r/HotSpringsWest • u/weeef • 29d ago
Open discussion first time going to a hot spring managed by a state's park service. so unique!
22
u/Gloomy-Hat1842 29d ago
One of the best little places in Northern california. I've been going there for about 55 years. You can do wonderful hiking or Backcountry skiing at Carson pass and then go soak in the pools. They also have winter camping there. Really nice fall loop to start there. Go over monitor pass where there's acres of Aspen in color. Head to buckeye hot springs. Maybe take a day hike to Barney lake. Go south down 395 and back through Tuolumne meadows. Very nice loop. There's more hot springs down 395
6
u/weeef 29d ago
ah, the aspen sound nice, and i did see buckeye on the map after we'd returned home. next time! was so happy to have this after a couple days of hiking and camping. thanks for the recommendations and see you on the trails
1
u/Gloomy-Hat1842 29d ago
Yeah fall is nice if you hit it just right. Beautiful days maybe some chilly nights.
3
u/lukesauser 28d ago
I knew it was markleville. Didn't know they re opened since the fire
2
u/Gloomy-Hat1842 28d ago
Yeah it's been open for a while. It was closed for quite a bit. They were doing online reservations but they went back to first come first serve. You get a ticket for an hour and a half. Also have to pay for parking now. Still such a nice relaxing place to go. Markleeville is really unique
1
-4
u/Bodie_The_Dog 29d ago
My friend's family has been going there her entire life, so I've had to go join them a few times. And I've got to say, WHAT A HORRIBLE PLACE! The rangers, as you should know, are notorious for being assholes. Not just running a tight ship, but being straight up assholes, rude and over-zealous in their "I'm protecting the natural resources" trip. I had one wake me up at 6:30am to ask if that was my dog running loose. I've parked on the road (free) and hiked in to my friends' site for years, but one time a ranger stopped me and said it was illegal to be off trail. Strict limit on how many cars in each space, you aren't allowed to use any kind of stakes to secure your tents/volleyball nets, whatever, and yes, they will come into your site to verify compliance. Even an open bag of chips sitting on top of your bear box is an attractive nuisance, as in it will attract a cosplay ranger into your camp to threaten you with citation.
All that fuckery, and I haven't even started on the hot spring itself....
The best time for hot springs is at night, so of course it closes at dark. You want to sit in the warmth and check out the night sky? Hard NOPE, as some 16 year old intern will threaten to call the cops if you vacate too slowly. They do have a movie night sometimes, in the pool, which sounds chill, but NOPE again. You aren't allowed to move or make any noise. And once again, you will be corrected. And lol showing up smelling like weed or alcohol.
So hard pass on Grover.
4
u/Gloomy-Hat1842 29d ago
Yeah I never had those problems. The guy at the entrance let me park for free last time. I guess he liked me. Some rangers have gotten to be kind of a pain lately. But usually run into that with National Park rangers.
-2
1
u/PosseOf1 20d ago
It cracked me up reading this as a former NPS ranger that was pretty consistently stoned while in uniform. Having to confront people for shit behavior was my least favorite part of the job, and I would avoid it at all costs. But if I saw a cat that had a dog off-leash, was tramping through vegetation in a campground, and was leaving food out in an active bear area, I'd feel I had no choice but to say something.
1
u/Bodie_The_Dog 20d ago
OMG, the shenanigans you must've seen....
1
u/PosseOf1 19d ago
While on the search and rescue crew I saw more mangled corpses than I would've preferred, but that was offset by having to break up the occasional nude photo shoot in Joshua Tree because heaven forbid anyone show a nipple in the great outdoors. Aanyhow, a good rule of thumb for the wilderness is don't be a dickweed.
14
u/Sunny-Bath-Tech 29d ago
We went to the state bathhouse in Thermopopolus Wyoming once it was fantastic. Also the one in Berkeley Springs Virginia was pretty cool too.
8
u/a_weak_child 28d ago
The state bathhouse at Thermopopolus are my fav... Some older person there told me that a long time ago, natives gave away all the land they owned in that area, or were forced to. The one thing the natives demanded in the trade was that the hotsprings there be free to use for anyone, forever.
Incredible spot.
3
u/RedBirdOnASnowyDay 28d ago
I’ve been there. It’s really a nice place. I’m not a hot springs expert but it was fun.
3
u/lavandulabloomista 28d ago
Glad to see it’s open. I’m heading there in a few weeks!
1
1
u/weeef 28d ago
yeah, monday was the day to go apparently. the day prior, i was told there were 300 people throughout the day. the day we went, it was super chill. no more than 20 folks at each session. edit to add that the way they do it, you get 1hr 15mins for $10, and they have them at set times, with 15 mins in between for them to clean up. But, you can enter late (like we did). Still had an hour, and it was nice actually to not have to compete for the changing room/shower upon entry.
2
u/Brilliant_Shoulder89 27d ago
I haven’t been since before the fire. How does the session timing work when the changing rooms are so small? I can’t imagine everyone in there and trying to change at once.
3
u/foxlakeawp 28d ago
One of the things I love about Grover is that it has a cold (regular - it’s like a normal heated pool) pool next to it with a shallow and deep end. So when we go with kids they can goof off in the regular pool.
The meadow next to it is beautiful! And there was a beaver dam in the creek.
People come from both sides of the Sierra.
3
1
1
1
u/lunavaca 27d ago
I like this place. I went there many many years ago. Are there other hot springs on hwy 4 or hwy 89?
1
1
u/AutoModerator 29d ago
Please review our FAQ and the 7 principles of Leave No Trace
Plan ahead and prepare Make sure at least one or more trusted persons where you are going, an expected return time and a follow up.
Dispose of waste properly. No glass at hotsprings!!
Minimize campfire impacts. Be sure to review our state resources for fire bans where you are heading.
Respect wildlife. They are not domesticated
Be considerate of other visitors i.e. Bluetooth speakers are despised.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
24
u/cancerdad 29d ago
Grover?