3 to 7 days . one boot . Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct

Eastern Sierra hot springs overland.

Two 4x4 trucks, dirt roads you could never take a rental on, and a hot spring at sunrise with steam drifting over the sagebrush. Short hikes, big views, no heavy pack.

Ask about spring datesPrice it
A white pickup truck raising dust on a rocky dirt track across bare brown hills

At a glance

Easy days, far out

  • Base rate $390 per person per day, groups of 3 to 5
  • 2 to 5 miles of hiking a day, all optional
  • Two trucks, five seats each, Dev and Ash driving
  • Desert camps with a full kitchen and shade tarp
  • Ages 8 to 80 have done it together

per person$1,050 to $5,730

3 days in a big group, up to 7 days private with lodge nights and gear

From the truck logbook.

Dev keeps a logbook on the dash. Here is a typical 5 day run, copied out as he wrote it.

  1. 000 miLeave Los Gatos 7am. Lunch over the pass. Camp by a creek with aspens.
  2. 046 miDirt road to the first spring. Soak at 6am, frost on the tailgate.
  3. 112 miShort hike to an old mining cabin. Dutch oven lasagna. Coyotes.
  4. 171 miRidge drive in low gear. Sunset from the bench above the valley.
  5. 238 miLast soak, pie stop, home by dinner.

Why dawn

The springs are quiet at first light and the air is cold enough that the steam stands up off the water. By 10am there are day trippers. We are back at camp eating pancakes by then.

Good for mixed groups

The hikers hike, the readers read in a camp chair, and everyone meets at the spring. Want something harder for part of the crew? Pair it with the Sierra hut to hut, or go coastal on the Channel Islands kayak camp.

Seven days is the sweet spot.

The long version reaches the far springs and a dark sky camp. Families often book the whole truck as a private trip. Tell us who is coming on the trip desk form, ages and knees included.