Benton Hot Springs

What to expect

Benton Hot Springs is not a single pool. It is a small, privately owned hamlet at about 5,630 feet in the high desert of eastern Mono County, where hot spring water is piped into private soaking tubs spread across a campground, an inn and a few rental houses. Mono County’s tourism office points out that it is the one maintained soak in a county where most hot pools are undeveloped and reached by rough dirt roads.

The tub campsites are the main draw. Each of the numbered sites has its own tub, a picnic table and a grill, with cottonwoods, shrubs and privacy fences between neighbors. Sites 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 and 13 add a shaded, screened gazebo, and site 6 has a tub set into the ground. You control the temperature yourself: run more hot water in to warm it up, or less to let it cool. In summer, sprinklers are used to bring the water down. The operator gives the water temperature at the surface as 140°F60°C, which is far too hot to sit in, so treat the inflow with care.

Out at the edge of a large meadow, sites 14 and 15 are set apart for adults who want quiet and dark skies. No children, dogs, fires, generators, bright lights or loud noise are allowed there. Site 14 can also be booked with a restored 1987 Airstream for an extra charge.

The Inn is a 1940s building made from local pumice, renovated in 1998, with seven themed rooms and a full breakfast. Inn guests share three semi-private outdoor tubs with round-the-clock access. The rest of the lodging is a historic miner’s cabin, a stone casita with its own tub, and several houses with private tubs.

Getting there

The springs sit on California Highway 120 a few miles west of the junction with US 6 at Benton, and about 31 miles north-northwest of Bishop. The property address is 55137 Highway 120, Benton.

• From Bishop: Take US 6 north toward Benton, turn left on Highway 120 and drive about four miles to the hamlet.
• From Mammoth Lakes: Take US 395 to Benton Crossing Road, follow it east, then turn right on Highway 120.
• From Lee Vining and the north: Take Highway 120 east past Mono Lake and continue to Benton Hot Springs.

All of these routes are paved, and you park at your site or your room. Highway 120 east of Mono Lake crosses open, high country, so check Caltrans road conditions after winter storms. Services in this corner of the county are thin. Fill up on fuel and groceries in Bishop, Mammoth Lakes or Lee Vining before you come.

When to go

The property is open year-round. Spring and fall bring the most comfortable weather: warm afternoons for exploring and cold nights that make a hot tub feel earned. Summer days in the valley can be hot, which is when the sprinklers come out to cool the tubs. Winter nights are cold and clear, and a soak under the stars is the reason many people come.

The site counts are small and the place books up, so reserve well ahead for weekends and holidays. The operator also hosts occasional private events that take over every room, tub site and house for a night, so check availability before you plan a trip around a specific date.

Prices and booking

Bookings go through the operator’s online system on the Inn at Benton Hot Springs website, or by phone at 760-933-2287. Rates published by the operator in 2026:

• Tub sites 1, 2, 3, 11 and 12: $95 a night for two people, up to four.
• Tub sites 4 to 10 and 13: $105 a night for three people.
• Tub sites 14 and 15 (adults only): $125 a night for one or two people. The Airstream on site 14 is an extra $125.
• Extra guests at tub sites: $10 per person over 12 per night. Children under 12 are not charged.
• Inn rooms: $169 a night for two with a private bathroom and breakfast, plus $15 per extra person over 5.

House rentals are priced separately. Check-in is 3 pm and checkout is 11 am, with no early arrivals or late departures. Stay past 11 am and you pay a $100 late fee and your tub is drained. Your card is charged two days before arrival, and payment is by card only.

Cancellations for tub sites and Inn rooms must be made by 3 pm three days before arrival, and for houses seven days before. Later cancellations and no-shows pay in full, and the operator lists no exceptions for weather, smoke or road closures. Changes made earlier still carry a $20 fee.

Rules and etiquette

• Clothing is optional in your own tub area, but the operator asks for discretion.
• Use only your assigned tub. Using someone else’s tub is charged.
• No music anywhere on the property at any time.
• Generators may run only from 8 to 10 am and 5 to 7 pm, and never at sites 14 and 15.
• No open ground fires. The operator banned them from March 2025.
• Do not burn old boards, fence posts or trees. They are part of the historic town and taking them is illegal.
• Pets must stay leashed and inside your site area, with a maximum of two.
• Electric vehicles may not be charged from regular outlets.

Where to stay nearby

You stay on site, since the tubs are only for overnight guests. If Benton is full, the closest larger choice of motels is in Bishop, to the south on US 6. Mammoth Lakes, reached via Benton Crossing Road and US 395, has hotels, condos and Forest Service campgrounds. Lee Vining, on the west side of Mono Lake, has a few motels and is the gateway to Yosemite’s Tioga Pass in summer.

Safety notes

• Hot inflow: The spring water arrives far hotter than you should soak in. Mix and test the tub with your hand before getting in, and watch children around the inflow.
• Altitude and dry air: At over 5,600 feet in desert air, drink water, go easy on alcohol in the tub, and get out if you feel lightheaded.
• Wildlife: The operator warns that this is a rural ranch with insects, rodents and wildlife. Store food properly and keep pets close.
• Remote roads: Distances between services are long. Carry water, warm layers and a full tank, especially in winter.

History

The operator says Paiute people used the springs long before miners arrived. Silver was found in the hills east of Benton in 1864, and the town grew quickly to close to 1,000 people, staying busy until about 1890. The Benton name later moved to Benton Station, where the railroad stopped. The Bramlette family bought the town in 1928 and still runs it, and about 70 percent of the 1,255-acre ranch is protected by a conservation easement with the Eastern Sierra Land Trust. Ask at the front desk for the self-guided walking tour map of the old town.