Soak in a Relaxing Hot Spring

Like many locations in California's Sierra Nevada, the Shaver Lake Basin has geothermal activity going on below the surface of the wooded forest and granite rock formations.

Naturally, hot springs erupted to the surface over the years. Several, most notably in the Kaiser Wilderness area not far from Mono Hot Springs, are very popular. They were cemented in and made much more comfortable by men working on the early Florence Lake Dam in the 1920s.

These are not very far from the Mono Hot Springs campground which sits at an elevation of 6,700 feet with many cliffs in the area. Many of these hot springs are found in this general area.

It makes a great base for exploring the nearby Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness areas or for simply relaxing and enjoying the scenery. The Mono Hot Springs area provides opportunities for fishing, birding, mountain biking, hiking and relaxing in the hot springs.

There is the Mono Hot Springs Resort that offers a full service vacation destination facility. There are cabins, tent cabins, general store, restaurant and spa for guests.

For those who want to get a little more serious, there are hundreds of square miles of open wilderness nearby with trails and old logging roads throughout. And many designated hiking trails.

Doris Lake is a very popular swimming and fishing lake that is an easy hike from the Mono Hot Springs Campground. Make sure to watch for a variety of wifelife as you travel through the forest.

Please remember to let the wild animals feed themselves. They really don't need your help!