Mono Hot Springs Resort

It is a pretty cool spot to go if you’re looking to explore or just get away from the norm. My girlfriend and I a couple hot springs near the bridge that personally I think are the best. Bring food and beers and have a blast

Two weeks ago my husband George found this precious place on Google as a getaway for our honeymoon. We took a chance and drove up and we fell in love with it instantly. From the staff, to the food and all the fun nature activities… we were very impressed with Mono. Aside from being a glorious place full of natural hot springs, mud baths, rivers, and lakes … we got to meet some amazing people. We thank Joe, Jeff, Kelly, Nicholas, Noah, Teddy, and the two Saras and everyone else for being so kind, loving and accommodating during our stay. The best part about Mono is that you can choose to camp! Since our arrival was without reservations, we staying in 3 different cabins all three nights. It was a fantastic experience! The honeymoon cabin — cabin 16 is adorable! We also loveeed their restaurant… Nicholas and staff always served us the best food! We will definitely be back … Thank you MONO!!!

Being a California native, I’ve seen a lot of our beautiful state, but this region has to be one of the most beautiful. And it comes with natural mineral springs. The best part? People are so put off by the Kaiser Pass drive, even on busy summer holiday weekends, you hardly see a soul. Remote & peaceful. You can’t say that about Yosemite or Sequoia.
Here are my tips:
If you’re staying in a cabin, there are no outlets. Charge your phone, flashlight, camera, at the general store. Good to know if you’re planning on bringing your music or a laptop to watch movies, blow dry your hair, etc.
If you’re cell phone provider is AT&T, you’re in luck. You’ll have reception throughout the canyon due to a local tower. If you’re with another provider, there’s free wifi by the general store but you won’t have phone service.
My AT&T coverage came in handy when we came to a fork in the road miles from anywhere. We called the general store & got directions.
Warning: there aren’t a lot of signs when hiking so if you’re not with AT&T, write down detailed directions/​instructions!

I’d recommend Mono Hot Springs to anyone wanting to really get back into the mountains but maintain some of the comforts of civilization. I’m going to write as complete a review as possible so that there is more information about this resort. There were only a few reviews that seemed to have enough information.
I read a lot about the drive in, and I can understand how anyone who hasn’t driven off road before could be quite scared, but if you have even a little experience driving on a single lane road, you should be fine. There are many, many turnouts for passing oncoming traffic and we has zero issues, only slightly backing about 30 feet twice. The road was full of both massive trash trucks, large SUVs, and small, Prius-​type vehicles.
We stayed in Cabin 10. My girlfriend and I fit fine on the full bed, and the three kids fit on the bunk bed, as the bottom was a full size. We set up our camp stove in the cabin, kept the coolers in there, basically making a kitchen out of the single room space, and ate on the picnic table outside. Cabin 10 was nice, but if I was doing it again I’d really try to get Cabin 9. It was very spacious in regards to outside area. Only the full bed had bedding, to include sheets, two pillows, and a light blanket. The bunk beds were bare, but had mattresses. As I said before, the bunk is a single on top and full on bottom, so either bring sheets or sleeping bags. I’d also recommend bringing your own blanket for the full. There are no power outlets in the cabins. They run a single light off batteries charged daily by a solar panel. There is power outside the general store for renters to use. We saw no roaches, ants, or mice, but we heard of people complaining of them in the full powered cabins. There are basically 3 types of cabins: full bedroom/​kitchen/​refrigerator, single room (with toilet), and tent/​yert. 8 – 11 are single room, basic cabins. Outside our cabin area there was a very nice wash basin, triple sinks, with large stainless steel counters. You can easily tackle the largest cooking mess with ease.
The staff was great. Interesting, but great. Getting information from them about local activities was random. Some of the staff seemed to know a great deal about local fishing, hikes, etc., and others seemed to be clueless even thought it was clear they lived there for years. They were all helpful, though.
This is a fly fishing haven. We hired Sierra Fly Fishing based on a recommendation from the Mono Hot Springs website, and were happy with the results. I’ll post another review about them separately. Our 15 year old boys ran the wilderness the entire time we were there and loved it.
During the day, the billions of squirrels kept us entertained. They were plentiful, yet not a nuisance. It was clear that they were comfortable around us by the way they would hop right up on the picnic table while we were sitting at it. At night, we had regular visits from a camp bear named Bubbles. Bubbles is a small, reddish bear that runs at the sound of your voice, so don’t worry at all about him. It was almost exciting to wait for his arrival each night.
The general store is very, very well stocked. I forgot soy sauce and worried the entire drive there, but the store had that and more. Sure, it was a bit pricy, but it beat driving down to Fresno. They had plenty of food to buy, including batteries, cards, sweatshirts, coffee, first aid, beer, wine, crackers, cakes, ice cream, etc. It was basically everything you’d expect to find and a small town convenience store but way, way back in the wilderness. They also had a full supply of fishing and camping products. Again, a little expensive, but no matter what you lose or break, they’ll be able to replace it. The also sell firewood for $ 8 a bundle, which is kind of required if you want a fire. All of the wood that you’d expect to find in an around the camp doesn’t exist. It’s been picked clean. They also sell ice for about $ 5 a 10lb bag.
We never at at the restaurant, so I can’t comment on that. The bathhouse was clean and had great water, both hot and strong. No complaints there. Each night we showered after dark, but the last night we were informed it actually closed at 9 PM. You’d have never known that due to the fact that it was used by many after 10 PM. Oh well.
We all had a great time and I’d like to visit again someday. The journey in is difficult and long, so staying a single night or even two nights would be a bust, but we arrived on a Monday night and left first thing Friday, which seemed to be just about right.

I’ve been going regularly for 18 years! It’s So beautiful! What a hidden gem! The cabins are VERY RUSTIC, I’d rather camp. No crowds, hotsprings, rivers, mountain lakes, wildflowers, a great bath house with massage, what more could you want?

First off I don’t even think it should get any stars but I have to put on
Mono hot springs seemed to be a very nice cozy place or at least that’s what they say. But personally I think other wise my review is about cabin #17 where do I even start… well first there’s a difference between rustic and dilapidated there were holes underneath the sink, behind the fridge, and in the living room even little holes in the roof. on other reviews I say people saying that there were mice and I didn’t want to believe. So I called the help desk and asked them how true that was and other questions. There answer to if there were mice in cabin #17 was no mice only get in if you keep the door open… That’s not true mice are tiny animals and find there way to get in different ways. Well when we got into out cabin we notice a mice trap and I was a little confused because the guy said no mice but I didn’t think anything of it. The next more *SNAP* there goes the mice trap. Then I stared to notice mice poop in my shoes, window seals, and the box frame. On another matter the road is another negative effect. I read many Unilocal reviews and everyone seemed to be talking about the road and I though that they were over exaggerating. when we got to the road we weren’t sure what to do the road was extremely dangerous and wouldn’t travel it again it’s not worth the horrible cabin. The road has no shoulder and if a car come in the other direction of you there no way to get passed them. Mono hot springs was not the place for my family and I would never go back again, but you might have a different experience and if you do I hope yours is better then mine!

First off this is my favorite place to camp hands down. I have been camping here for 15 years.
— I have never stayed in a cabin. I have rented them for my family.
The «resort» consists of about 15 cabins ranging in size and amenities the more you pay the more you get. Either way you sleep indoors, if that is you thing rent a cabin and sleep indoors. Some of the cabins have bathrooms but not showers. Out side your cabin is a fire pit and I think they even bring you wood. You can have the best of both worlds inside and outside all in one. I believe that they even have a couple of pet friendly cabins, dogs love cabins. I have been in a few of the cabins and they are rustic. Some of the reviewers here have mentioned the spiders, and the mouse droppings, and I will not try to deny that fact. YOU ARE IN THE WOODS! The cabins are not winterized and that is how it goes in the mountains, critters live there. there area also 3 tent cabins I know nothing of them.
–The bath house is getting better every year. When we first started going up to Mono the bath house was ruuustic now its kind of nice. You get a hot shower in the mountains. The showers are okay, clean but not spa quality. The deep bath tubs are big enough for 2 if you like that kind of thing, the walls however are thin. So keep it down will you. I am not sure of the cost, pay at the general store, get a towel when you are there or bring your own.
Get a massage! Just do it, its so good. They book up, leave your cell number and you might just get in on a cancelation.
–The restaurant is fine. I have eating there one time in 15 years. I am very picky about my food so I can not in good conscience tell you about the food.
–The general store, is expensive and has a little bit of everything. Sweatshirts, fishing gear, postcards, ICE, ice cream, toilet paper, beer and wine. They take debit cards and cash, I have never tried to write a check but I bet they would take it. The folks who work there are fantastic. Many of them have been there every year. Dont take it personally if they do not do a back flip when you arrive or they are not all smiles to you, some customers are mean to them.
–The campground, is right on the river and fills up quickly like as soon as the dates go on sale. Make a reservation or you will not find a spot, unless you know where to look.
The sites in the lower loop are a bit more private, the sites in the upper loop are a bit more exposed, the river can be accessed from both loops. The upper loop has places to cross the river and get to the hot springs. More foot traffic through your sites in the upper loop, less in the lower loop. Bring you bike lots of little trips made easier with a bike. You will have to haul your water to the campground from the store, bring water jugs for the task. The bathrooms are pit and can be smelly or fine depending on the campground host. The host have run the gamut, from really great to so bad you want to leave, that was only one time he has not been back. The campground is Forest Service and the «resort» is not, the resort can not help you with campground issues.
–The hot springs. OH the springs. There are 2 developed springs.
One has 2 tubs deep and muddy on the bottom hot but not to hot. The other is also 2 2 but smaller and hotter. There are also a dozen (at least) undeveloped and of varying sizes, depths and temperatures.
Go early, dont wear sunscreen is messes up the water and leaves a film on the top. There will be naked people, be polite and dont stare. Keep your suit on no judgement. If your kids want to jump around in them, be polite and wait until it is their turn. People will vacate eventually and then they can have a turn. Remember the water takes a long time to cycle through so your clean body will help keep it clean. Take your trash, you shoes, flip flops, beer bottles, water bottles, towels, dog shit and your kids, back to camp with you. There is nothing worse than arriving with the thought of a nice soak and finding poo, and trash or your trash floating in these beautiful springs.
The springs can be accessed from the river through the campground, or from the road by the bridge along a muddy path, dont loose your shoes there either.
–Lastly the road in from Huntington Lake is about 17 miles. It takes about 45 minutes.
This road is not maintained, the forest service has logging trucks that have the right of way on this road. Yes there are blind turns, yes there are long stretches that are one lane, no guard rail and have a steep drop off. This road may not be for the faint of heart. We have towed a trailer up this road. Huge logging truck drive it. Yes it is true that locals take the road a bit faster than others. If you are new to the road let them pass. Remember that if you are towing something you should practice backing you might have to in a tight spot if you are the down hill facing vehicle.
Try to have fun!

Alright. I have to be dead honest in this review. I LOVED the beautiful scenery and the natural springs that the surrounding park had to offer. But the resort itself had one thing that turned me off a bit. However, I do give huge praises to the staff that works hard here to keep the place running and tidy. Kudos to you guys having to truck all those camping, cleaning supplies and food through the rough stretch of Kaiser Pass in order to make it enjoyable for the guests.
The good:
–Good decent food served at the restaurant. One of the best juicy chicken breast I’ve tasted.
–Hard working cleaning staff that keeps that cabins clean and disinfected.
–Overall friendly staff that gave us pointers to where the natural free hot springs were.
–Clean bath house
–Amazing breath taking literally stunning scenery at Tule Lake and the other small lake (forgot the name)
–Decent cabins with BBQ pit where you can legally have an open campfire in the entire park. Also a nice sink outside to wash all your dishes and soap is included
–good fishing spots, esp right under the bridge coming into the site
— good warm natural hot springs to soak into for free nearby
–horses in the back trails you can look at and pet
The bad:
–No water served in the restaurant. Be prepared to buy all your drinks.
— Dearly expensive prices at the convenient store. Twice the price of the local super market price.
–No shower included in the small cabins. Gotta go to the bath house (shower and bath house prices included with cabin stay).
–I smelled sewage in the bathroom in my cabin. Eww. Biggest turn off.
Tips: –DO buy your groceries and food, etc before you enter Kaiser Pass, or be ready to fork over a fortune at the convenient store
–Bring a decent torch, no lights going up the cabins!
–Bring mosquito repellant. Lots of biters at Tule Lake!

The wifey talked me into this place for our birthday weekend (¹⁰⁄₀₉ — ¹⁰⁄₁₂). My first thought was «a weekend with a bunch of naked hippies?» Nope! What a great decompression weekend! We stayed in cabin 16 which is apparently the nicest cabin. It was very comfortable and we enjoyed it greatly, but it wasn’t the best part of our weekend. The hike to Doris Lake was awesome and the hot springs were pretty good, but that wasn’t the best part of our weekend. Besides the wonderful downtime with my beautiful girl, the best part of our weekend was the people of Mono Hot Springs. Nick the wood guy /​cook was such a genuine character and just the friendliest guy ever. The girl in the restaurant who’s name I can’t remember (please forgive me), your smile lit up the whole room and we looked forward to seeing you at supper time! The self proclaimed lazy guy in the general store who was obviously ready for the season to end, but was still very friendly and helpful, made me smile every time I walked out of the store. What a great bunch of folks. But the dude I will always remember most was their resident local Dave. Yeah Dave, what a wise and weathered old soul. I could talk to that dude all day. He was just beaming with wisdom, smarts, and was just in tune with who he was and what the world was doing around him. Dave kept saying something that I am going to carry with me for along time. He simply said over and over «just stay neutral.» I get it Dave, I get Mono Hot Springs. Thank you folks, it was a good one!

We took a cabin that was great value for $ 150 until bedtime when we heard the rats in the attic and found their butt trails on the fire place mantle in the morning. I picked up a bag of BBQ Chips in the Store and it was all so good until I noticed the holes in the bottom of my bag and found rat shit in the bag. I blew it off but felt ripped off having been charged $ 5.50 for a $ 3.00 bag. The place is allot of fun and there are plenty springs to check out. I would recommend camping if there are any open spaces.
We probably won’t return because the white knuckle drive is not worth the benefits.

HEAVEN!
Where to start… my wife and I went there on our honeymoon because we wanted to try some out of the way hot springs and stumbled upon Mono. I have read about it over the years but living in the Sacramento Area thought it would be too far of a trek for an over nighter like when we go to Sierra Hot springs several times a year. Well we had an excuse we had to go somewhere new and awesome for our honeymoon and man did we find the place. This place is incredible. We went before they were «officially» open for the season (because thats when we were married mid May) and we couldn’t be happier. The old rustic cabins had character and it was nice hiking amongst the clean air to new different hot springs off the path. We woke up in a rush to get out because of the Snow on Kaiser Pass and my wife left her wedding band in the cabin. One phone call to the friendly owner and it showed up at my house in the mail :)
The people who gave Mono a less then a 3 –5 review are crazy. This is a 30s resort so you won’t find any hoity toity BS. If your all about connecting to nature and relaxing then this is the place for you.
Thanks
D
Sacramento

I didn’t actually stay here so I can’t tell you a lot about the resort, other than the people in the store were monumentally friendly and Joe there helped me out of a horrible jam of my own making. Great job, everyone!
Actually we came more for the hot springs and the baths, and if you read the page for «Mono Hot Springs,» (not this one, «Mono Hot Springs Resort») you can see a more descriptive thing about my experiences there.
Mono Hot Springs is a most wonderful place!

Ok, first off this review is about the cabin (19) and not the great vistas, hiking, fishing and swimming which are all 5 stars.
The cabin is very rustic and houses quite a number of critters including some huge spiders, ants and evidence of mice. I can accept rustic as that is what I expect for the area but neglect is something else for one hundred and sixty a night. We are talking about mice turds on pillows and spiders in the sheets. Needless to say the wife and I slept sitting up on the futon couch and couldn’t wait to get out of the evil dead cabin. I didn’t even mention the Road of Death you have to through just to get to your shitty pillow… twenty miles of one-​lane mountain pass with loads of blind turns, potholes and locals who know the road and want you to get the f*ck outta their way. All in all it is gorgeous out there but you might be better off camping.

This is, hands down, our favorite spot to camp or rent one of their cabins.
We stayed in the Honeymoon Cabin and we loved it! Seriously, I would never have imagined having such luxury in the mountains — and the price can’t be beat! This cabin was great — from the top notch kitchen to the private backyard view of the San Joaquin River it was fabulous!
The fishing in the area was good. We actually caught our own dinner! We hiked each day and the relaxed in the various hot springs around the property. The perfect way to end a long day of hiking and fishing!
Not only will we return each year to get way from the daily grind, we will be bringing friends and family with us. We are positive they will love it as much as we did.

Wonderful spot! We were introduced to Mono Hot Springs by friends who have been camping at Huntington Lake every summer for many, many years. We decided to check out the lodging given the cold weather.
The «rustic» cabins are wonderful – you should remember to bring your camping gear, such as sleeping bags, cooking utensils, etc. Even the «modern» cabins are rustic in every sense, which gives this resort much of its quaintness. The restaurant offers a good menu for breakfast and dinner if you are a bit lazy or you forgot to go shopping at nearby Shaver Lake.
Service all around was EXCELLENT. Everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful at the store, restaurant, the spa, etc.
We have pledged to make this a yearly family retreat :)

I’ve been lucky enough to visit this place several times and have never had a bad experience. Resturaunt had good food. A very special place.

My wife and I went there for our honeymoon, it was fantastic! A VERY romantic spot!
You should know however that we stayed in their unique «honeymoon» cabin. Which is pretty outstanding! It’s beautiful, right by the river, and super cozy/​romantic. So I cannot speak for their general cabins.
The Pro’s:
— BEAUTIFUL SETTING. This part of the Western Sierra’s is nothing short of magical.
— A couple of really nice, hot natural springs right next to the river for some cold plunges.
— Generally friendly and approachable staff.
— The food is actually pretty delicious.
— The hiking trails and lakes/​rivers/​creeks/​vistas that are accessible from there are amazing, I go hiking/​backpacking a lot and this place has something special going for it. Spending your days laying in the sun on hot rocks and swimming in clear lake water before an evening soak is pretty magical.
— Decent Massage available.
— The road getting there… it’s windy but you drive really slow and it’s actually one of the more beautiful roads I’ve seen. Quite the enjoyable drive.
The cons:
— The hot springs/​guests ratio is a little low, especially if you want one of the really hot ones. If you go in peak season you’ll end up waiting a bunch or having to jostle and hustle to get a spot in one of the good springs, which isn’t great.
— Vegetarians be ware! The only source of food there, the café, has little to no vegetarian options, especially in the off-​season. You’ll end up eating a lot of pasta and salad, and maybe a veggie burger. In any case make sure and shop for food and not depend on the café for every meal.
Overall I would and do recommend this place to everyone I care about, it’s quite the gem!

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful week at Mono Hot Springs Resort. This was our fourth visit – two times we camped out in our tent, and two we spent in a cabin. This time we treated ourselves to the honeymoon cabin, which was lovely. It was more secluded than the other cabins, surrounded by trees, fronted by the river, and with amenities like a hot springs tub, a well-​equipped kitchen, a comfortable bed, electricity, and plenty of firewood. We loved dining on the deck, swinging on the swing or hammock, and watching the stars come out at night.
For us, the main attraction of Mono Hot Springs is its natural beauty. It is the Sierras at their most magnificent. We hiked most days and once took the drive to Florence Lake to kayak there. Perhaps because it is so hard to reach, this gorgeous lake was almost deserted. (No annoying jet ski’s to avoid!) My husband is a photographer and spent hours shooting pictures of the birds, trees, flowers, lakes, and cliffs.
Our experience of the resort was that the people were unfailingly helpful and kind. This is not to say that we had no problems. Unless you have AT&T, there is no cell service, and the WiFi comes and goes. However when my husband needed to contact his work, one member of the staff let us use his personal cell phone. Staff and guests often congregated outside the general store, enjoying the seats out front and swapping stories. I figure that life is always full of problems, and if this is all I have to complain about, then it doesn’t get much better than that.
As far as the road up goes, it is true what everyone says. Kaiser Pass is very narrow, twisty, bumpy, and a bit intimidating. But each time we go, it becomes less so. I know that it is very possible to pass cars (and trucks) coming in the opposite direction. For the most part, the other drivers are careful and friendly as you negotiate your vehicles past each other. The huge advantage of the road is that it keeps the crowds away.
The temperature was perfect – comfortable in the day and cool at night. The only part that I really had trouble dealing with were the mosquitoes. There were certain areas (like the otherwise enchanting meadows) where I felt like I was being eaten alive. The best part was the day when the sky filled with rainclouds, cooling the air and changing the daylight. It was spectacular!

We’ve been coming here for 21 years and couldn’t live without our week at Mono! Owners Jeff and Joe Winslow are the best. Don’t expect luxury, but who cares in such a magnificent place. I’ll be coming here forever.

I’ve been going up to nearby Huntington Lake my entire life and it surprises me that we never decided to make the trip up to Mono Hot Springs. Talk about an incredible drive! It’s only about 20 miles from Huntington, but because it’s twisty and one lane for most of the drive it takes the better part of an hour to get up there. You will be treated to beautiful forest views, snow capped mountain vistas, valleys that stretch for miles, and rocky moonscapes. Really, all the best things the high Sierra has to offer.
As for the resort, it was a pleasant little property with cabin rentals, a bathhouse, a general store and a restaurant. Service at the restaurant was excellent, food was good and for being so high up in the mountains I was really surprised they don’t rake you over the coals on price. They offer a lot of buffalo on the menu so if you like buffalo, this is the spot for you! The bathhouse was a bit rickety, but it looked as though upgrades were being made. I’d count on the bathhouse being up to 21^st century standards very soon. The general store had a decent selection, all things considered. My advice is ask for directions at the restaurant — the help at the general store is a bit backwoodsish if you know what I’m saying. (cue dueling banjos here)
A bit odd that the hot springs are actually across the river and not on the property itself, but this review is for the resort and not the springs themselves.