Entry No. 17 — the Santa Barbara file — filed under: hot spring
Gaviota Hot Springs (Las Cruces Hot Springs)
A rock-and-concrete soaking basin built by WPA crews in the 1930s sits in a genuinely jungly little canyon on the inland side of Highway 101 — 99°F sulfurous water, sycamores, elderberry, and one naturalized palm tree giving the whole clearing an oasis feel nobody expects four miles from a coastal rest stop.
The story
Pulling off Highway 101 into the Gaviota Peak parking lot feels like an ordinary coastal pit stop until you take the dirt trail inland up the canyon. Built during the 1930s by Works Progress Administration crews, a hand-stacked rock-and-concrete basin traps a natural geothermal spring bubbling out of the hillsides, turning a shadowy pocket of brush into an impromptu public soaking tub.
The water comes out at roughly 99°F—a mild, bath-warm temperature that lets you stay submerged without overheating—carrying a distinct sulfur smell and a pale, milky-blue tint. The canopy around the pool feels curiously out of place: native sycamores and elderberry tangle overhead alongside a single naturalized palm tree, giving the stone basin the vibe of a secret oasis tucked barely four miles from a highway rest stop.
Historically known as Las Cruces Hot Springs, the site consists of two stacked pools. The upper WPA basin catches the clearest, warmest water before spilling over into a mud-bottomed lower pool. You aren't here for high-end spa amenities; you come for the surreal novelty of soaking in a Depression-era stone ruin hidden inside a damp coastal ravine.
What it's like
Park at the Gaviota Peak trailhead lot off the frontage road (be prepared to pay the state park day-use parking fee) and follow the dirt trail uphill for under half a mile before taking the marked side spur down into the creek bed. You'll smell the rotten-egg sulfur aroma before you see the water. The upper WPA pool holds four or five adults comfortably; visit early on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning if you want it to yourself rather than sharing it with local hikers and college students. Wear sandals you don't mind getting muddy, bring a plastic bag for wet swimsuits, and remember that state park rules require clothing.
The move: Do the roughly 2.5-mile round-trip hike from the Gaviota State Park lot up Gaviota Peak Trail to the upper pool (warmer and clearer than the lower one it feeds), soak until the sulfur smell stops being weird, then drive back into town for dinner.
- 📍 Gaviota
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: Gaviota Peak Trailhead, Gaviota State Park, US-101, Gaviota, CA 93117
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- OstrichLand USA — Rinse off the sulfur water and drive ten minutes north up Highway 101 to hold a wooden bowl of feed for dozens of giant flightless birds.
- Lulu Hyggelig (Thomas Dambo Troll) — California Nature Art Museum — Trade an outdoor WPA ruin for an indoor recycled-wood troll built from wine barrels inside Solvang's nature art museum.
- La Purisima Mission — Pair a Depression-era stone soak with a trip to California's only fully reconstructed historic mission complex where you can walk through every room unimpeded.
Good to know
How hot is the water at Gaviota Hot Springs?
It hovers consistently around 99°F, making it a mild warm spring rather than a scalding hot tub.
How long is the hike to reach the soaking pools?
It's a short hike of under half a mile each way from the main Gaviota Peak trailhead parking lot along a dirt trail.
Do I need to pay a fee to access the springs?
Access to the trail and spring is free, but parking in the official Gaviota State Park trailhead lot requires paying the state park day-use fee.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · santabarbaraca.com
last checked: 2026-07-20