Travertine Hot Springs

Travertine Hot Springs, about two miles southeast of Bridgeport, California, is a group of geothermal mineral springs spread across broad travertine terraces with views toward the High Sierra. Its pale terraces formed from calcium carbonate deposits left by hot water rising through geothermal fissures and cooling through channels and pools, with temperatures that can vary as earthquakes affect underground movement. People have used these waters for hundreds of years, including Paleo-Indians in the American West and later the Paiute, for warmth, bathing, and mineral-rich water associated with healing. The site also saw sheep dipping, limited travertine mining, and later construction of primitive soaking pools.

Bridgeport, California · United States