Perks of Volcano Living Include Free Outdoor Spas

Trey Crispin enjoys living on a volcano. For one thing, he gets a free spa. It’s actually an icy stream called Hot Creek. Where underground volcanic vents meet cold water, swimmers can soak in comfort.

“It’s just like a hot tub. Cold, then hot, is good for the circulation,” said Crispin, 25, a Mammoth Lakes chef.

Swimmers, who brave thick green algae and the rotten-egg smell of sulfur, are kept from the hottest spots by barriers and signs warning: “Danger. Scalding Water. Unstable Ground. Keep Out.”

Steaming creeks are one of the reminders that the resort town of Mammoth Lakes sits atop the collapsed mouth of a volcano known as Long Valley.

Molten rock began surging through chambers four miles below Long Valley about 15 years ago.

The movement has caused tens of thousands of mostly small earthquakes.

Volcanic vents spew steam in some places. A geothermal plant taps some of that steam to generate electricity.

As part of disaster planning, workers constructed a road that is a secondary escape route.

The U.S. Geological Survey has implanted devices in the ground that send monitoring signals to its offices.

The agency says the volcano’s activity could taper off or continue indefinitely without an eruption.