Grover Hot Springs State Park

Hot Spring Pool Information

Grover Hot Springs Pools are OPEN!

Days Open: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays. See session times below. 

Pool Session Times: Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays:

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Pool Session Times: Mondays & Thursdays

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Each Session is limited to 40 people. 

Reservations are available online through ReserveCalifornia.com. Reservations must be made 48 hours to 3 weeks in advance. 

Any spots not reserved online will be sold in-person, the day of, on a first come, first served basis. First come, first served ticket sales begin at 9:00 AM on Mondays & Thursdays, and 11:00 AM on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Campground Entrance Kiosk.

Everyone must check-in at the Campground Entrance Kiosk.

Pricing:

Adults: $10 per person
Children (16 & under): $5 per person
An $8 parking fee ($7 for seniors) is charged per vehicle upon entry for anyone parking within Grover Hot Springs State Park.

Towels are not provided. Changing rooms, bathrooms and showers are available. Food, smoking, glass and alcoholic beverages are prohibited in the pool facility.

Camping Information

Winter Camping Only. For more information on winter camping, please call 530-694-2248

Here are some helpful guidelines when planning your camping trip:

BEARS ARE ACTIVE so please store your food, drinks, toiletries and anything else with a scent in your campsite's metal food storage locker BOTH DAY & NIGHT.

There are no hook-ups or dump station in the park.

• Quiet hours are 10pm - 6am. Excessive noise disturbing others, including amplified sound such as radios, are not allowed anytime. Generator hours are 10am - 8pm.
• Eight people are allowed per campsite. There are no group campsites at the park.
• In Summer Campground: max length is 27 feet for motorhomes and 24 feet for trailers measured from the rear bumper of the tow vehicle to the rear bumper of the trailer.
• Campsites are $35 in summer and $25 in winter and include one vehicle. Additional vehicles are $8 / night. The wheels of all vehicles must fit on your campsite's paved parking pad. There is an overflow vehicle lot.
• Wildfires are always a concern. Never leave your fire unattended and always douse your fire before leaving. Do not gather downed wood. Campfires may be banned during times of extreme fire danger.
• Summer only: Hot showers are operated with tokens. A token is $1 and gives 5 minutes of hot water. (No showers in winter campground.)
• Firewood, ice, and shower tokens are usually available for purchase at the campground kiosk during the summer months.
• Games such as horseshoes are not allowed in your campsite to avoid damaging the vegetation.
• All bicycle or scooter riders under 18 must wear a helmet. 
• Dogs must be on leash at all times and cannot be left unattended. 

Camping is generally available year-round, conditions permitting. Our summer campground has 76 family sites and is on a reservation system typically from mid-May through mid-September. 2023 resrevation dates are Jun 2nd - Sept 9. Make reservations at ReserveCalifornia.com up to 6 months in advance. After the reservation period is over, camping in the campground is first-come, first-serve until Fall. In October, winter camping moves to the picnic area near the park entrance, and the max length of RVs and trailers changes to 18 feet.

Food Storage Locker Information

Metal bear-resistant food lockers are provided in each campsite. All food, beverages, and toiletries are required by law to be stored in the provided food lockers when not being actively used or transported. Violators are subject to confiscation of food and/or citation. Please remember that a fed bear is a dead bear. For more information please read the on-line pamphlet “American Black Bears in California State Parks” at the following link: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/510/files/cablackbear_web_2010.pdf.

Day Use

Day Use parking is $8 ($7 for seniors 62 and older) and is availble sunrise to sunset. Dogs must remain on a leash. Popular day use activites include picnicking in our spacious and scenic picnic area along the banks of Hot Springs Creek and hiking. Hikes vary from a flat and easy stroll around the meadow on our newly-constructed, ADA accessible boardwalk; to a moderate hike to a waterfall located on Forest Service land; to longer, more strenuous hikes uphill to Burnside Lake or Charity Valley. Click on the "Brochure" link near the top of this page to see a map of the trails within the park boundaries. 

Charcoal fires are PROHIBITED in the day use area: Districtwide Day Use - Charcoal Restrictions

 

Interpretive Schedule

Park interpetive programs have concluded for the 2023 season and will restart in May of 2024.

Overview

Hidden in quiet Hot Springs Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, Grover Hot Springs State Park offers alpine vistas of granite peaks and wildflower meadows. After taking a brisk hike or a scenic stroll, visitors may soak in a mineral pool fed from six hot springs. The park offers both the hot pool and a cool swimming pool, a forested 76-site campground, picnic area, hiking trails, and fishing streams.

A full range of seasons and weather offer the visitor the opportunity to experience a variety of conditions, from major blizzards to dry scorchers, from warm clear nights to intense, blasting thunderstorms. Winds of great speeds are capable of whipping through the park causing damage during any month of the year. Pristine clear, warm days can be followed by cold stormy nights.

Proper preparation for the full range of potential conditions can make a visit to the park not only safe and warm but also dry and comfortable.

Location/Directions

Located four miles west of Markleeville, at the end of Hot Springs Road, the park is in an alpine meadow and pine forest at 5,900 feet surrounded by peaks that just top 10,000 feet.

Why are the Hot Springs Green?

The main reason for the color is the mineral deposits on the bottom of the pool. These mineral deposits are laid down on the surface of the paint by an oxidation reaction between the mineral salts in the water and the sanitizing agent (Bromine) used. 

When the pool is viewed from some distance, rather than from directly overhead, the light that is reflected from the bottom loses certain wavelengths that are absorbed by the various color patterns on the bottom. The remaining light waves then pass back up through the water and are reflected at the surface. This reflected light is in the yellow-green wavelengths of the spectrum.

Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing

The temperature can vary greatly over the course of a year and even during the course of a month.

Winter months generally fall into three types of weather patterns.
Clear and very cold: -5 to 20 degrees F.
Light to very heavy snow storms: 22 to 34 degrees F.
Sleet and rain at higher temperatures and clear or partly cloudy and rather warm: 35 to 50 degrees F.

There may be one to four feet of snow on the ground.

Late Spring and early Summer are the best weather months with very clear skies and warm to hot days, 66 to 95 degrees F., with cool to cold nights 24 to 45 degrees F.
Later Summer features very warm mornings, 68 to 83 degrees F., with afternoon thunder storms and comfortable to slightly cool evenings, 31 to 45 degrees F.
Fall is progressively cooling with mildly warm days, 45 to 77 degrees F., and freezing nights 20 to 36 degrees F. and increasing storm activity towards winter.
Early Fall storms are can be rain, turning to or snow later in the year.