Benton Hot Springs - Halloween Weekend In Conway House

This was a part of Matt's Right Kneecap Farewell Tour in the weekends leading up to Knee Surgery 2015.  I was going to be laid up for months so I was desperate to get out even if the swelling meant I couldn't hike.

Benton Hot Springs is located near the Eastern Sierra and offers overnight camping spots.  They also offer cabins but we'd reserved pool #5 since it was advertised as private and only #5.

Due to a mix up on their end we ended up getting the much nicer Conway House for the same price.



Benton reservations are closer to hotel hours vs our other favorite overnight hot springs at El Dorado.  You check in and 3 and leave at 11 am the following morning.  We arrived at 4, checked in at the front desk, and saw a paniced look from the gentelman behind the desk when we said we were Jennifers party for pool 5.  When we signed in to the register right underneath another Jennifer B

They sent us back to the pool with an ominous sounding instruction to just come back if there was someone there.  Sure enough when we pulled up to the site there were two people one of whom was trying to get undressed under a towel.

The pool wasn't bad but the privacy of the sight was a little exhagerated.  I'd say it's private if you're minding your own business and purposfully not looking around at your neighbors but they were all far more open than we'd expected.

We went back to the office and ran into the caretaker Danny while waiting for the front desk to check in another party.  He saw us looking less than happy (since at this point we were talking about bivy spots or driving back to Orange County) and jumped in saying he'd take care of us.

And he did.  For the $50 cost of our campsite we were upgraded to the Conway House.


Which also had a pool outside and this one was (basically private)


And it had a nice view of the Whites.  That's the Nevada State High Point in the background.


Behind the pool is a small park but according to Danny no one was ever in there.  Looking away from the house you can just see the port-a-potty next to campsite 4


The building on the right is an outdoor shower.


The view isn't bad.



It was Halloween weekend and we brought glow stick to light up the pool while we soaked.



This is the front of the house.



And the inside.


Plus the wallpaper in the kitchen is awesome