Big Caliente Hot Springs
- Location
- California, United States
- Water type
- bicarbonate
- Temperature
- 35 °C
- pH
- 7.2
Water profile
Soothing — neither hot nor cold, perfect balance.
Loaded with major ions — the essential minerals (Ca, Mg).
Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.
Big Caliente Hot Springs is a primitive natural hot spring in Los Padres National Forest above Santa Barbara, California, where bicarbonate-rich water at around 39°C flows into a series of natural stone pools in the backcountry of the Santa Ynez Mountains. The site, accessible by a dirt road through the chaparral-covered hills, offers a rugged and authentic California hot springs experience popular with Santa Barbara locals and backcountry enthusiasts. The surrounding Los Padres wilderness, with its rare California condors, native oak woodland, and dramatic coastal mountain scenery overlooking the Santa Barbara Channel, provides a spectacular natural setting.