10 springs within 120 miles
Hot springs near Santa Barbara
10 hot springs are within 120 miles of Santa Barbara: the closest is Little Caliente Hot Springs (9 mi), the hottest is Avila Hot Springs (up to 104°F), and the lowest listed adult price is Franklin Hot Springs ($10). Distances are straight-line; driving distances in the mountains can be much longer.
- Little Caliente Hot Springs9 mi
- Big Caliente Hot Springs11 mi
- Gaviota Hot Springs30 mi
- Willett Hot Springs39 mi
- Sespe Hot Springs42 mi
- Avila Hot Springs77 mi
- Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa78 mi
- Beverly Hot Springs83 mi
- Franklin Hot Springs97 mi
- River Oaks Hot Springs Spa102 mi
Little Caliente Hot Springs
A primitive, undeveloped hot spring on the Santa Barbara Ranger District, a short walk from Mono Campground beyond Pendola Station. The Forest Service treats it as day-use only, with no camping at the springs. The Little Caliente Picnic Area and Mono Campground are closed under a storm-damage order through September 15, 2027.
Big Caliente Hot Springs
A day-use hot spring in the Upper Santa Ynez area of Los Padres National Forest, and the only spring on the forest modified with a small concrete retention structure. It sits beside the Big Caliente Picnic Area at the end of a long dirt-road drive from San Marcos Pass. The picnic area is closed under a storm-damage order through September 15, 2027.
Gaviota Hot Springs
Two small warm sulfur springs in the uplands of Gaviota State Park, reached by a somewhat steep climb on the Gaviota Peak Fire Road. The trail starts from a parking lot about 2.5 miles north of the main park entrance, where Highway 1 splits from U.S. 101. The park map puts the springs 0.7 mile from the lot, and the fire road continues on to Gaviota Peak.
Willett Hot Springs
Primitive hot springs in the Sespe Wilderness, about 9 miles east of Piedra Blanca Trailhead on the Sespe River Trail and then 0.6 mile past Willett Camp. The area is open only to foot and horse travel, and parking at the trailhead requires a recreation pass. The Forest Service lists it among the four hot springs on Los Padres open to visitors.
Sespe Hot Springs
Remote hot springs and a hot creek at about 2,600 feet in the Sespe Wilderness, reachable only on foot or horseback. The Forest Service describes three routes: the Sespe River Trail from Piedra Blanca, the Alder Creek Trail from Dough Flat near Fillmore, and the Johnston Ridge Trail from Mutau Flat. It recommends spring visits, since summer temperatures can top 100F.
Avila Hot Springs
A historic hot springs on Avila Beach Drive, two miles from the beach, where oil drillers struck an artesian hot well in 1907. Its 20-by-20-foot mineral soaking pool is about 2 feet deep and kept near 104F, beside a large heated freshwater pool with double slides. Day passes cover both pools, and the site also offers tent and RV camping.
Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa
A resort near Avila Beach built on sulfur mineral wells struck by oil prospectors in 1886. Its 24 private hillside hot tubs sit on wooden decks under sycamore and oak trees and are rented by the hour, from $25 per person on weekdays. A group lagoon with waterfalls and a mineral swimming pool are also bookable, and every guest room has its own mineral tub.
Beverly Hot Springs
A Koreatown bathhouse that describes its water as 100% natural mineral hot spring water. Admission covers gender-separated hot pools, cold plunges, steam rooms and dry saunas for up to two hours, with massage and facials sold separately. A co-ed pool is listed as coming soon.
Franklin Hot Springs
A family-run hot springs on farmland east of Paso Robles, where a 1952 oil survey struck mineral water instead. It has a large spring-fed pool of about 97F, a hot tub of about 100F and a lake for fishing and boating, all on one $10 day pass. The owners say no chemicals are added to the springs, and tent and RV camping is available.
River Oaks Hot Springs Spa
A day spa in Paso Robles that rents geothermal artesian mineral tubs by the hour, either private covered rooms indoors or semi-private open-air tubs outdoors. Soaks cost $30 per person per hour, and the Sip & Soak package adds a wine-tasting flight in an outdoor tub. Massages and facials include a 30-minute indoor soak.