Deep Creek & The Pacific Crest Trail in the southern California mountains

Deep Creek is a stunning tributary of the Mojave River with miles of deep pools and cascading waterfalls flowing from pine forests into a true western California desert. The creek is flanked by a chaparral ecosystem and beautiful rocky hills, while the well known hot pools are situated in fascinating rock outcroppings with incredible opportunities for viewing the surrounding geology. The stream was a major entry point to the San Bernardino Mountains for the Vanyume Serrano Indians who once traversed from the Mojave Desert to the mountains each summer to collect acorns. There are many archaeological sites. It is home to the Southwestern Arroyo Toad and supports the greatest diversity of wildlife habitats of any drainage on the San Bernardino National Forest. Black bear, mountain lion, raccoon, ground squirrel, coyote, beaver, and bobcat visit the creek and numerous fish species are found in the water.....and this is all within a 90 minute drive from the Los Angeles basin and 12 million people. Like getting a dose of the Sierra Nevada range, but farther south and much closer. Check out this photo album of 54 images:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59573003@N06/

Back in the late 1960's and early 1970's hippies were always tripping off to awesome places up in the mountains, and one of the most popular nude spots for folks around Los Angeles was Deep Creek. A great outing was to catch a concert at the Swing Auditorium in San Berdoo, with acts like: Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, The Doors or Janis Joplin.... then just a short hop in your VW Bus up to Deep Creek for a few days to digest the music and play in nature and that hot Mojave desert sun. Those old bands might be gone now, but over 40 years later Deep Creek still is a magical destination with nice pools & sandy beaches, no fog, waterfalls, massive granite boulders, pine forests, desert-scapes and the famed natural hot springs.
When the warmer weather arrives every year from May through October there is still a healthy flow of nature lovers into this creek, and the friendly crowd is out for serious fun. Of all the mountain ranges in southern California none of them are as high as the San Bernardino's, and this includes over 17 peaks that exceed 10,000 feet, covered with snow in the winter months. The Pacific Crest Trail meanders from Mexico to Canada and passes through this range and hugs the canyon walls of Deep Creek for over 20 miles. For upper Deep Creek, the access by car is surprizingly easy, and there are pristine pools and sandy beaches even within 15 minutes walk of the parking lot, and if you walk 30 minutes you can have your own private beach & pool.
The best thing about the stream is that it virtually never dries up, but is fed from the high peaks and valley's to the east, and is one of the most perrenial flows of water in southern California.
The upper portion Deep Creek is accessible from Lake Arrowhead/Cedar Glen area via Hook Creek Road:
From the greater Los Angeles area take the 210 Freeway east until you reach San Bernardino area, take Waterman Avenue (Highway 18) exit towards the mountains and follow the signs to Lake Arrowhead...then turn right and go towards Cedar Glen, then right on Hook Creek Road until the pavement ends, and then it becomes a good dirt forest road # 2N26Y, when you reach the fork go left, cross the stream then at the first right park at the locked gate for Splinter's Cabin, and walk the last half mile....(The road washed out around the bridge in this years heavy rains). Any passenger car can handle this road. The trails begins there, and the Pacific Crest Trail is 4 minutes away. You need to display an adventure pass in your windshield, and you can either get one for the day or the entire year at the Arrowhead Ranger station on Highway 18...at 28104 Hwy. 18 in Skyforest, near Lake Arrowhead. Call them if you want any info: 909-382-2782 Also, there's a Hostel in Big Bear if you wanna spend the night on the mountain.
15 miles downstream the lower portion of Deep Creek is accessible from the other side of the mountain via the Mojave Desert and town of Hesperia, off Interstate 15. This part of the stream includes Hesperia Falls, and the ever popular Deep Creek Hot Springs:

http://deepcreekhotsprings.net/dchs/forum/

Upper Deep Creek is where you want to be in the summer months....while lower Deep Creek in the Mojave desert is nice during cooler weather. Check it out. Remember, this is flower power at it's most organic, where the mountains meet the sky and hippie lore still echos through the canyons. Pick up the thread and tap into the vibe...and pass it on.
　
　

 

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I was at Deep Creek several years ago and found it to be an amazing place much like you describe. Particularly impressive were the huge white sandy beaches along the creek, but also the giant flat boulders, deep pools and big shade trees. I remember seeing a lot of people with backpacks who were en route from Mexico to Canada, and they all thought the stream the most awesome site so far on their trip. In today's California Deep Creek is by far one of the best spots around for nudists, and yes there were a lot of them. Great photo album....thanks for the memories.

 

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FROM THE DEEP CREEK FORUM:
TRIP REPORT Posted by NEOGEO on 6/18/11
Friday was an extraordinary day at the springs. I woke up real early and was reminded why I love to go to Deep Creek Hot Springs so much in June: down in LA, the gloom fog has the city locked in its clutches and when I got on the road around 6:15 am it was actually raining. And it kept raining as I drove east, a light but steady rain, and didn’t stop until around Rancho Cucamonga. The cloud layer did not break either of course, and as I climbed the El Cajon pass, there was just one moment of sunshine and then back into the thick pea soup. I thought I would climb out of it, but I was wrong, as I crested the pass and entered the high desert, the fog had climbed up out of the basin too. By the time I got off the road in Hesperia, though, the sun was with me and as I looked back west later in the drive, I could see this incredible finger of fog that had snaked its way--it looked like a snake--up the pass and into the high desert.

The drive to Bowen was non-eventful. The road has really deteriorated since May, although the two spots where water was flowing across the road are gone. When I arrived at the ranch around 8:15 am, I was surprised to see another car in front of me at the house; it was two women with their two daughters in the car, trying to find their money to pay the Bowen fee. I talked to them a little as I waited, and realized that I knew one of the women from a day at the springs last summer; she is a lovely hippie, I guess you would have to say, and a regular at the springs. When they started to make their way to the parking lot, I followed, and the first thing I see is an RV parked at the first camping spot, the one at the first bend on the left before you descend to the parking, with a young guy in the nude sitting on top of the picnic table enjoying his morning coffee and the desert vista. I waved -- it was a sign.

At 8:15, there were already about six cars in the lot, and two more at a camping spot. I was surprised. I wanted to free hike today, so I got my stuff together quickly and hit the trail just as quick, as the 4 women were parked right next to me and I wasn’t sure what they would think. I shouldn’t have worried, it turns out. But they were obviously chatting and laughing and taking their time. Hiked down the first steep descent, crossed the road and started free hiking by the DCHS iron sign at the start of the lower trail. It was a beautiful hike, saw no one until I got to the creek vista when I noticed two people on the trail up ahead up me about to descend the right-hand path to the creek level. I slowed down, but both of my worries were silly as the people in front of me turned out to be two older men who are regulars and nudists, and when the four women arrived creekside, I hung out with or near them all day, for they were nudists as well.

I thus arrived creekside sometime close to 9 am. Still early I thought, and on a weekday I usually proceed right to the Womb for a while: not today. The area was already super crowded! On the hike down, it didn’t look too bad, and I only noticed one tent, set up directly on the beach. It turns out there were others in the woods up creek, and a fire on the beach near the sign. But the campers or whomever was at the springs early in the morning were all skinnydipping. There were some people who you see at the springs all the time, like Roland and some of his buddies, and then there were a group of men and women and their children -- teenage boys, maybe 15 and 17 -- all nudists and having a great time. There were women walking around with vibes, playing music. There were a few young textile campers. But it was so packed at 9 am I couldn’t even get in the Womb, just swam for a while then had the Anniversary pool to myself for a short soak.

But this was not annoying to me. It was a sign of an extraordinary day. I would say there were around 15 people at the springs at 9 am; 10 nudes, 5 textiles. Be prepared: I’m bringing some Jobe measuring skills here. This ratio diminished to 50/50 or so around 11 am to 12 noon, when some large groups of young people hiked down -- but didn’t stay long. What kept happening all day is that new people would arrive, and they would strip down on the beach and cavort and play in the nude. I am known to be an optimist, so you can doubt my numbers, but at around 2:30 or so I did an informal count, and including folks who were just topless or had been nude part of the day (putting their suits on sometimes), I counted at that point 20 nudes, and only 6 or 7 textiles.

From that point until around 4:30, when things started to quiet down, new people kept arriving on the beach. I felt like there were a lot of first timers, and when they would see everyone skinnydipping, they would contemplate and stand around on the beach for a few minutes, and then....poof...off came the clothes and the skinnydippers’ numbers kept growing. I was just skinnydipping in the waters in front of the main pools when the two young women who came down with their mothers approached me and started laughing incredulously--they said they had never seen so many people at the hot springs ever (they only come on weekdays), and never so many people frolicking naked. They kept laughing at the young 15 year old boy, to my eyes he embodied the true spirit of naturism, this kid was having a ball, he was looking for fish with his goggles, he was catching snakes (three water snakes were caught during the day), he showed us all that you can swim under the big rock near the Arizona pool (!). (Did you all know that?) He was running nekkid here and he was running nekkid there, jumping off rocks, hanging with his dad and brother -- the girls were amused. A group of four textile teenager boys approached at that moment and seemed to marvel at the way things were at the springs - they had been told, they said, "only old fat people came and got nude at the springs." The young girls seemed not be amused at this comment and gave the boys a talking to -- both about the age-ism and their not joining in -- eventually convincing some of them to join in the skinny dipping. I love children raised by hippies, these girls were totally cool, and wished that I had been raised in this way, had gone to beaches and clothing-optional places with my family.

And so it went down there. At the most crowded, maybe 30 nudes (!) and still just a handful of textiles here and there. I met some German mathematicians finishing a postdoc at UCLA, there were some Brazilian model-types, there were a bunch of young couples from the LA area, some through hikers, Roland and his peeps, etc. I witnessed one older nudist man trying to ogle the Brazilian model-types, standing on a rock above them and peeking down, thinking he was not being seen. They saw him, and took out their camera and stood up and started photographing him until he walked away. This is a good tactic, in my opinion. There was also one younger man laying out who kept having erection "issues." Well, it happens, he didn’t seem to mean any harm and was rather nice actually when I talked to him during the day.

Like I said earlier, there were a lot of water snakes found throughout the day, but I saw or heard of no rattlers. The Arizona pool is indeed fixed, and I have to say, it was fixed monumentally, it looks fantastic. The creek has really gotten much gentler and much shallower, and the water is close to 70 degrees now I’d say. Perfect for swimming. I love the new sandbars near the main pools. There are now two showers coming down out of the Anniversary Pool. A perfect day there: beautiful weather, no yahoos/gangs and very few textiles. I hiked out around 5:30, free hiked all the way to the car. Saw no one, almost, until I passed one couple hiking down at about the ½ way mark. There was not much trash at the beach considering all the people and campers, but I did fill one bag with cigarette butts, some cans and other debris - like Johnny said, there is one pile of stuff on the beach as you come down from Bowen but I couldn’t take any of that stuff this time.

I hope this Friday is indicative of a trend back toward the clothing-optional use of DCHS. A generational switch, perhaps? Trend or no trend, I wish a day like this on all of you.

edit at 06/18/2011 01:12PM by neogeo.
Hey Neogeo, that is a really good trip report. It sounds like it was a beautiful day at the Springs. This is why I like the week days - I usually choose Fridays for my sojourns to DCHS. I almost came down on Friday but was unable to get away from work – I would have been one more "nude" to add to the stats. Your Jobe-style-statistics proves one of the things I have been saying all along. NUDE CRITICAL MASS is a way to encourage others to experience the Springs sans suit. You probably noticed as people arrived they surveyed the situation, noticed that the majority was nude and thought, "what the heck" I guess I’ll try nude." I’ve seen this for myself. We were sitting in the Springs one day when a couple showed up, they surveyed the situation, a little hesitant at first but eventually warmed up to the idea of soaking nude. Later, they said they had a great time and it felt really good to be free. My wife will not soak nude or top free if there are textile men present. However, if everyone is nude she will be more like to soak nude or top free. However, everyone is different and the Springs should be a place where freedom exists for all people to experience. My point is - NUDE CRITICAL MASS is important, so, lets all soak nude.
Amen Windsailor!
I've seen this happen almost each time I visit the springs, and whole heartedly agree, more people would learn about the freedom the springs offer if everyone went sans suit.
That was exactly what was happening, definitely. People were showing up on the beach across from the pools and seeing 20 nude or topless people swimming or standing about seemed to convince them to join in, throw down their packs, and leave the suits they might have brought with them behind. It really reminded me of my very first visit to the springs.

It was sometime back in the spring of 2005. There is a picture posted by celtfire on the Facebook group for DCHS of five young people running nude with total exuberance into the creek from the beach toward the pool side - that is a picture by the photographer Ryan McGinley who was at the springs that day of my first visit, and was photographing this group of young people (he is known for taking road trips with groups of youths, he is (or was) pretty young too, and photographing the group skinny dipping or running around in the nude all over the place, usually out here in the West). Anyway it was my first time there, and pretty much everyone was nude (and it was a Saturday). I had hiked down and run into a couple about my age on the way, the young woman was hiking in her underwear and was taking photographs of flowers and rock formations that caught her eye along the way. Basically, a hippie chick (I mean no disrespect by the term!). We hiked down the last bit together. I remember not knowing the etiquette or how to cross the creek or what to expect. I'm a total naturist since my teenage years, but remember feeling a bit unsure, standing around in my clothes with my pack, contemplating. Some other guys arrived creekside just after us, and seemed pretty "textile." I turned to the young woman and her guy friend and asked them if they knew of a way to cross the river, maybe a log to cross downstream or something. She laughed at me, and just said in a really playful way: "No way, just take off all your clothes, get naked, and get in that water! Don't be a wimp!" Her guy friend had taken off his clothes when we first arrived creekside, then strangely, put them back on. She started laughing at him for being a bit shy, and encouraged both of us: At that point she took off the underwear she had been hiking in. "Come on you guys," she said, and her friend took off his clothes. I said, OK, you've convinced me, stripped, put my clothes in my pack, and never looked back.

That was happening for a lot of folks who were first timers this past Friday, I think. Wish it were still like this at DCHS on the weekends, but I'll take the Fridays I can grab down there at any rate.

　

　

 

It's nice too.

 

It sounds lovely. I remember hearing about this years ago, but never went there. I just may do it now!

 

TRIP REPORT

juliankaye
July 25, 2011 06:47AM


arrived at the ranch about 11am and hiked in nude from the parking lot. only about 6 cars there. ran in to a beautiful young lady on the trail who was looking for a sweatshirt she had dropped on the hike in. I had just passed it, so I showed her where it was. My good deed for the day. we both hiked in from there, she rejoined her boyfriend and I crossed the stream. light crowd, mostly 20ish and in swimwear, and all cool. I decided to soak and enjoy my coors 24oz while enjoying the sights. there was one group of about 10 asians and the girls were just beautiful to watch swim in the stream. I hiked out about 145 and passed a lot of people hiking in. mostly couples, one group of very sexy girls in swimsuits and another group of at least 15 nude guys all pierced and with rings on their units. what a place for all types to hang out. arrived at my car at 230 and the lot was packed. at little hot, but a great day.

 

That's awesome. It's a wonderful place. I moved up to Big Bear 4 yrs ago and have gone to Deep Creek from here twice. I couldn't go nude though, becaue I was15 & my mom took me. I'm 18 in 2 weeks, so 'll have to take some trips before I'm out of the area. I've also gone for a short hike on the PCT, which runs through here. I'm considering taking it to NoCal, where I really want to live for a while.

 

My first return to DCHS since July. I decided to stop coming for a bit until the schools were back in session after my last visit. Beautiful day all in all, one of the most relaxing I have had out there.

Got out to the area as early as I could, arrived to the parking area at the Bowen Ranch by around 8:30 am. Bowen Ranch Road is in pretty bad shape I would say, from the recent rains. It was in perfect shape in July, so the difference was stark. Even if you feel like you know the road, be careful there are lots of new gullies and holes, and rocks and exposed rock etc. The graded road of July is just gone, and you bounce the whole way now on a million ruts. The road from the ranch to the parking is the worst I've ever seen it, and I fear may soon become hard for any 2WD car to pass. I had a hard time getting out later in the day.

Upon arrival, I noticed three other parked cars, and one white van in a camping spot with a man free-camping, let's call it, and enjoying the morning sunshine. So I free-hiked down, and it was full-on sunny at that point in the day, and pretty much the hottest I was all day (scattered clouds rolled in later on). Very beautiful hike, passed no one, until the last 10 minutes. Came upon three guys one with dreadlocks, young guys, all hiking out already. Said "hey guys," and they smiled and responded "NUDE DUDE!" It was funny. Kept going--when I got to the springs all seemed real quiet. Still and peaceful. There were three more people readying to pack up and leave. I hopped in the water to cool off, then shared the Womb with a Korean man who was there all day, keeping to himself and soaking for hours at a time. Basically, after the 3 campers hiked out, there were only five of us at the springs in the morning hours. Until at least 12 noon, on this early autumn Friday, just 5. All of us were nude, four men and one woman. SO MELLOW. Young guy with the woman offered to help spray my back with the sunscreen I was trying to apply, which I thought was really friendly and so we wound up talking a lot during the day. Maybe some of you regulars know him, he told me he has been living off the land and in the wild now for over 400 days, since starting a Mexico-Oregon PCT hike in May 2010. A lot of stories there, but they are not mine to tell. The departed campers had left behind a pile of ice melting into the beach sands, and so I grabbed it all and stuffed it into the plastic bag in which I had carried down some beers, and shared them later with my new Thoreau-ian friend.

I noticed a lot of bees in the area today. I was troubled by how many of them seemed to be floating in the water, you would find them in the stream and sometimes they would crash into the hot springs water too. There were at least two functioning floats left down at the springs, and so I did a lot of floating about in the lagoon. The pools were so relaxing in the morning hours. Like I said, only 5 of us from 9am-noon, around 10 maybe by 2 pm. Still 100% nude at that point, which really in my opinion makes DCHS seem special, like something from another simpler era, and even more relaxing. Clouds rolled in and rolled out, great to be in the pools when the sun disappeared, and it rained down on us for around 15 to 20 minutes at one point, just before the sun came shooting back out, turning the shower into a brilliant sun shower. We all ran out from our shade cover when the rain arrived, and it was fantastic getting poured on in the heat of an otherwise hot day. I've never been down at the springs during a rain storm before, even one this brief.

Some textiles appeared in the afternoon hours, but they were always in the minority. I saw some familiar dogs arrive late in the afternoon, so I knew the Wizard would soon be arriving. It was nice to talk. Place seemed in good shape, there was a bit of trash about, I cleaned up the area that I was using in the shade but that was all. Free hiked out around 5 pm, beautiful breeze and some late day massive clouds in the blue skies. Passed no one coming down, but lapped three older men at different times who had left before me. Parking lot full of cars when I returned, and one new free-camper set up on a hill near the white free-camping van. I wondered if it was lbcalrr from the message below. My goal for the fall is to return and free camp myself for at least a day. I will pass though on the idea of staying out there for 400! It had obviously rained a bit more up by the ranch, and my car was covered in polkadots from the big rain drops pounding the cover of sand and dust. Drove out to brilliant fire in the sky clouds and sunset, the desert landscape looking like something truly divine. A perfect day, really.:guitarist:

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Big fan of this place. It's at a hike-in only location, and the hike is around 2 miles if you park at Bowen Ranch. Bowen Ranch is a private property, and the owner (this awesome hippie) charges you $5.00 per person per day and $10.00 for overnight camping. If the owner does not come to the door (mostly if it's past 10pm or so) then there are some envelopes and pencil on the steps for you to deposit your payment in the slot on the wall. I went yesterday with a rock climbing group and the hike isn't bad at all, even if you are carrying a ton of ropes and gear. It is very dry there, so make sure you pack PLENTY of water or gatorade - the last thing you'd like is to dehydrate and not be able to enjoy the beautiful hot springs.

After you're done hiking, you'll find several hot spring pools lining the canyon, along with some great boulders/rocks you can climb. One of the pools is around 7' deep and you can actually jump into it... cannonball!! You can also swim along the creek and there's some areas you can jump into as well.

NOTE: the area is clothing OPTIONAL, and a lot of people do exercise their right to NOT wear clothes. Just please try not to stare. They're fantastic people having a good ol' time, swimming and dancing, chatting the day away... naked.

Also, make sure you save water and food for the hike back. It's a pretty steep climb on the way back, and you'll need to restore your energy before heading home. The only reason I didn't give it the 5 stars is because the road to get to Bowen Ranch is a crazy dirt road that almost killed my poor scion tc, so try and carpool with somebody who has a bigger truck. Have FUN!!!
~~~~~~~Kima November 23, 2011

 

Some sisters just did a trip there and raved about the place. Cooler weather brings nicer soaking. The secret's out.

 

Check out Brandon's awesome plunge at Hesperia Falls in Deep Creek. This pool is downstream from the Hot Springs and upstream from the spillway....and it's 25 feet deep:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpN2Hd_Sb0w"]Deep Creek Falls 40 ft. Gainer - YouTube