the rents, I ran my hand along the wall as a way to guide myself back to the cave entrance. I remember breathing my first breath of fresh air and how it felt so cold and fresh.

I am really lucky to have gone to so many hot springs. Hot springs in Baja, Death Valley, the Eastern Sierra, Southern California… I hope to add more to my list. But what brings me to this blog is my all time favorite hot spring, Hill Top, outside Mammoth Lakes.

Hill Top is absolutely perfect. It’s close to Rock Creek Canyon, so the drive for us right now isn’t very long. It’s hot, but not too hot (unless you are sun burnt). It has a drain so it stays clean with the help of its regulars. It has a valve so if its not hot enough for you, go ahead and open er’ on up!

The view is amazing. You have the Eastern Sierra looking at you from one side and the White Mountains from the other. On top of all that, some kind person put astro turf around the pool so you don’t have to get your piggely wigglies dirty. Plus the contrast of the green astro turf, blue sky and white clouds makes for some amazing photos.

The only downside is that it’s often crowded. The pool is good sized but gets crowded fast. That being said, I’m not going to post directions on here, but that probably won’t stop the dogged go-er from doing a quick Google search.