Hot Springs Drive is an approximately twenty-mile rural highway in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Tulare County. The Hot Springs Drive corridor begins at Old Stage Road at Fountain Springs and extends eastward to Parker Pass Road near California Hot Springs. Hot Springs Drive is carried by Tulare County Mountain Road 56 and acts as an extension of Avenue 56 (Tulare County Route J22).
What is now California Hot Springs originated as the Deer Creek Hot Springs Resort in 1882. The resort on Deer Creek was originally served by a Control Road which required traffic alternate at different times of the day. The modern California Hot Springs resort would incorporate in 1905 following an ownership change. The Control Road corridor was replaced by Hot Springs Drive around 1915 which intended to serve increasing amount of automotive traffic to California Hot Springs. Much of the resort would later burn in 1968 but was rebuilt in the 1980s.
Part 1; the history of Hot Springs Drive
The Hot Springs along Deer Creek were known to the native Bokinnuwad Yokuts prior the 1853 Kern County Gold Rush. Said gold rush spurred American development of the southern Sierra Nevada foothills in Tulare County. The Witt family would file land patent claims for the lands around upper Deer Creek in the late 1870s. By 1880 the Witts had constructed a bathhouse and campground that was initially called "Deer Creek Hot Springs."
By 1882 the Deer Creek Hot Springs resort had been considered by Henry Witt (claimed to have been founded by the California Hot Springs Resort web page). The resort at Deer Creek is noted to be an active proposal in an October 1883 Tulare Register stub article (courtesy Laile De Silvestro of the Tulare County History Facebook group).
Deer Creek Hot Springs became locally famous due to the reliable 125F degree hot spring water which was notably pure compared to other nearby sources. Deer Creek Hot Springs was connected to the Stockton-Los Angeles Road via a one-way control road running eastward from Fountain Springs along the course of Deer Creek.
The Witt family would sell Deer Creek Hot Springs in 1889 to T.J. Wingrove, G.K. Pike and J.F. Firebaugh out of the Lindsey-Exeter area. In April 1901 Dr. C.E. Bernard purchased the resort business interests of Pike and Firebaugh. In 1902 construction of Hotel Del Venado had broken ground and would be complete by 1904.
Following the death of Dr. Bernard in early 1905 his interests in the Deer Creek Hot Springs would be purchased by S. Mitchell out of Visalia and J.H. Williams out of Porterville. The new owners would incorporate their then new holdings as "California Hot Springs" during June 1905.
The general history of the California Hot Springs resort was featured in the 1913-era book titled "History of Tulare and Kings County." The resort Control Road is noted to be served by stage lines originating out of Porterville and Ducor. The Control Road is noted to be popular with travelers out of Visalia looking to access the resort on day trips.
The Hotel Del Venado can be seen shortly after being completed in a Tulare County Public Library photo.
The California Hot Springs resort can be seen below in a 1907 photo hosted by the Tulare County Public Library.
Another stage can be seen stopped on the Control Road circa 1909 in a Tulare County Public Library owned photo.
Below a car can be seen on the Control Road circa 1910 in a Tulare County Public Library owned photo.
The Control Road was supplemented by modern Hot Springs Drive and Grapevine Road around 1915. Hot Springs Drive was intended for cars and used steeper grades located to the south of the Control Road on the ridge opposite King George Peak. Grapevine Road in particular followed the White River east the namesake goldrush era town through to what is now Railroad Canyon. A railroad line east from the Stockton & Tulare Railroad was once under consideration but the general routing is unclear. It is likely that Grapevine Road (now closed to traffic) was constructed with a railroad grade in mind.
The Control Road, Hot Springs Drive and Grapevine Road can all be seen east of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road (now Old Stage Road) on the 1917 California State Automobile Association map. Control Road (in bolded black) is shown to be the then primary highway to California Hot Springs.
The Hotel Del Venado burned in 1932 but was quickly replaced by new accommodations which were complete by 1934. The California Hot Springs Resort can be seen from facing east along Hot Springs Drive in a 1935 era photo owned by the Tulare County Public Library.
Control Road (in red) is shown to still be a major local highway on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Tulare County. Hot Springs Drive (in black) is shown to be minor roadway branching south of King George Peak.
Control Road (in red) is still shown to be the primary highway into California Hot Springs on the 1943 United States Geological Survey map of Tobias Peak. The blue pin denotes where the eastern side of the Control Road/Hot Springs Drive meet near King George Peak.
Hot Springs Drive is shown to have become the primary highway into California Hot Springs on the 1958 United States Geological Survey map of California Hot Springs. The "Hot Springs Drive" designation would be ended all the way west to Fountain Springs where it meets Old Stage Road and Avenue 56. Control Road was rebranded as "Old Control Road" and was truncated as a loop of Hot Springs Road. Hot Springs Drive now is signed as Tulare County Mountain Road 56 whereas Old Control Road is designated Mountain Road 52.
In the 1980s the Gilbert family would purchase the remaining structures at the abandoned California Springs Resort and would reopen it. The resort has been under renovations since 2023. The resort website is still active but does not have a current status for when it is expected to reopen.
Part 2; a drive on Hot Springs Drive
Westbound Hot Springs Drive begins at the terminus of Parker Pass Road (Tulare County Mountain Road 50) in Sequoia National Forest. The Mountain Road 56 designation from this junction is carried west via Hot Springs Drive whereas Pine Flat Drive carries it east.
Traffic turning west onto Hot Springs Drive is advised it can be used to reach Ducor and California State Route 65.
Westbound Hot Springs Drive descends into the California Hot Springs community which has 50 residents of the 2020 census. The actual California Hot Springs resort is located on the left side of the roadway.
The white building on the right appears to be a surviving structure from before the 1968 resort fire.
Hot Springs Drive flanks south of Kings George Peak (elevation 4,377 feet above sea leave). The corridor intersects the opposite end of Old Control Road after approximately nine miles.
Hot Springs Drive continues west to a terminus located at Old State Road (Mountain Road 109) at Fountain Springs. The designation of Mountain Road 56 continues ahead westbound onto the now un-signed Tulare County Route J22 on Avenue 56 towards Ducor.
The Fountain Springs Old Stage Station has numerous historical plaques. The first plaque contains a brief description of the story of the Pegleg Gold and "El Cojo."
The second plaque contains a brief history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. The Stockton-Los Angeles Road corridor had been established in 1853 to facilitate easier overland travel to the southern Sierra Nevada following the discovery of gold on the Kern River. The Native American trails and expeditions which formed the basis of the corridor are listed.
The final plaque contains a brief history of Fountain Springs. Fountain Springs was established at the junction of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and what was to become the Bull Road of Thomas Baker sometimes around 1855.
The view east from Fountain Springs along Hot Springs Drive towards California Hot Springs. A large guide sign notes the status of traffic reaching Pine Flat and Johnsondale (via Parker Pass).
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