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Sam D.
Hi! Please post the road and pools conditions report.
Many thanks in advance,
Sam D.
Whoops! Sorry -- totally slipped my mind, until I checked the forum again just now.
Can't really report on the condition of the road, except for the portion from Mono campground to the springs themselves, because rather than driving the road in, I hiked in via this route.
As for the portion of the road I can report on, it seems in good condition for a really narrow dirt road with lots of potholes and bumps. I think it is theoretically possible to do it in a low-clearance vehicle, but it would be a very nerve-wracking and slow drive. I'm just as glad I hiked in rather than tried to drive in. I met a few bikers who came in via the road the whole way and they said that the portion I saw was pretty much like the rest of it. However, after the fork in the road where you veer right to go to the springs, the road gets pretty washed out. If you come in driving a regular low-clearance vehicle, I recommend you park at Mono campground, or out of the way at the fork in the road, and then walk that last quarter-to-half mile.
If you're in a high-clearance vehicle, I think the road would be fine.
As for the hike, it's a very pretty one and well worth it (not just for avoiding driving a regular sedan down the road). The trail is very easy to follow, up until the Santa Ynez river, where it becomes very easy to lose. If you lose it there, just cross the river and go left toward the reservoir. The trail becomes completely nonexistant in the marshland around the reservoir. I used my map, compass and GPS to just sight peaks and navigate that way, and just bushwacked around the reservoir (through the marsh -- wear boots you can muddy) and up Mono creek until I found the road, just a little bit before Mono campground, and then hiked the road the rest of the way into the springs.
On the way out, I just took my boots off at Mono campground and waded barefoot into the muddy stream bed of Mono creek (the mud is the smooth fine-sand kind, not the yucky sticky kind) and walked down the creek until I got to the Santa Ynez, then followed the river until I found the trail again. I recommend this (both going in and going out) over the bushwacking, as long as you have decent route-finding skills.
The hike is a long one, so I recommend leaving burly-early in the morning for the trailhead, so that you have enough time to enjoy the springs without having to worry about also having enough time to get out before dark.
The springs were lovely. Flowing steadily and warm. The highest tub is a bit on the too-hot-for-summer side, but still quite pleasant. The lowest one is a bit lukewarm, but nice. The middle one is just right. A little mud stirred up from the bottom made the water kind of cloudy, but I presume that's par for the course with these tubs.
Pix as well as more info (in the album description) from my hike/dip here.
Joel
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2010 03:58PM by JoelTDahl.
