Mono 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: 37.327, -119.018

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About Mono Hot Springs

Mono 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 Mono 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

Two springs in one: a 1930s resort bathhouse with private mineral tubs on one bank of the South Fork San Joaquin, and a scatter of free wild pools — Old Pedro at 106–112°F, Rock Garden near 104°F, cooler others — across the river on forest land. High Sierra granite all around at 6,600 feet.

Getting there

Trailhead: Mono Hot Springs Campground / the green bridge over the river for the wild pools
Parking: Roadside pullouts and the resort's day lot
Road: Kaiser Pass Road: five easy paved miles, then twelve paved-but-one-lane miles of 20-mph switchbacks over a 9,300-foot pass. No big RVs or trailers.
Hike: 0.9 mi round trip, 82 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: The drive is the filter. Gas up at Huntington Lake.

When to go

Summer only — the road and resort run Memorial Day weekend through late October (May 22 – Oct 26 in 2026) and the pass is gated all winter. July–August weekends bring the backpacker-and-cabin crowd.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Wild pools free; resort bathhouse $20 adult / $10 child day use
Dogs: Leashed at resort and campground ($18/day fee, two max); not in the bathhouse
Hours: Bathhouse roughly 8am–9pm in season; wild pools whenever the road is open
Camping: Mono Hot Springs Campground on-site ($37/night, June–September); no potable water at the campground
Warnings: Serious bear country — use the food lockers. No gas past Huntington Lake.

Researched from Mono Hot Springs — directions & road · USFS Sierra NF — Mono Hot Springs Campground. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Mono 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.