Sykes Hot Springs
Ventana Wilderness (Big Sur) · near Big Sur · Central Coast
Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Temperature
- ~100–104°F
- Cost
- FREE · Wilderness permit required (self-issue at trailhead) · Big Sur Station parking fee
- Season
- Late spring–fall best · Winter storms make the trail and river crossings serious
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Safety
- This is a strenuous 20-mile round-trip backpack, not a day stroll. River crossings can be dangerous in high water. Pack out everything — overuse closed this place once already; treat it gently.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Nickname
- The Backpacker's Pilgrimage
- Type
- hot-spring
- Temp
- hot
- Clothing optional
- Yes
- Directions
- Pine Ridge Trail from Big Sur Station (Hwy 1) — about 10 miles each way with ~1,600m of cumulative gain, following the Big Sur River through redwood canyons. The springs are near Sykes Camp by the river. Reopened in 2021 after years of fire- and storm-related closure; check current trail status with the Los Padres NF before going.
- Pools
- Small natural stone pools (~100–104°F) beside the Big Sur River under redwoods — intimate, rustic, and entirely earned.
- Intl tip
- The Pine Ridge Trail itself is a Big Sur highlight — Ventana's steep, wild interior is a different world from the Hwy 1 overlooks. Combine with a night at Big Sur's developed campgrounds on either end of the backpack.
The guide
Sykes is California's classic hot-springs backpack — ten miles up the Pine Ridge Trail through Ventana Wilderness redwood canyo…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sykes Hot Springs — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.248, -121.658