About three miles from the little green church you cross a cattle guard. Turn right immediately after. Follow this unpaved road a little over a mile to a large parking area. A long gravel path and boardwalk meanders to the springs. (37°39'6"N, 118°58'6"W)
Unlike the other springs I've visited in the Mammoth area, the pools at Wild Willy's/Crowley are just holes in the ground with mud banks and coarse sand bottoms. That means the water can be murky. Also, the hot water comes straight from the source. No pipes, no way to control it. You get what you get, which was sufficiently hot without being too hot when I was there.
The upper pool
The lower pool (not my photo because the pool was occupied by several people when I was there)
The upper pool is about ten feet across and slightly less than knee deep. The lower pool is maybe fourteen feet across and knee deep. It looks like it might have been dug out with a backhoe long ago. It's the largest pool I've seen in the area. Maybe that's why it has the reputation as a party spot. More people can soak at once. WOO!
Crowley Hot Spring/Wild Willy's wouldn't be my first or even third choice in the area. True, it's more natural than the others, which can be a big plus for some people. But I prefer my water clearer and to not have muddy feet when I'm done. I rate it 4.25 out of five.
Ah, this was the only hot spring I had the chance to visit in Mammoth. I was kind of in a rush to get to Carson City for better shopping back in April. But, I enjoyed a one night stay at Wild Willy's. The road, at least for me, was so long I felt it worth staying over before making the long trek back to Benton Crossing Road and my journey onward. I never blogged much about this place, but, I could. I took full advantage of it and spent the evening of our arrival in the pool (the bigger one) and a few hours the next morning there. I even had Rochelle off the leash running around! Can't wait to go back!
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