Finding Thermal Bliss and Soaking in Majestic Views at Travertine Hot Springs
📍Bridgeport, California.
If you’ve never had the chance to experience a hot spring or if you’re a big fan of them, this is a place you definitely have to add to your list.
My trip to Travertine Hot Springs took place on Friday, February 5th, 2021, a day before my birthday, Woop Woop! We mainly took highway 395 (coming from Oakland California) all the way to Bridgeport. There was snow but it wasn’t actively snowing. The drive from Oakland was absolutely stunning! The hot springs were really easy to find. If you GPS (and I suggest you keep it going because you will lose signal) the location will easily pop up. We drove to the location using an all-wheel Ford element and it made it just fine but we were nervous. We stopped twice thinking the road looked too icy for us to drive and thought about walking and were glad we didn’t because it was freezing. But there was a sign to the entrance and you basically just follow the road, trust me you’ll know you’re there when you drive up to it. Or just look up and find the steam coming from the ground! That’s what we did :) By the time we got there it was 7 am and we only saw 2 other people so I definitely suggest being there by sunrise as we did. It was absolutely amazing seeing the snow sparkle like crystals and seeing the sun come up and light up the place.
As a Latina who grew up in a border town, I had no idea what a hot spring was up until my early 20s and I didn’t experience going to one until I was 27. Hot springs weren’t something my friends and family would talk about so I had zero knowledge of them. So ever since I found out what a natural hot spring was, I’ve been in love and I want to see more. I just wanted to bring that to light.
You can easily park there and just walk to the pools. There are 5 of them! We only checked out 3 of them because it was freezing but totally worth going! The pools are pretty small. I was in the biggest pool and I would say about 5 people make it feel very crowded but it was just me and my partner in the pool. I kept reading that it’s typically pretty crowded but we only saw a couple of people and they were at another pool.
If you get a chance to visit and stay a couple of nights in the quiet valley town of Bridgeport, do it. Driving through snow-covered mountains, not too many cars on the road, and I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. My partner and I were absolutely amazed. It truly took my breath away. Now picture watching the sunset while relaxing in the hot spring and watching the sunshine hit the mountains and slowly light up the sky. You start seeing a lot of beautiful red and orange hues!
My tips for visiting the hot springs during the winter
Clothing is optional but please don’t stare at other people. Let’s respect everyone and their bodies.
Bring your water bottle
Don’t forget a towel and keep it in your backpack so it stays warm
A Backpack/bag to keep your clothes warm after you take them off. Don’t leave them out because they will get cold and probably a bit frozen (mine did!).
Go dressed very warm because once you get out of the water trust me you’re going to be freezing and wish you hadn’t just worn your swimsuit and a jacket.
Wear a beanie to keep your head warm. If you get your hair wet it will most likely get a little stiff due to the cold.
There is a toilet in the area which I didn’t use but please don’t pee in the hot spring.
PLEASE REMEMBER to respect the land and keep it clean and beautiful for others to experience. Don’t leave any trash and please no glass. We saw one glass bottle in one of the pools (tsk tsk). No one wants to get cut by glass. The hot springs aren’t party locations. Even though this hot spring isn’t near much we still should respect other people who are there to relax or meditate.
