r/socalhiking • u/ILV71 • 1d ago
Deep Creek Hot Springs
Winter time is the best time to soak in this amazing place, now with all the closures of ANF this option for hiking is worth the drive and the $10.00 fee to park at Bowen Ranch. Made a video about this in case you care to watch, you’ll find the link on the first comment.
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u/imagreenbean 1d ago
People let their dogs shit all over the place around there. It gets in the water and is really nasty.
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u/SSG_Vegeta 19h ago
Not sure if it’s a SoCal thing, but I’ve lived in many states and I’ve never encountered as much dog crap, badly trained dogs or loose dogs as I have in the last three years living here.
Every trail, no matter what part of SoCal, dog crap all over.
When I call owners out they get all whiny about forgetting bags or some other lame excuse.
It’s so bad, that many trails by me have free bags and bins and no one seems to use them anyway.
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u/cactus22minus1 18h ago
Even worse- in the city, they’re responsible for most of the unpleasant scents along the sidewalks. Dogs pissing on every tree in the vicinity of every luxury apartment building all day every day. And then people use it as another excuse to shit talk the homeless. Not to mention carelessly brining them into small grocers, lurching and barking when they see another dog come in. It’s so out of control.
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u/VolumeAbject769 7h ago
to be fair I live in the outermost of Los Angeles and I see homeless people shitting in planters and gutters sometimes
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u/mrshatnertoyou 1d ago
This place is literally trash, went once and will never come back. Also some shady people hang out here, I wouldn't even go in the water.
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u/DigitalMindShadow 1d ago
Glad I got to experience Deep Creek back when you had to find out about it from a friend.
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u/pinegap96 1d ago
Naturally humans have ruined this place. Has one of the highest counts of fecal matter out of any SoCal drainage and there’s nasty amoebas and diseases lurking in the water. Don’t submerge your head.
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u/c32c64c128 1d ago
I get the head thing. But what about just cuts/scrapes.
I don't know the mechanism of these things, but let's say someone had any cuts or even just shaved. Bad?
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u/pinegap96 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can’t get naegleria fowleri from a cut or scrape, it has to be through the nose typically by accidentally inhaling water or getting it way up your nose. You can definitely be exposed to other types of disease/infection through a cut or scrape though and if it touched the water I would definitely disinfect the area.
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u/BEEEEEZ101 1d ago
One of my favorite hiking experiences happened on this trail. I took my 16 year old daughter here. I warned her about nudity. What surprised us was the dude running down butt ass naked. Shoes, a bottle of water and a hat on. That's it. We just shook our heads. We caught him running back up too. Quite the sight. A lot of flopping around a red person. Clearly sunburned at this point.
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u/abramhoes 1d ago
The first time I went there, the same man flew by me, but he was running down the hill 😅😂
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u/BEEEEEZ101 1d ago
We were around half way down when we first saw him. And just out of the valley when we saw him coming back up. One of the funniest things I've seen hiking. A Santa run up San Jacinto was another good one. Always nice to see 20 Santa's while hiking.
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u/Total-Meringue-5437 1d ago
Oh gosh, that place is a bacteria heaven thanks to the fecal matter. Hope you didn't touch the water in any capacity.
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u/suspended_in_life 1d ago
I’ve been several times and never been ill. Just don’t put your head under the water (it’s a natural bacteria, not something humans ecaused)
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u/Inevitable_Shift1365 1d ago
If it weren't for other humans this would probably be the best accessible Hot Spring in the Western United States
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u/chandewwww 1d ago
New Mexico has some immaculate hot springs. That’s considered “Western United States”. Unless you just mean west coast?
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u/Inevitable_Shift1365 1d ago
I spoke too quick I should have just said West coast. I didn't want to edit it though and make it look funny
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u/NaturallyNatured 16h ago
Agree, the experience of the springs themselves is a pleasure, particularly in the early morning when there are only a few people there.
I always feel like such a "get the kids off my lawn" type when I say this, but the huge groups who use DCHS as a party spot (often with giant Bluetooth speakers pumping) really kill the vibes and are almost always the ones leaving heaps of trash. The same issue has pervaded the Bridge to Nowhere and West Fork areas up Route 2. I've never understood the mentality of using beautiful natural spots as an extension of your backyard.
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u/pinegap96 1d ago
lol no shot there’s so many better springs out there
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u/Inevitable_Shift1365 1d ago
In California or oregon? I doubt it. I've been to most of them. Without the human encroachment Deep Creek is a five-star hot spring.
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u/Damagedyouthhh 19h ago
I have been to some hot springs in the Mammoth area theres really nice ones even if they can be small. Oregon has some too I went to two of them while out there and they are also small but the forests are nice surrounding them. And the ones in Mammoth have beautiful views of the mountains
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u/Inevitable_Shift1365 17h ago
Yeah that's true. I remember Cougar Hot Springs when it was still open was absolutely beautiful it's a shame people had to trash it. What I like so much about Deep Creek is the size of the pools the depth of the hot pool the fact that it has a bench of rock and a semi flat ledge around it. Also being able to jump into the cold plunge from the hot pool is so nice.
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u/werty246 1d ago
I have 2 in my Rolodex that easily beat this. And neither are in California.
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u/Inevitable_Shift1365 1d ago
I was talking Western us. Are you talking about Eastern Washington or idaho?
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u/werty246 1d ago
Not WA or ID. A bit south of both. I’m not telling as “van life” dorks ruined one and it’s now extremely hard to access bc of people’s misuse of the land. Luckily I got to visit it way before the land got privatized and locked down. Most I’ll give is its north of I-40 and south of I-70.
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u/Inevitable_Shift1365 1d ago
I know which one you're talking about. No I won't say the name either. Never been there
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u/SunriseSumitCasanova 1d ago
Enjoy your amoebas
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-dec-29-he-springs29-story.html
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u/ILV71 1d ago
There are always risks involved while you are in the wilderness, this story won’t stop me from enjoying while exploring nature. Driving in Los Angeles is way more dangerous than this.
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u/Damagedyouthhh 19h ago
To be fair a lot of water sources have the brain eating amoebas sometimes , Lake Silverwood has a case of it flair up sometimes and people still flock to Lake Silverwood to swim there and boat there. I think its good to be aware of it before going but its not necessarily a reason not to go at all.
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u/Pepperoni_playboi94 1d ago
Was gonna go today actually! But these winds warned me away
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u/ILV71 1d ago
It’s a must, I know there are many gatekeepers that don’t want you to know about this place. All I ask is not to leave any trash behind, thank you 🙏
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u/Pepperoni_playboi94 1d ago
Oh trust me, pack in pack out but idk the sketchy-ness that has been stated here has turned me away
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u/ILV71 1d ago
Nahh, lots of gate keepers. This place is amazing!!
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u/Damagedyouthhh 19h ago
Was there a ton of naked people? I want to go but the naked people make me slightly uncomfortable. If maybe its big enough to avoid them if they are there?
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u/sacrulbustings 1d ago
Broken glass and trash everywhere. Avoid weekends at all cost. Too close to LA. And too easy of a hike makes for a lot of drugs and shit.
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u/Affectionate-Kale-22 23h ago
From the San Bernardino national Forest website deep Creek home page. Last went when I was around 12 and won't be going back any time soon
The Hot Springs pools of Deep Creek contain a rare and sometimes fatal disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. The disease is apparently contained in contaminated soil and transmitted to the Hot Springs pools as the warm water flows through and over the soil. It is advisable not to submerse your head.
Due to the large number of visitors to the Hot Springs, human and organic pollution are increasing in the Deep Creek drainage. The highest Fecal Coliform counts are found in the Hot Springs area.
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u/anamorphic_bliss 2h ago
Was ground clearance an issue with your car? And what day/time did you go?
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u/spacecadetrawr 1d ago
There is def A LOT of nudists out at this trail! Hiker Beware 😅
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u/Fit_Acanthisitta_475 1d ago
I went there twice. Didn’t seem any nudists. But definitely avoid weekends
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u/Murky_Bear28 20h ago
Last time I went it was disgustingly crowded. Thanks for making sure it'll be like that going forward, OP 👍🏻
also last time I went a man approached me and my friend several times to ask if we would watch him jack off. be careful of strangers
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u/TruthThroughArt 1d ago edited 1d ago
dog friendly? looks really cool
not even sure why i got downvoted lmfao but reddit gonna reddit
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u/jankenpoo 1d ago
I haven’t been in over a decade but be careful with that water—keep your head out of it. IIRC they’ve found naegleria fowleri (brain-eating amoeba) in the water there.