Crab Cooker Hot Springs

In the volcanic Mammoth Lakes basin of the eastern Sierra Nevada, where the Long Valley Caldera shapes the hydrology of an extraordinary high-altitude landscape, Crab Cooker Hot Springs bubbles up along Hot Creek drainage in one of California's most geologically active corridors. The water emerges at a body-temperature 38°C, an enveloping warmth that suits the cool, crisp air of this high plateau. The iron-rich mineral profile gives the water a distinctive, slightly ferrous quality — reddish mineral staining in the surrounding rock confirms the presence of dissolved iron — while the mildly acidic pH of 6.3 is consistent with iron-bearing geothermal sources. The Mammoth Lakes area is a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts year-round, and Crab Cooker represents the quieter, more adventurous side of the region's thermal offerings, a natural soak amid volcanic geology on a spectacular scale.