Wild Willy's Hot Spring
Mammoth Lakes / Crowley Lake · near Mammoth Lakes (15 miles north) · Eastern Sierra
Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Temperature
- ~104°F
- Cost
- FREE · BLM land · No permit
- Season
- Year-round · Particularly magical in winter with snow on the ground
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Safety
- Hot Creek (nearby) is CLOSED to swimming permanently — the water reaches near-boiling temperatures and has caused deaths from scalding. Wild Willy's is the safe soaking alternative in this zone. Do NOT enter Hot Creek regardless of what you may have seen online.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Nickname
- Mammoth's Backyard Soak
- Type
- hot-spring
- Temp
- hot
- Clothing optional
- Yes
- Directions
- From Mammoth Lakes: take Hwy 395 south, turn left on Benton Crossing Road (or Crowley Lake Drive). Follow to the Hot Creek area. Wild Willy's involves a short boardwalk trail. Download the GPS coordinates before arriving — cell service is limited and signs are minimal. GPS approximately 37.5700, -118.7900.
- Pools
- Single large pool accessible via short boardwalk · Consistently around 104°F · Surrounded by high desert sage and Eastern Sierra views · Simple but well-maintained
- Intl tip
- The Hot Creek Geological Site is 15 minutes from Wild Willy's and worth a stop just to witness the steam vents and understand the volcanic activity directly beneath Mammoth Mountain. The drive along Benton Crossing Road through the Crowley Lake basin offers some of the finest open Eastern Sierra views available from a car — bring a camera.
The guide
Wild Willy's occupies a specific niche in the Mammoth Lakes ecosystem: it's the free, accessible, BLM-land hot spring that Mamm…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Wild Willy's Hot Spring — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.57, -118.79