Photo: Nudeturtle at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Sespe Hot Springs
If you're passing
Is it plungeworthy?
A natural thermal spring.
The details
- Soak
- Temperature unrecorded
- Area
- Los Angeles
- Coordinates
- 34.596, -118.998
About Sespe Hot Springs
Sespe Hot Springs is a natural hot spring in California.
At that temperature it's temperature unrecorded — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.
Plungeworthy rates Sespe Hot Springs 5.4/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
The hardest-won soak in California: 194°F water — among the hottest springs in the state — cooling through palm-shaded rock pools deep in the Sespe Wilderness, fifteen trail miles from the nearest pavement. You earn it with a multi-day backpack, and you'll likely have it to yourself.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Piedra Blanca Trailhead, Rose Valley, off CA-33 north of Ojai
- Parking
- Paved trailhead lot — Adventure Pass or interagency pass required
- Road
- Paved to the trailhead; wilderness only beyond
- Hike
- 30.4 mi round trip, 3,622 ft of climb (hard)
- Heads up
- A backpack, not a day hike. Four first-come wilderness camps space out the river trail.
When to go
November through May, full stop — the canyon is dangerously hot in summer, and storm-swollen creek crossings are the winter caveat. Soak pools shift with each flood season.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- Free to visit; Adventure Pass ($5/day) for the trailhead; free fire permit for stoves
- Hours
- None — wilderness
- Camping
- Bear Creek, Oak Flat, Willett, and Coltrell Flat camps along the trail, free, first-come
- Warnings
- The source scalds — soak only in mixed downstream pools. Flash-flood risk at crossings in the wet season, and the adjacent Condor Sanctuary is closed to entry.
Researched from Hike Los Padres — Sespe Hot Springs · Los Padres NF — current conditions. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Sespe Hot Springs recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Before you go
The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.
Common questions
Where is Sespe Hot Springs?
Sespe Hot Springs is a hot spring in California, at 34.596, -118.998.
Is Sespe Hot Springs worth visiting?
If you're passing — Plungeworthy rates it 5.4/10.
Gear for the trip
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