Jordan Hot Springs Via Casa Vieja Trail

Trail goes downhill for approximately 5.2 miles. The first 2 miles to Casa Vieja is an easy downhill while the remaining 3.2 miles is steep. Plan accordingly if you want to day hike it as uphill is hard and steep. Jordan Hot Springs makes a great overnight trip. The trip can be done in a day, but one may not be able to fully enjoy resting in the hot springs. Prior to the area becoming a wilderness, people would enjoy these springs. In fact according to the Inyo National Forest Mount Whitney Ranger District, Native Americans used this area for summer encampments for hundreds of years. The springs were named after John Jordan, who while building a trail from Visalia to Olancha drowned in the Kern River. Later miners, travelers, and recreationalists would use the springs during the summer. In the early 1900s there was a resort established. However, once Congress signed the Wilderness Act in 1978, the development around Jordan Hot Springs was slowly removed. Today visitors can see the old cabins, cow camps, and pillars in the springs were docks were built.