Wild Willy’s Hot Springs

Hike Review

• There were 5 or so pools with varied depths and temperatures. There was only one that was deep, where we could sit down and have everything but our heads covered; this was the first pool to the right and it was also the hottest one. The others were cooler and shallow. We improvised by lying down on our backs or bellies to warm up our bodies.

• Even though we arrived after dark, there were plenty of people at the hot springs. Everyone was pretty friendly though.

• Cassie and I wore our swimsuits but the pools seemed clothing optional. There were plenty of people who went in sans-clothes.

• There was a large parking lot that was almost fully occupied. About half the vehicles were large RVs with large families.

• The walk down to the hot springs was about a quarter mile long. Almost all of it was a wooden boardwalk.

What Happened?

 

After a long day, we decided to relax at a natural hot springs. I knew that Wild Willy’s was a favorite of Marina, so we headed there instead of the smaller pools at Crab Cooker or Shepherd Hot Springs.

As we drove towards the hot springs, we saw plenty of cars leaving, which we felt was a good sign that there would be room for us. Still, when we arrived at the parking lot, we took one of the few spots that was open.

At the hot springs, we first jumped into a shallow pool and sat across from three ladies who were quietly enjoying the hot springs. After about 10 minutes, they left so we got more comfortable by lying down. Then, another group left the upper pool, so we moved up to that one.

A large group came in after that and they took over the deep pool next to us. They seemed to be a fun crew—Cassie and I inadvertently overheard their stories and smiled at the fun they seemed to be having. After about 10 minutes or so, we stood up to go and the large group took over the pool that we had been in. Since we hadn’t checked out the deep pool, we jumped back in and soaked for another 5 minutes or so in the deep pool.

We were getting tired though, so we headed out back to Ramona. There was a breeze, but the weather was so warm that we did not shiver at all! It felt so good to walk back with the perfect breeze and warm night air.