Mono Hot Springs
| Mono Hot Springs | |
|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 37°19′36″N 119°01′03″W / 37.32667°N 119.01750°W[1] |
| Elevation | 6,562 feet (2,000 m) |
| Temperature | 112 °F (44.4 °C) |
  Location in California  Mono Hot Springs (the United States) | |
Mono Hot Springs (formerly Lower Hot Springs and Lower Mineral Hot Springs)[2] is a summer resort and campground at a group of hot springs in Fresno County, central California.[1] It is located within the Sierra National Forest, 70 miles (110 km) northeast of Fresno via California State Route 168.[3]
History
[edit]The Mono Hot Springs post office was established in 1945.[2] A general store and stone cabins are located at the rustic Mono Hot Springs Resort.[4] The resort was built in 1935, a few years after Southern California Edison completed this section of the Kaiser Pass Road for the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project.[5]
Geography
[edit]Mono Hot Springs lies at an elevation of 6,562 feet (2,000 m), in the central Sierra Nevada.[1][3] There are six separate hot springs, with the hottest 112 °F (44.4 °C).[2] The public springs are on the hillside across the South Fork of the San Joaquin River from the campground and resort.
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The locale is between Florence Lake and Lake Thomas A Edison reservoirs of the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project. It is reached via the forest service's Kaiser Pass Road, 17 miles (27 km) northeast from its start at Huntington Lake.[3] The road crosses the 9,184 feet (2,799 m) Kaiser Pass before reaching the hot springs and reservoirs.
Recreation
[edit]The Sierra National Forest's Mono Hot Springs Campground is located adjacent to the springs and resort, on the river.[3] The Mono Creek Campground, is in the vicinity to the north, on a meadow along Mono Creek.[6] Ward Lake and Jackass Meadow Campgrounds in the area.[7][8]
Mono Hot Springs is a trailhead for hiking trails to local mountains, a volcanic plug, lakes, and to reach the Ansel Adams Wilderness area on the north and John Muir Wilderness area on the east.[9]
Natural history
[edit]Large rounded rock formations of Sierra granite predominate the terrain, rising above the vegetation and river.
Flora
[edit]The Mono Hot Springs Evening-primrose, Camissonia sierrae subsp. alticola, is endemic and limited to this area and several sites in Yosemite National Park.[10] It is listed on the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California.[11]
Predominant trees in the surrounding forest include Sierra lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta subsp. murrayana) and Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa).
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Mono Hot Springs". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1074. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ a b c d "Mono Hot Springs Campground". Sierra National Forest. USFS. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
- ^ "Mono Hot Springs Resort". Retrieved 2018-11-18.
- ^ "Follow Kaiser Pass Road to the heart of the Central Sierra". Sunset Magazine. 2014-10-27. Archived from the original on 2014-10-27.
- ^ "Mono Creek Campground". USFS. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
- ^ "Mono Hot Springs". Fresh Faces Blog. UC Berkeley. 2014-07-14. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.
- ^ "Ward Lake Campground". Public Lands Information Center.
- ^ "Mono Creek Trailhead". Sierra National Forest. USFS. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
- ^ "Camissonia sierrae subsp. alticola (Mono Hot Springs Evening-primrose)". CalFlora Database.
- ^ "Camissonia sierrae ssp. alticola". California Native Plant Society Inventory Plant Detail. CNPS.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Mono Hot Springs at Wikimedia Commons
