Gaviota Peak & Hot Springs
Gaviota State Park (Santa Barbara County) · near Santa Barbara / Buellton · Central Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 6.5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 2,000 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- November–May (hot and dry in summer)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit; small day-use parking fee. A California Campfire Permit isn't needed for the day hike. Combines a summit climb with a rustic hot spring on the way.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Ocean-to-mountain summit views · Rustic trailside hot springs · Channel Islands panorama · Spring wildflowers
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Do the hot springs on the way down as a reward, not on the way up — they'll sap your motivation for the climb. The springs are lukewarm and can be a bit murky; manage expectations, but the setting is lovely. Go after winter rains for the greenest hills and best flow.
The guide
Gaviota Peak offers one of the best ocean-view summit hikes on the Santa Barbara coast, with the bonus of a rustic hot spring t…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Gaviota Peak & Hot Springs — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.501, -120.228