“We don’t know what we don’t know,” Lance Hamrick told county supervisors last week about the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools. But some things he does know: the water’s hot, the gates are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the hookups include electricity — only electricity.
When desert travelers see the phrase “full hookups,” it means electricity, water, and sewer at every RV site. At Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools, that promise is now under scrutiny. Early listings described “full and partial hookups,” yet both on-site conditions and online ads show only partial service — power, but no sewer or water connections. What’s actually being offered, and how it’s being marketed, has since required clarification.
Ads vs. Reality at Tecopa Hot Springs
Earlier this week, Kandy Flippin, co-operator of Flippin Happy Campers & Lance Hamrick LLC, promoted job openings for the campground in Facebook Workamper groups. In a public post Flippin responded to a user asking whether “FHU [full hookups]” were included, writing: “yes, PHU & FHU looking ASAP to hire … please apply.”
That statement contradicted Hamrick’s clarification, sent in an email: “Three categories of RV site ‘dry camping’ and ‘partial hookups’ which may include electrical and water. You are correct no dump on sited since there is a dump station RVers may use. The third is a tent site.”
The word “may” does some heavy lifting there. Indeed, the campground’s RoverPass reservation page lists only electric hookups as the available option, confirming that no full hookups are currently offered.
When TecopaCabana inquired about the availability of full hookups on Flippin’s Facebook post, she sent a private message, “Some of our sites offer partial hookups, those being electrical. I see where the confusion was and the web team has resolved the language it is edited now.”
To answer that both are available seems less like clarification and more like evasion. It suggests an attempt to satisfy the question without actually committing to what’s true on the ground — that no sites at Tecopa Hot Springs currently offer full hookups.
The Facebook employment listing seems to have since been removed.
Pricing at the dump station has also fluctuated since the campground’s reopening.
“The previous folks charge $10.00 for dumping which we will continue,” Hamrick wrote in an email, “there was a $20.00 charge during the Dumont Dunners weekend and some misinformation as we thought our competitors were charging $20.00 for dumping. Once clarified we realized it was $10.00 for self-service and $20.00 for assisted service, we reverted to the $10.00 self serve.”
Tecopa’s Finer Details
All water in Tecopa Hot Springs is non-potable and unsafe for drinking, and locals warn it can even damage RV plumbing due to its extremely high mineral content. As a result, both residents and visitors must purchase drinking water at a kiosk in Tecopa Heights, where potable water costs 25 cents per gallon.
The accuracy of such descriptions carries legal and ethical weight. Under California Labor Code § 970, it is unlawful to recruit or relocate workers based on false representations about employment, housing, or living conditions — a protection designed for exactly the kind of transient labor community Tecopa now depends on.
Local Reality on the Ground
Since taking over in late October, Flippin Happy Campers & Lance Hamrick LLC has moved quickly to clean up and reopen the facility in time for the high season, removing algae from the pools after a summer of stagnation, so a little bit of chaos is to be expected. The concessionaires have acknowledged steep electricity bills, a $23,000 annual insurance cost, and unexpected plumbing repairs — including the removal of 25 pounds of rice from the pipes. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” Hamrick said at the meeting.
But Hamrick has been evasive about finer details, including who will qualify for the campground’s new local discount program. “We have yet to receive the updated fire district map from Inyo County to determine how far out eligibility could be,” he wrote in an email responding to questions about the program. “Until then Tecopa is the boundary.”
When TecopaCabana later sent Hamrick the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District map from the district’s own website, he did not respond, but did introduce us to the public relations person who will be handling their media requests going forward. TecopaCabana also requested clarification on whether any water is currently available at the RV sites or elsewhere in the campground, but had not received a response by press time.
New Website, Who Dis?
The campground’s new website has also drawn scrutiny for its imagery and guest guidance.
Several photos made by the Google AI platform Gemini depict manicured palm trees and landscapes that do not exist on the county property, including one image lifted directly from Modern Hiker’s Cotopaxi Techo 3 Tent Review.
Another image depicted Borehole Spring, a natural site nearby but not part of the facility. The latter image was swapped out after TecopaCabana raised the discrepancy.
Questions also arose after the site’s “What to Pack” list recommended that guests bring a bathing suit — a suggestion at odds with county law.
Those regulations remain codified in Inyo County Code, which states: “No bathing suits or clothing of any kind are to be worn in the baths.” The ordinance remains binding for the county facility and is not at the discretion of the concessionaire.
In response to TecopaCabana’s inquiry about recommending bathing suits, Hamrick wrote: “I just re-examined the site and this is what is currently posted” followed by the Inyo County regulations that require nudity within the bathhouses.
Every Word Counts
In the days following TecopaCabana’s inquiries, the concessionaire updated the campground’s website to correct or clarify several details and seem somewhat willing to be held accountable. References to “full hookups” were replaced with “partial hookups,” language about bringing bathing suits was removed, and the previously misleading photos of nearby Borehole Spring were swapped out for a true image of the property. The changes suggest a gradual effort to align public messaging with on-the-ground realities — perhaps a sign that scrutiny is prompting greater accuracy from the new operators.
As they refine their marketing and operations, clarity remains crucial. In Tecopa — where water must be purchased by the gallon — the difference between a “full hookup” and a “partial hookup” isn’t just a technicality. It’s a measure of honesty and public trust.
Sources within the county say it’s up to the new concessionaire to craft a viable business model that makes the operation sustainable. So far, though, it appears the longtime seasonal visitor base has been priced out rather than won over — with higher rates but little visible improvement beyond the county’s recent electrical work.
“Inyo County is installing a new panel so the electrical is an ongoing development,” Hamrick wrote at the end of his email. “Hopefully with more electrical hookups to come.”
For now, longtime snowbirds are left wondering, for whom?
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