Soaking it Up at Sierra Hot Springs
Story by Lisa Alpine * Photos by Scott Jordan
Soaking my bones in hot mineral water bubbling right out of the earth is the best way I know to download stress. Throw in an expansive view through pungent ponderosa pine and cedar forests across a sage-covered alpine meadow in the High Sierra and voila! I am back to center — back to appreciating life.
Following a 3-hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to a destination 25 miles north of Truckee, Jordan and I turn onto a bumpy dirt road and follow the hand-painted signs to Sierra Hot Springs Resort. After checking in at the hotel reception at the main lodge we walk to the baths through a yellow pine forest. A coyote howls and the faint aroma of sulfur tinges the air. Splashing water tumbling into the cold plunge is the symphony that fills the Temple Dome. The golden glow of candle flames dance across the dome’s ceiling. I step into the large, rock-lined pool with curls of steam dancing on its surface. An imposing flower-wreathed statue of Buddha watches. Thermal mineral water bubbles up through the sandy bottom tickling my feet. It is luxuriously hot.
Shell-shaped cold-plunge tubs sit invitingly beside the hot pool. Icy water streams over my body. I listen to the echoes. The water seems to be talking, as do the screech owls perched in the shadowy, moon-lit forest outside.
After shocking my body and mind with the juxtaposition of ice cold and scalding hot, I float in the outdoor swimming pool. The temperature is soothingly warm. An immense star canopy reflects diamonds in the water. Coyotes continue to carouse in the distance. After several hours of soaking, we sleepily meander the forest trail back to the car and take the short drive to the Globe Hotel in downtown Sierraville (owned by Sierra Hot Springs) where I lay my head on the pillow and fall into watery dreams.
The next day we drive back to the main lodge, a scenic, 15-minute walk from the baths. The front desk folk are friendly and provide a map to the various spring sites around the 600-acre property. The lodge has a low-key atmosphere with a big stone fireplace and over-stuffed velvet couches crowding the living area. Dusty artifacts line the fireplace mantel, silently speaking of this region’s Native American and mining history.
We cook lunch in the tiny but well-equipped community kitchen and enjoy a leisurely repast on the verandah. A panorama of distant, dormant volcano peaks ring the valley, which once was a prehistoric lake. These are the geological origins of the hot aquifer that runs under the property and are at the southern tail-end of the Cascades Range.
Fat black heifers frolic in the meadow across the road. Nearby, a row of lanky cottonwood trees sing a loose-leafed choir in the wind. A talkative lodge resident sitting nearby is chuckling over the calves’ antics. His table is littered with books, maps, and letters. I query him as to how he ended up living at Sierra Hot Springs. He explains, “I came in for a hot bath many years ago, dropped anchor and spend the ski seasons here.”
He continues, “Squaw and Northstar are 30 minutes away and Highway 89 is open year-round. There is an average 24 inches of snowfall from December to April in the Sierraville area and a plethora of cross-country ski trails in nearby Tahoe National Forest.”
Our new friend is a wealth of information on the history of the region and the origins of the springs. The original lodge was built during the Civil War in 1863. Jack Campbell, the sheriff of Sierraville, bought it but was killed in a gunfight. It was then run as a spa. People from all over the world traveled by train to Truckee and then took stagecoaches to the resort to “take the waters.”
During the Gold Rush, the valley was settled by Swiss and Italian immigrants who provided dairy products and fodder for pack animals to the miners of Downieville. Many descendants of these immigrants still own ranches in the area.
A gangster owned the resort from the 1920s to the 50s and ran it as a speakeasy and bordello for the Reno crowd. It was quite funky and rundown by the time Leonard Orr, founder of rebirthing breathwork therapy, purchased it in the 1970s. Harbin Hot Springs now owns it and has made many aesthetic improvements to upgrade and develop the lodge, restaurant, and baths.
Side Trip
If you‘re’in the mood to explore, take a spin to Satler, stopping at the general store for a dose of history. From there, go another several miles until you get to Marble Hot Springs Road, a well-graded dirt road elevated above a marshland valley. During the winter, spring and early summer, this is an amazing bird sanctuary. Thousands of redwing and yellow-wing black birds, sandhill cranes, geese, hawks, ducks, and other birds dance, swoop and sing on the swaying grass stalks and cattails of this marshy expanse. The road swings around to Loyalton and Highway 49, which leads you back to Sierra Hot Springs.
If You Go Details
Sierra Hot Springs is three hours from the Bay Area in the Sierra in Sierra County north of Lake Tahoe. Take Interstate 80 to Truckee. From there, it’s a 30-minute drive on Highway 89 to Sierraville.
The baths are clothing optional.
There are many developed springs on the secluded 600 acres. Some consist of a claw-foot tub with crystal-clear hot water pouring into and spilling over the sides. Others, such as the 101-degree Meditation Pool, are natural stone pools set in the forest with flower gardens and sitting areas. About a half-mile from the lodge in the other direction are the enclosed Phoenix Baths, Temple Dome Hot Pool, and the large outdoor warm pool, with temperatures ranging from 98 to 108. Chemical properties of the water include lithium, sulfur, and silica.
Drugs, alcohol, and pets are not allowed. (Pets may not be left in vehicles.)
The main lodge has five beds in the dorms and five private European-style rooms with shared bath. The Globe Hotel has 10 rooms with shared bath and is located in nearby Sierraville. Both have wireless internet, but cell service is sparse.
There are also abundant camping sites.
The Philosophy Café serves healthy, homemade dinners Friday through Monday, or you can cook your own vegetarian meals in the small community kitchen. Cooking and eating utensils and condiments are provided. The Globe Hotel also has a large and well-equipped community kitchen.
A wide variety of massage and classes for guests are offered.
Like hot springs? Here are some of my other favorites: Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs near Santa Fe, Wilbur Hot Springs: Healing Spa Near San Francisco .
