Keough Hot Springs

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—temperature

A natural thermal spring.

Scale30/60

Documentation14/20

Character10/20

The details

Soak: Temperature unrecorded
Area: Mariposa
Coordinates: 37.253, -118.373

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About Keough Hot Springs

Keough Hot Springs is a natural hot spring in California.

At that temperature it's temperature unrecorded — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.

Plungeworthy rates Keough Hot Springs 5.4/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

A 1919 Owens Valley institution: a hundred-foot mineral pool in the high 80s and a 104°F hot pool under the eastern Sierra escarpment, swimsuits on. A hundred feet outside the fence, the same water snakes down the free 'Keough ditch' — shallow, warm, primitive, and clothing-optional.

Getting there

Parking: Resort lot for the pools; roadside pullout for the ditch
Road: Paved, off US-395 south of Bishop
Hike: 0.1 mi round trip (easy)
Heads up: Two experiences, one spring: pay for the pools, or walk the ditch for free.

When to go

Resort runs year-round on a shifting weekly schedule; the unshaded ditch is best in the cool months. Call ahead — (760) 872-4670 — because the resort's website has been down and hours move.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Resort day pass ~$12 adult / $7 child (confirm by phone); ditch free
Hours: Varies by day; closed some Tuesdays
Camping: RV and tent sites at the resort; endless dispersed BLM ground nearby
Warnings: Head above water in the ditch — standard warm-still-water amoeba caution.

Researched from Hot Springs Guides — Keough's. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Keough Hot Springs recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.