California

The Inn at Benton Hot Springs - Hot Springs in California

07/10/2022

The perfect base for touring the wild hot springs in the Long Valley Caldera.

The hot springs I enjoyed at that bed and breakfast were also great.

Breakfast at ghost town

The Long Valley Caldera, one of the largest calderas in the world, is home to many wild springs, including Rock Tub, so it is a good idea to stay nearby and enjoy a relaxing tour of the hot springs.

ReferenceThe Rock Tub Hot Springs - Hot Springs in California

This hot spring is like a scenic view point! The unfortunate thing is that the water becomes tepid being piped for a distance. Muddy source of the springs Long Valley Caldera in the State of California has many undeveloped hot springs inside it. The Rock Tub is one of the ...

If that is your purpose, Benton Hot Springs is the perfect place for you.

Street 01

Benton is a mining town that prospered from silver mining in the late 1800s.

It is conveniently located about an hour's drive from the east entrance of Yosemite National Park and 30 minutes to the center of Caldera.

Courtyard 01

At its peak, the town had a population of over 5,000, but today the population is around 200.

The area where the hot spring inn is located is about 5 miles west of the town center in the old town, which is almost a ghost town.

Courtyard 02

In addition to seven guest rooms in the 1940s historic building, there is one separate cabin.

Guest Room 02

The seven rooms, except for Marquessa Suite where I stayed, share a bathroom with the room next door (since the pandemic, it is basically no longer possible to book rooms adjacent to each other).

All rooms are equipped with floor heating that utilizes the geothermal water.

Guest Room 01

The room was indeed old-fashioned, but it was comfortable and had a refrigerator.

Breakfast 01

Breakfast is served in a communal dining room with voluminous meals (included in the room rate).

Breakfast 02

Water injection in the form of mist

The covered patio had a barbecue stove, table, and chairs, so I cooked dinner here.

Gazebo 01

The hot spring, which overnight guests could use freely, was located in the backyard across a small bridge from here.

There are three tubs in total, all outdoors.

Bridge 01

They were partially surrounded by a wooden fence, but no doors were provided.

Hot springs are available 24 hours a day, in the order of the first guest, and are practically private pools.

Small Pool 02

Nude soaking is allowed, but "with caution."

The smallest tub was embedded in the concrete ground.

Small Pool 01

The water outlet looked an ordinary faucet, but it had a shower head.

Water Outlet 01

This is done by misting in the thermal water, which gushes out at 135 degrees F, in order to cool it to the proper temperature without adding water.

Capybara
Capybara
That's an inspiring idea.
Is it that great?
Alpaca
Alpaca
Middle Pool 01

This is a medium-sized tub.

Middle Pool 02

The clear, colorless, tasteless, and odorless hot water had no strong characteristics, but the goodness was highlighted by the use of free-flowing hot water.

Large Pool 01

The largest tub did not have a shower head, as if natural cooling was sufficient.

The entire area was not fenced off, so the view was excellent, and it was one of the best soaking experience.

Soaking 01

With an abundance of thermal water, these and 12 other camp sites with private tubs are available for rent.

Each has a different tub construction, so check them out.

Tun Site 05

The Inn at Benton Hot Springs

In this case, the price is from $75.00 per night (as of the time of writing), so if you are going with a group, it is still considered reasonable, even if you use it as a day trip.

Summary

The Inn at Benton Hot Springs, Benton, California, U.S.

My rating

Type: Lodging

Rule: Private pool, Clothing optional

Chemical use: Not detected

Water temp: Up to 135 degrees F

Official website

  • Writer

Hot Springer Ken

A hot spring enthusiast based in Japan. Toured over 300 North American hot springs while working in Texas from 2016 to 2022. For updates, visit X or Instagram!

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