Dirty Socks Hot Springs - Hot Springs in California

As its shocking name suggests, this hot spring is not very well loved by people.

Yet the geothermal water was still welling up.

On the edge of Owens Lake

After 1913, the lake level in Owens Lake began to drop rapidly to supply water to the growing population of Los Angeles.

Southeast of Owens Lake, now nearly dried up and one of the largest sources of dust pollution in the United States, including carcinogens, lies Dirty Socks Hot Springs.

It took about a minute to turn off State Highway 190 and drive through the wilderness.

I was a little nervous because it hardly looked like a road and there were no landmarks.

Dirty Socks Hot Springs began in 1917.

With the outbreak of World War I, sodium carbonate was needed, and a well was dug in the mineral-rich region to collect it.

Forgotten history

After the war, the well was left to flow naturally, and in 1927 a concrete swimming pool was built as the centerpiece of the spa resort.

It is a circular pool and retains the appearance of its time.

Unfortunately, the facility was never completed and the project was cancelled.

Later, based on the wishes of the residents, the park was established as a county park in Inyo County in 1967.

The operation was a series of difficulties, and it seems to have been plagued by vandalism and an outbreak of algae.

Eventually, the park was closed indefinitely in 1978, and remains closed to today.

At the time of my visit, the ruins were almost ready to return to nature, although the metal fence surrounding the pool and the steps leading down into the water remained.

Water shoes are required as there seems to be broken glass scattered around the bottom of the pool.

I visited during the cold season, so the pool temperature was roughly 84 degrees F.

The aforementioned well remained under the surface of the water near the small island in the center.

Alpaca

Something's bubbling.

Let's just say it's because of the ingredients.

Capybara

New hot water was supplied from there, and the water temp was measured at 91 degrees F at the gushing point.

It appeared to be about 5 feet deep at its deepest point.

There are some theories as to the origin of the name "Dirty Socks."

It is said that miners in the neighborhood used to wash their dirty socks.

Or it could be derived from the sulfur smell mixed with a distinctive aroma of dead grass.

In any case, I could not have a pleasant soaking in this place with its strange bubbling and algae formation.

Summary