Finally made it down to tackle some of that graffiti. I brought this stuff called Taginator which is popular with forest service because its strong but biodegradable. Got to Freedom parking lot at 7:30am and nobody there. Headed down and backtracked to bowen trail to find the major graffiti area looking to see if the swastika was in the place it was last time. Nothing like that there and most ofby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
I have a supply of elephant snot and some other biodegradable grafiti removers I was saving for warmer months to remove some of the older grafiti. When I was removing the swastika I realized the remover compounds work best in warm weather. I won't be able to head out until end of the month but hopefully others will have done some work and I can be the final wave.by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Ended up camping about halfway between river and springs. Its really bizarre that the springs are on the trail so you are sitting in a major bottle neck for all the hikers. Unfortunately there was a large volume of conservative retiree textiles who kayaked down the river and come up to the springs just to judge those of us in our natural state. There were some chill people as well, but the overalby paulespo - U.S.A. Hot Springs
I went to both on Mar 22-24. Travertine is so easily accessible that it seems to always be crowded, will be even more so on a holiday weekend. You have a chance of getting a pool to yourself after sunset. I snowshoed 3miles(one way) to buckeye hot springs on the buckey road, all kinds of trucks have attempted it and got stuck, I watched a huge pickup being pulled out by a jeep on my way out. Snowby paulespo - California Hot Springs
Planning a trip here for sun-tues. Hear this place gets crowded even on weekdays. Wondering what the camping situation is like? Camping on the beach of the Colorado, are there changes in water levels to be aware of?by paulespo - U.S.A. Hot Springs
Just did it last weekend, found someone to go with through piedra blanca. I guess a couple weeks ago the creek had swelled to the point where it was impassable. This last weekend the deepest crossings were about thigh high. There were severe knee high crossings as well, probably totalling around 20 over the 16 miles. There were a LOT of people, mostly going to willet. At sespe I counted around 12by paulespo - California Hot Springs
I’m new to solo camping and paranoid about mountain lions and coyotes. I’ve been talking to the ojai rangers and they said because the river is so high nobody has been able to get to sespe hot springs from piedra blanca. So I would be totally alone for the whole trip. I think its more for my own piece of mind than safety, i’ve never been alone camping for more than a night,(this will be 3).by paulespo - California Hot Springs
Thanks Rick, when I stopped there I didn’t get in as there were about 20 ducks that had just flew out on my approach and it was at sunset and too cool for a 95 degree soak. There wasn’t any algae on the surface but it was too dark to see the bottom. On soakersforum I saw the spring was for sale for $195,000 in 2007 so I assume its private property(but the least desirable kind) i also found thby paulespo - California Hot Springs
Just stopped by on the way back from bridgeport. I read this was once a county park? Anyone know more history about it? Very curious as the pool is such a nicely built circular shape. Would be fun to clean it and have an easy group camping trip tho the dust blowing from owens lake might make that less fun.by paulespo - California Hot Springs
Hi All, Looking for advice on planning a solo backpacking trip to Sespe Hot Springs. The river is very high and so the Piedra Blanca trail is out, I called the Ojai Ranger Station and they recommended the Johnston Ridge Trail but noted that the gate for the road to trailhead would be closed until late April. I need to capture video of the algae at Sespe hot springs for a video research projectby paulespo - California Hot Springs
Took a trip to Mammoth Sun-Tues because my fiance wanted to ski. I got to take Tuesday to explore the hot springs in the Long Valley Caldera with 2+ feet of snow on the ground. I've only been to the Rock Tub and Siphon/Little Hot Creek so I wanted to see some others. Was really hopeful that Wild Willy's would be calm on a weekday morning and I was truly rewarded. Got up Tues morn and got to the gby paulespo - California Hot Springs
Yes we will attempt to do some sand and wood removal this Sunday. I am going in through arrowhead as it seems its warmed up there and any snow on the 173 will have melted. The higher water will actually help with the wood removal as it will be easier to toss the wood that has washed up in the clearing between contemplation pool and PCT into the creek.by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
I’ve gotten it only on my torso and never any visible bumps but definitely an extreme itchiness. Not only from deep creek but also spending a couple hours in Willet’s tub which was around Womb temperature. I think it helps to take breaks between to let your skin dry out and expose yourself to some sunlight. The one treatment I’ve read that helps decrease the symptoms but doesn’t kill theby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
My friend and I went down with shovels and sandbags intending to dig out the pools, thinking that the creek might be high but not too high. We hiked the pct in from mojave river forks dam starting at 8am. We soon realized the creek was at an epic flood level like I've never seen. The crossing at kinley creek was especially difficult but we made it and ran into 3 women who had been camping near thby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
I did a quick trip down to the springs (on the way back from a rock hounding trip in Afton Canyon) to see what the flash flooding had done. I hiked in from the PCT and discovered this wall near the rainbow bridge on the north side of DC does anyone know when it was made and why it is there? There was snow in the hills and along shaded parts of the pct but air temp was around 45F. I got to theby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Went yesterday and the creek must have risen substantially from the rains on Saturday. I think Mike was turning away people at Bowen, the creek crossing was very dangerous. The creek levels increased because of the rains yesterday but not to what must have been a height of a foot above the womb wall on the weekend. Serenity and Phoenix pool were under water and a lot of sand and plant debris iby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Myself and another person manage the dcv instagram page. The pools are all above creek level, although as of Monday the creek was right at the Phoenix/Arizona pool level and much of the sand in it as well as some sand from the beach was pushed to one side of the pool by the flood. The side without sand seems to have leaks as well as the bottom. It may be a matter of digging out the plug and drainby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Hi Wizard, Yes I took the photo of the springs from the beach side too. Is the Phoenix pool or the serenity pool the last to resurface after flooding?by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Got in at 7am, very windy and light rain seemed like it was clearing up. Hiked down with some goo-off, scrubbers and rags to soak up any runoff. Found the swastika rock, you will see the before and after in the picture below. It was made using a very difficult to remove, bronze metallic spray paint. There is a lot of graffiti in that zone, I started to remove some but I wanted to focus on the swaby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
I'm interesting in taking on the deepcreekvolunteers.com website and updating some components of it(mostly fixing broken links and updating content that has changed). I have experience coding static websites so I feel I could easily update things but I know handing off the content and domain might be pretty tricky. I've contacted Ralph Maese at his aol email address and haven't heard back. Isby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Thanks, I am familiar with that boulder, I am going down tomorrow to do some more removal. That will be one of the first spots I tackle!by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
I’m on it! Was it before the Bowen trail meets up with freedom trail?by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
There are 3 sections that are tough, but I think the hill right before the parking lot is the most washed out and difficult even for a 4wd high clearance vehicle. I've seen some SUVs park before this hill. The other area is the hillside ridge which is about halfway, I've found some weird car undercarriage parts in that spot so its definitely done some damage on sedans.by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Got into Freedom trail around 7:15am, picked up some bottles along the way. Route is pretty rough from the recent rains. I got some biodegradable spray paint removal spray(non aerosol) that I wanted to try on the rocks by the springs and along the freedom trail. One issue was that the final step calls for a power washer and I don't have a generator nor did i want to lug my power washer and a buckby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
I’m on the fence, just went down today for the day and the place was very clean but tomorrow forecast is super cold and windy.by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
I am planning on taking Bradford and camping a mile away from the creek so that I can spend xmas eve and day at the springs with my fiancee. Wondering if anyone has spent xmas at the springs? I am guessing things will be messy from the weekend before but hoping since its on a Monday/Tuesday it will be pretty tame?by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Hi Paul, I used the sespe river trail, Ojai rangers tolder me all the other trails are closed for the winter, I posted a full trip report on the California hot springs section.by paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Did an overnight to Willet this past Mon/Tues. Got to piedra blanca trailhead around 9am. We had cloud cover and light rain in the morning. Hike was pretty easy for the first half got a little more tricky going up and down the ridges before the final ascent to the tub.Almost all of the creek was flowing but shallow that all but one crossing could be done by rock hopping. As you will see in the piby paulespo - California Hot Springs
Hi Wizard, yes I have been using a 25 inch long 1.5 inch diameter pool hose and I was using a snorkel to dive down to vacuum the bottom of the womb which is exhausting. I’ve been hiding the hose and scrubbers as well. I am about to upgrade the hose to a 3 inch diameter drainage hose which will only be two lengths of 10 feet that i will connect to make a 20 ft hose. Not sure if it will be enoughby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California
Happy to clean it up, I mainly went on a Saturday because it was the only day that my friend could go. We were able to pack out the blue fleece blanket by the owl and another white blanket by the anniversary pool. The only things that remained were 3 soaked towels in the little clearing where ppl camp between contemplation pool and pct and that cooler by the rope swing. I was happy to see the sanby paulespo - Deep Creek Hot Springs, Apple Valley, California