Ever since we left Utah I started craving the feeling of contentment I had waking up in the mountains surrounded by pine trees and cool crisp air. Unfortunately, waking up overheating from the desert sun just isn’t quite the same experience. Very much missing our favorite camping spot in NH, Tripoli Road, Corey and I were determined to find some camping by a water source. After being in the desert for a few weeks, the thought of hiking with the reward of a cool lake sounded like a dream!!!

To our surprise, it was tougher than expected to find a campsite. First, we were limited to car camping because we hadn’t invested in the proper equipment yet. Second, dogs aren’t very welcome in National Parks. Although a lot of National Parks claim to be dog friendly, they’re limited to specific campsites, paved areas, and only select (boring) trails. Because of this we ruled out the National Parks and settled for National Forests which gives pups far more freedom. The biggest obstacle in picking a site was that it seemed like all the drive-in ones I came across were booked well in advance during the weekends.

After a ton of research and getting to know what was nearby, we decided to check out a place 6 hours away called Mono Hot Springs Resort. They had a reservation open for a Friday which would be perfect to help us settle in for our first night and give us time the next morning to look for a different spot to camp. The area is referred to as a resort because of the option to reserve cabins and use their spa house. We were more interested in the campground at the resort to get that outdoorsy experience while still taking advantage of all the nearby amenities- natural hot springs, the San Joaquin River, and trails leading to Doris Lake. On top of that there was the convenience of a little country store, restaurant and firewood. We typically like to camp without all of those thrills but this seemed like the perfect spot for a balanced stress free getaway.

Since we had a site reserved, Corey and I took our time driving up to Mono Hot Springs. The drive was pretty straightforward from LA through Bakersfield and Fresno. We got to the entrance of Sierra National Forest in about 4 hours. I remember thinking that we’d actually get to the site earlier than expected, but boy did I underestimate what the drive up the mountain would be like. It was a single lane, winding and rugged ride all the way up. There were countless times where we were driving along the edge of a cliff with nothing but a few feet of road preventing us from free falling down the mountainside. I just kept hoping that a car wouldn’t approach from the oncoming lane. After a few miles I was pretty comfortable driving. I knew what speed to maintain and to be careful going through blind turns. I got a good sense of when to pull over and when to back into turnouts to let oncoming cars approach…But just when I was feeling good, one f*cker speeds towards me as he’s going down the hill and runs me off the road. Luckily I was on the inside with plenty of room to avoid him. The guy didn’t slow down or apologize or anything! To anyone planning on driving up these backcountry roads, don’t worry so much about the elevation and terrain, but do be careful of sucky drivers!

After another 2 hours, we arrived at our site and quickly settled in. We immediately went to the river which was right across from our campsite to goof around a bit. Duke has always been fearful of water so we try to ease him into it every chance we get. Corey or I will go into the water and try to entice him to go in. He’ll go in just until his belly touches the water and then start barking out of frustration. The same thing happens when he sees a stick or if we throw a toy into the water that’s past his comfort level. We still have to keep him on leash though because despite his fear of water, he LOVES to scramble up rocks in the river and there’s no getting him back. He’ll run up and down the river hopping on rocks until he gets stuck or slips in!

After some time in the river and some frisbee to burn off that Duke energy, Corey and I settled into our tent. Our laziness took over big time! We ended up heating up some Chef Boyardee inside our tent and then calling it a night early.

Again our laziness took over and we lounged around throughout the morning. We planned on driving towards Doris Lake to find a dispersed campsite, but after the first 250 ft of the road leading to Doris Lake, I realized that this was not going to happen. It was recommended to only use a 4×4 vehicle on this road, and although my car could’ve probably handled it, I was too scared to do some real damage with a 6 hour drive back home. On the plus side, I learned what it would feel like to drive up a staircase! …but really, never attempting that again! So we turned around pretty quickly and decided to drive back down Kaiser Road to the ranger station to get a fire permit and get some info on other dispersed areas. It turns out that Kaiser Road is the perfect spot! With our fire permit in hand, we decided to spend the rest of the day along the San Joaquin River and in some natural hot springs!

After we were content with the beginning portion of San Joaquin, we decided to cross and make our way to the hot springs. This area was so indescribably beautiful!

One of the hot springs we went to was just too hot to enjoy. We decided to keep walking to find others, but they were already occupied by other people. Instead we trekked to the far end of the river to find a little spot for ourselves.

After being in the sun for hours, we were we ready to make camp for the night and cook up some hot dogs! It didn’t take us too long to find a good site. We had passed by a few that would suffice, but I remembered seeing an awesome site earlier in the day when we went to get fire permits. I kept driving until we got to that perfect spot!

Our night was pretty low key. We were exhausted! I think I slept by 8:30pm! The next morning I woke up pretty early to enjoy the morning before the sun was in full blast. I’m so glad I did. Quiet mornings are my favorite! I spent some time reading while Corey spent time programming.

I would definitely return to Mono Hot Springs Resort, but opt to stay off of Kaiser Pass in the future. The area was just perfect and free! We weren’t able to explore Doris Lake or Edison Lake, but there’s always next time!