Hot Creek is a truly amazing and very popular hot spring. It is located in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Marjorie Gersh-Young, in Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest calls this area the "Mother Lode of the Eastern Sierra", because there are about seven or so natural hot springs, suitable for soaking, in the an area of about eight square miles. The hot springs in Hot Creek are located in the middle of a cold stream, so you have to swim through what seems like freezing water to get to them (note that everyone is gathered around the same general area in the picture), but it's more then worth it. Hot water bubbles up like a great soup pot, and washes over you in warm waves along with bursts of volcanic sediment from the mouth of the spring on the bottom. Hot Creek has many other interesting and beautiful geothermal assets to look at. Scalding hot springs flow out of the ground and fumeroles burst forth. As in all areas of extreme geothermal activity, the Hot Creek area can be dangerous, so use caution. Ground can be unstable. One area where swimmers used to sit on the banks has since collapsed to reveal an inhospitably hot area that is now fenced off for safety. Despite this, Hot Creek is a popular family recreation area, and as long as you are prudent, it should be benign. Hot Creek is located in a remote area, a few miles outside of the town of Mammoth Lakes. From US 395, go east on Hot Creek Hatchery Rd/ Airport. After less than a mile, you will see a sign to "Hot Creek Geothermal Area". The last mile or so, before the parking lot, is unpaved. The park provides changing rooms and primitive toilets only. Bathing suits are required. Hot Creek has been recognized as the most productive one-mile of wild trout stream in the western United States. Hot Creek is a spring-fed stream and rainbow and brown trout along with the insects and invertebrates that form the trout's food base are dense in the abundant aquatic vegetation. Conservation minded anglers avoid wading in the stream to minimize their impacts to the stream ecosystem. The one-mile section of public access on Hot Creek is one of the most heavily fished wild trout streams in California.