Hilltop Hot Springs

Hilltop Hot Springs, also commonly called Pulkey’s Pool, is one of several small, primitive soaking tubs in the open expanse of the Long Valley Caldera east of Mammoth Lakes, California. Unlike a developed spa, Hilltop is essentially a rock-and-cement pool fed by naturally heated geothermal water that is piped in from a nearby source. The pool is only large enough for a handful of people, and visitors can regulate the incoming water with valves to keep the soaking temperature around 100–110°F. This natural tub sits alone in a broad meadow with sweeping, nearly 360-degree views across Long Valley toward the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. It is free, easy to reach from Benton Crossing Road, and only requires a short quarter-mile walk from the parking area, making sunrise and sunset soaks especially popular. The road to the parking area is hard-packed dirt with sporadic potholes and coarse gravel. Just beyond the primary parking area, a small turnaround is often used by boondockers visiting the area.

The springs are a visible reminder of the extraordinary volcanic system beneath Long Valley. The caldera was created by an enormous eruption roughly 760,000 years ago, and today snowmelt from the Sierra seeps deep underground, is heated by hot rock associated with the area's relatively young volcanic system, and eventually returns toward the surface through fractures and permeable rock. That same hydrothermal system feeds numerous springs around Hot Creek and the eastern side of the caldera. Historically, thermal springs throughout Long Valley were known and used by Native American peoples, with the USGS noting that some held spiritual and medicinal significance long before Euro-American settlement.

It is important to note that these pools may not be considered family-friendly, as clothing is entirely optional.