Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Castle Hot Springs Road

On May 14, 2011 we took another drive in the Jeep. This time we went exploring the Castle Hot Springs Road that runs through the desert and the mountains between Morristown and Lake Pleasant. It is a well maintained dirt road with only a few rough spots, mostly at the many stream crossings.



The road is named after the old Castle Hot Springs Resort that was very popular in the 1920's and 30's. The resort closed down after a fire in the 1970's. There is still quite a bit left and this is what we were out to see.

Along the way you pass through lots of open range land and we saw lots of cattle as well as this horse. Not sure what she was doing walking down the road but she looked to be in good shape.


After several dusty miles we got to the first area that we thought was Castle Hot Springs. There was some ruins and a wall. There was also lots of palm trees and an old barn. I am not sure if this area is part of the old resort but it was neat to see.




About a mile farther down the road we found the real resort location. There is a full-time caretaker and this part is well maintained. There is another old barn and the really nice old house. The grounds are still beautiful.




The road follows the river for about three miles after the resort. It is a little rough in that part but not bad. You pass several small mining outposts. Finally, you will see Lake Pleasant in the distance. It was a warm day and we were really looking forward to goofing around in the lake for a while.




We found a nice little cove and spent a couple of hours at the lake. It was another great day.

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