Mammoth Area Hot Springs - Crab Cooker (Is Too Damn Hot)
- Updated: April 19, 2015
- Post By: Matthew Hengst
April 12th, 2015
This was a quick stop at the tail end of a weekend spent climbing DPS peaks Dubois and Glass Mountain. We'd really been looking forward to a hot soak after a long chilly weekend.
We stopped at Benton Hot Spring only to be told they were full up and that they were so busy that hourly soaks were hardly ever done. We had a positive enough impression of the place we'll probably come back some other time with a reservation and stay the night.
The idea of a hot soak was appealing enough we went out the long way to visit the mammoth area hot springs near the 395.
Shepherd and Hilltop were both occupied. We pulled into Crab Cooker and found three guys just leaving. Excited we hopped out and ran over.
This is the source. The foundation is apparently from an steam hut that existed here at some point.
Looking inside the water was bubbling. I couldn't tell if there was gas escaping or if the water was actually boiling.
We went over to the tub itself. I was in a rush to get in before someone else came by and neglected to test the water before plunging my foot inside. This...is not a good idea.
The water was far hotter than expected. I gave a manly yell and yanked my foot back out with only a small amount of discomfort.
There was no way we were going to be able to get in. There was a valve at the top that's supposed to allow you to turn off the water coming in but it wouldn't budge and we couldn't tell if it was open or closed. The drain valve was under the water and closed.
We ran over to nearby Shepherd tub from the same parking are but found that full. Driving out along Whitmore Tubs Road showed people everywhere. We admitted defeat and started the long drive back to Orange County.
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| View from the parking area |
This is the source. The foundation is apparently from an steam hut that existed here at some point.
Looking inside the water was bubbling. I couldn't tell if there was gas escaping or if the water was actually boiling.
We went over to the tub itself. I was in a rush to get in before someone else came by and neglected to test the water before plunging my foot inside. This...is not a good idea.
The water was far hotter than expected. I gave a manly yell and yanked my foot back out with only a small amount of discomfort.
There was no way we were going to be able to get in. There was a valve at the top that's supposed to allow you to turn off the water coming in but it wouldn't budge and we couldn't tell if it was open or closed. The drain valve was under the water and closed.
We ran over to nearby Shepherd tub from the same parking are but found that full. Driving out along Whitmore Tubs Road showed people everywhere. We admitted defeat and started the long drive back to Orange County.
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