Trail Overview
This 3.5-mile loop travels through open meadows covered in manzanita and other bushes. The trail offers expansive 360-degree views of the Eastern Sierras, White Mountains, Glass Mountains, Lake Crowley, and surrounding valleys. The landscape is entirely natural with no open areas for camping or lunch stops, creating a remote and immersive experience.
Difficulty
This trail is one vehicle wide with manzanita and other brush lining the trail that can leave Sierra pinstripes on wide vehicles. The surface is mostly sand and pumice with some embedded rocks. While most of the trail is smooth (rating 1), a few sections feature small rock obstacles and ledges under 12 inches, giving those areas a rating of 3. Additionally, there are washboards and minor bumps along the route.
History
Hot Creek's history is rooted in volcanic and geologic activity, particularly the massive Long Valley Caldera eruption 760,000 years ago, which created the dramatic landscape. This activity continues today, with subsurface magma heating underground water that rises to create the hot springs and geysers in the Hot Creek Gorge. The area was historically home to the Kootzaduka'a people and was developed as a trout hatchery site in the mid-20th century, serving as an important hub for fish stocking in the region.
