California / Best hot springs

The 10 best hot springs in California

Our pick of the hot springs in California most worth the trip, from easy resort pools to wild riverside soaks. Each has directions, water temperature and a daily closure check.

10 springs

Beverly Hot Springs, CaliforniaNo closures reported

Beverly Hot Springs

Near Koreatown, Los Angeles · Resort

95–105°F·Drive-up·Paid

Why these made the list

  1. Wild Willy's Hot Springs

    The classic Eastern Sierra soak. A quarter-mile boardwalk leads to shallow 95-105°F pools with big caldera views. It is free and busy on weekends, so go on a weekday or late evening.

  2. Travertine Hot Springs

    Pools on travertine terraces above Bridgeport Valley, from 90°F up to 125°F depending on how close you sit to the source. Free, a short walk from parking, and best in spring and fall.

  3. Grover Hot Springs State Park

    A state park pool kept at 102-104°F, with a cooler swimming pool alongside. Swimsuits are required and it is open year-round, which makes it an easy, family-friendly choice in the Sierra. Reserve ahead in busy periods.

  4. Montecito Hot Springs

    A cascade of six or seven rock-walled pools in a canyon above Santa Barbara, hotter near the top. It is a 1.4 mile hike each way. Arrive early for parking and skip Red Flag days.

  5. Orr Hot Springs Resort

    A clothing-optional retreat near Ukiah with hot pools around 104°F, a cold pool, sauna and steam room. A good pick for the north coast side of the state. Check day-use availability before you drive.

  6. Benton Hot Springs

    A family-run Eastern Sierra resort where spring water is piped to private tubs at campsites, rooms and rental houses. Only overnight guests soak, you can mix the temperature yourself, and winter is lovely.

  7. Calistoga Spa Hot Springs

    Four geothermal pools from 80 to 104°F in downtown Calistoga, plus mud baths and massages. Hotel guests use the pools free and outsiders can buy limited day passes. A good wine country soak.

  8. Beverly Hot Springs

    A gender-separated, Korean-style bathhouse in Koreatown, Los Angeles, with a hot pool, cold plunge, steam room and dry sauna. Fed by a deep artesian well, it is the easy city option.

  9. Esalen Institute Hot Springs

    Cliffside baths above the Pacific at Esalen in Big Sur. The baths are only for people on an Esalen weekend or weeklong workshop, so it's a place to plan a stay around, not a drop-in soak.

  10. Palm Spring, Saline Valley

    Two user-built tubs in Saline Valley, Wizard Pool at 105-112°F and Volcano Pool at 98-104°F. It takes a long, rough drive and real preparation, but it is quiet and wild. Go fall to spring.