debralou
I love hot springs and have been trying to get to this one for years. It is in a lovely area and you can stay all day for $7. The pool area is small and so are the changing rooms. The thing that threw me was the smell of chlorine as soon as I stepped into the pool. I didn't see anywhere in the info that it was treated so I was disappointed. The chlorine wasn't strong and I chose to enjoy myself regardless, because I had gone to all the trouble to get there.I visited here in mid October while my husband was fishing the Carson River. The scenery was delightful.
AlpineSierraTours
Nice little hot spring. It is situated in a state park and faces a huge open meadow. It consists of two swimming pools. One with hot spring water and one with cooler water. There are usually very friendly people to chit chat with. Very relaxing to sit in the hot pool while looking at the gorgeous meadow, skies, trees and nature. More of an adult pool to visit. Good relaxing experience for under $10.00 per person (I cant remember if I paid $5 or $9)
823debbiep
Lucky to have pleasant outdoor temps in the fall, nice facility and shallow pool for a hot springs dip! A big cool water pool for those who need to cool down and want to swim! Bathroom/shower/ change room good but swing doors a little worse for wear!
jjgarnett
Great place, I can't believe I've lived in the area for most of my life and have never been there! The only thing I would say is that they need to get rid of the hideous fence in front of the hot springs because it's ruining a beautiful view of the mountains and meadow in front of it.
JypsiJ
We hiked the Burnside trail, had a picnic in the meadow and then soaked in the hot springs. It's something different to do. It wasn't crowded so that was nice. (Sunday) Overall a great day!
previse
It's a nice hot soak, with a warm pool and a cool pool. Cost is modest. The pavement can be rough - bring flip flops or sandals We arrived this visit on a Wednesday. No luck.
CraigT803
During out two day stay in Markleeville, my wife and I came here four times. The hot pool is about 104 degrees and the views from the place our beautiful of the surrounding hills. There is also a colder pool, not from the hot springs, where you can cool off if you want. Be sure to get your hand stamped as your entry fee of $7 is good for all day.
TwoTeaTotalers
Wow! The previous few reviews are so right on the money. Our only different experience is in the timing. Our stay was late in the season. Only one small camp loop was still open in late Sept. The camp host was even scheduled to leave in one week. And the visitor center to close very soon. Camping this time of year is simply wonderful, as all the loud partying and screaming children are no longer a factor. All nice and quiet, and uncrowded. This State Park is so beautiful, as any Yosemite. Yes, the creeks were kinda low but still plenty of clear, clean water to splash in. I would love to come back and spend some more nights camping here.
MKtravelers19
After 4 days of hiking our sore feet needed a break. We headed to Grover Hot Springs. We did the easy hike in the park among the trees and had lunch at the day use area by the creek. We then headed over for a dip in the hot springs. The hot springs facility is old so don't expect much. But the water was perfect for sore feet and muscles. They also have a cold pool but didn't take the plunge. Both the park and springs charge a fee. If you are a senior you pay $7 or $8 to get in the park and then only have to pay for one admission to the hot springs which I think was $7. We then headed to cute little Markeeville and stopped in for a cold beer at the local salon. A nice relaxing day and drive. Recommend.
tkmyadvice2
Camped at GHSSP this past weekend - Fri/Sat/Sun. 76 campsites. Great little State Park. We were with other families. We had site 19. Parking for this site was for two cars, and was off to the side of our campsite and up a slight hill, so unpacking our car and supplies was a bit taxing. Other sites have drive-ways (probably for RV's) that would be much easier to unload, and it looked like tent campers were in those spots, so you might want to ask for a site with a paved drive-way. Garbage dumpsters are kept near bathrooms. We were near two bathrooms; one straight up a hill behind our campsite, and one up the road. Bathrooms were clean, as were showers (bring your quarters). There were electrical outlets in the bathrooms. No soap or paper towels, so bring your own. We were there for three days and never saw any bears or any evidence of bears in our campsite; this may be to the heavy warnings to campers about food storage and it's compliance. On check-in we asked the rangers about bears, and were told that it had been two weeks since anyone saw a bear, but it was not in the campsites, and that the bears are not seen in the campsites; again, this is probably due to the diligence of rangers warnings about food storage, and the compliance of campers, so good to keep it that way, but that another ranger might tell guests they are seen in there to enforce heavy food storage compliance. The biggest problems were the chipmunks who come right up to your table so close garbage bags and then get them to the dumpsters. We took the 3 mile hike and although not strenuous, beware heat and altitude. Make sure you are hydrated, have had a good breakfast and plenty of sleep. Take nutri-bars or something with you. Always be prepared. We did go to the pools one day; it is $7 pp and in/out privileges with a hand stamp. The "cold" pool is a chlorinated pool - sparkling clean; the hot springs pool is about 102-104 degrees, just like a hot tub. When it was tested while we were in it, it was 102. We were told they drain that pool every, single day. There are bathrooms and showers there by the pools. Best to get in the cold pool first, and then hang out in the hot springs pool - heavenly.... Now, I read some reviews wherein folks complained about rangers harrassing them. We were 16 people spread over 3 campsites. We ate communely each evening and never had any ranger contact for three days. We were left alone, enjoyed our stay; everyone in the camps were well behaved, and most everyone went to bed around the same time every night - probably around 10pm. It was SO quiet all night while sleeping. Don't forget to head to the meadow just a short walk from your camp to watch the sunset. A short drive into Merkleeville would be a great thing to do with a pub and deli's, and stores. So cute and quaint. Support that little town because we are all they have! Camping was $28/day, and an $8/day extra vehicle fee. When camping with others who come in later and have to pay that extra parking fee, we end up splitting extra vehicle fee amongst our campers.
440edenk
My father and I took a weekday camping trip to Grover Hot Springs Park this summer. Each site was great, equipped with a bear box large enough to fit a full size cooler (though I'd still recommend taking 2 smaller ones- easier to get in and out of the off the ground box), a sturdy picnic table, firepit/grill combo, and a wooden cupboard to keep kitchen supplies on. This is a popular spot, and while many of the individual sites are quite large, don't expect much privacy. About half of the campers were with RVs, and it often felt a little like a neighborhood with kids riding by on bikes and clothing hanging out on lines strung between trees. The bathrooms were very well kept and well lit, though you need to make sure to bring hand soap.I had a wonderful time watching the animal life here, the chipmunks are adorable but also more bold than any I have seen outside of Yosemite. They will walk directly up to you and try to eat off the breakfast plate you just put down. We also spotted lizards, blue jays, and even a baby bear while we were hiking. It's a beautiful setting, and truly enjoyable to explore around the two creeks and waterfall. I was a little disappointed that there was a lack of longer hikes- though ranger told us about a 10 mile loop with a serious elevation gain that we did not end up attempting. Trail maps can be bought for $1 at visitors center, and here are several shorter hikes, including one that lead us over to the hot springs themselves. I didn't think these pools were all that amazing- it basically seemed like a hot and cold community pool complex. That said, everything was clean, the staff was professional, and it seemed like an awesome place to hang out if you had kids or it was winter.One thing to note if you have trouble being "off the grid"- neither verizon or at&t seem to get service in the park or in Markleeville. There is a payphone at the front of the park, so if you need to check in on family or work while you are away you might consider buying a calling card before you leave.
Jan501
I can’t count the number of times I have been to Grover Hot Springs. My family lives in the area, and I used to. Usually we are camping at Grover Hot Springs State Park. We usually spend one day hiking to the waterfall. There are many hikes and lakes in Alpine County, which is called California’s Alps, and is the smallest county in California. Year-round population for the county is right around 1,000. I hesitate to tell anyone about this place, because I don’t want the crowds to find it. But, it is already listed here at Trip Advisor. Ask a local where the potholes are. Shhh! After you find them, don’t tell anyone else!The hot springs is very relaxing at the end of the day, and fun for the grandkids. This is not a spa. You won’t be pampered. In the summer, you may have to wait a bit to get inside, as only a limited number of people are allowed in at one time. The best time to visit is off-season. The hot pool is especially awesome at night, when there is snow on the ground. I have been there when there is no one there except one or two employees.The dressing room is small. It is not private. There is one shower with two shower heads, and one bathroom (a separate room with a door!). There is another, harder to find bathroom around the corner, with two stalls and no dressing room or shower. The smart thing to do is to already have your swim suit on under your clothes when you arrive. If you are bashful and are camping at the campground, you can wait until you get back to camp for a hot, private shower. Fifty cents in quarters should do it. More quarters=longer shower.The sulpher hot springs is piped in to a cement pool to soak in. There are some cubby holes to put your towel and things in. This place seems to be a favorite of Russians and Europeans; it must be mentioned in their guidebooks. I love the way my skin and sore muscles feel after soaking.The cold pool is cold, and feels great when you are too hot from the hot pool. There is a lifeguard. There is no diving board. There are wooden benches around the sides. The entire place is surrounded by a wooden fence. The hot springs is located at the edge of a meadow, surrounded by mountains. It is about ¼ mile from the campground. It is at the end of a dead end road, about 4 miles outside Markleeville. Markleeville, population 165 or so, is the county seat. Bring your supplies, as you won’t find too much in Markleeville. Markleeville is about 20 miles from Minden, NV and 30 miles or so from South Lake Tahoe. Also nearby are Hope Valley and Kirkwood Ski Resort. The campground and hot springs are operated by California State Parks.The East fork of the Carson River runs near Markleeville. There is river rafting around May depending on the water. The put-in is just outside Markleeville, and the put-out is near Gardnerville, NV.In July is the Death Ride http://chainreactionbicycles.com/markleeville.htm. Bicyclists bike their choice of any or all mountain passes; Luther Pass (summit 7,740), Monitor Pass (summit 8,314), Carson Pass (summit 8,574), Ebbetts Pass (summit 8,736 – this one is scary!). There is one more pass that they may not ride any more, and I can’t remember the name of it. It goes from Minden, up the mountain to Lake Tahoe. You don’t want to visit the area during the Death Ride unless you are participating. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Death-Ride-Tour-of-the-California-Alps/321328636036.This area is one of my favorite places, and I wish I could afford to live here again. I go back as often as I can to hike, camp and visit.
879beths
We visited near the end of the day and the personnel explained the closing procedure and asked if we still wanted to use the facilities. Since we were the only individuals that evening, we chatted with the staff. The view was wonderful. The moon was out and provided nice pictures for our scrapbook. We used the hot tub (spring fed into a cement bottom pool), but we did not use the pool.
TahoeChic14
We didn't use the Hot Springs, but decided on a nature walk instead. It's beautiful around there. We enjoyed the scenery immensely. Above the pools are some stairs. At the top, there are explanations regarding the springs and the chemical make-up of them. You can also feel how hot the water is since there's a spring.
784mauricem
This attraction is a long distance from civilization; it is a State Park that reminds one of Yellowstone. Especially effective when snow and steam is everywhere. Facilities include parking on site, showers and restrooms and a knockout view of the surrounding country.