Hike-in Required
No
Open Year-round
Yes
Water Temperature
100.00 °F (37.78 °C)
Sensitive Habitat
Yes
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Imagine pockets of steam rising from a sagebrush plain surrounded by mountains in all directions. That lovely setting is exactly what you’ll find at Wild Willy’s Hot Springs in the Long Valley Caldera south of Mammoth Lakes. Long Valley is home to one of California’s highest concentrations of geothermal surface water. That also means a handful of inviting hot springs welcoming any time of year.

Found at the end of a seemingly out of place boardwalk, Wild Willy's (also known as Crowley Hot Springs) is made up of two hot spring pools surrounded by a dramatic backdrop - the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada to the west and the Glass Mountain Ridge to the east. Water temperature ranges between 95 and 105 degrees, varying slightly from day to day. The larger pool is the main draw being deeper and and able to hold a handful of people comfortably, while the smaller pool is slightly warmer and shallower, and pretty much maxed out with two soakers. The pools have a natural appearance about them, although both have been reinforced with cement and slightly built up.

Being public, the hot springs see a fair amount of visitors. Please be respectful, help keep the area clean, and stay on the boardwalk that helps to preserve the fragile desert plain ecosystem. 

The pools are reached by following the path/boardwalk 200 yards east from the parking area (see driving directions for access).

Logistics + Planning

Congestion

Moderate

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Hot springs. Mountain and sagebrush scenery.

Cons

Can be crowded.

Features

Constructed
Sensitive Habitat

Number of pools

2

Location

Nearby Adventures

Eastern Sierra + White Mountains Area, California

Comments

01/09/2018
Visited Crowley/Wild Willy's on a Winter weekday mid-afternoon. It was not the beautiful spot we remembered from our last visit about 10 years ago. It was overrun by dozens of ill-behaved 20-somethings (on their phones, playing music, drinking, glass bottles...), and it was, frankly, trashed...discarded clothing and beverage containers all over, and trampled into a couple of mud holes. Also overheard talk by the crowd about exploration of the other area hot springs...Hill Top, Crab Cooker, Shepherd, so we did not bother trying to relocate. Unfortunately, I think this special spot has suffered from Internet exposure.
06/30/2017
Weather is beautiful this time of year. Cool mornings, warm days and cool nights again...What more can you ask for. Area seemed clean and only two other people where when we got there. One of them left after a while and my two boys and I were left with the hot springs almost all to our selves. I drove a 28" RV over the gravel road with no issues. Just in case anyone out there is considering taking an RV. Get there early and you can have your door facing the springs and the entire sierras...
06/28/2017
Had a great time. Arrived early to ensure we had the place to ourselves. Check out the Youtube Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCa7Okjgk34
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