Hot Creek Interpretive Trail

Note: Hot Creek Hatchery Rd may be closed in the winter due to snowy conditions. Please check with Forest Service before attempting this trail after snowfall. Hot Creek is a place to marvel at geology in action. Imagine standing inside an ancient volcano! What remains of the ancient Long Valley Caldera blast is a region of fascinating geologic wonders: hot springs, fumaroles and craters. Explore the ever-changing wonders of the earth at Hot Creek. Boiling water bubbling up from the creek bed, fumaroles and periodic geyser eruptions at Hot Creek attest to the chamber of hot magma which lies about three miles below the surface of the earth in this area. The steam you see along the Hot Creek drainage is created when water percolates deep into the ground and enters a complex underground plumbing system. The water is heated and pressurized before it rises to the earth's surface. It is believed this journey takes around 1000 years. Earthquakes can cause sudden geyser eruptions and overnight appearances of new hot springs at Hot Creek. Water temperatures can change rapidly, and so entering the water is prohibited.