Ventura County, California
Sespe Hot Springs
Sespe Hot Springs is one of the more difficult clothing-optional hot springs to reach in the lower 48 — a backcountry destination deep in the Sespe Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest, roughly 16 miles each way from the nearest trailhead.
- Day use
- LGBTQ-friendly
About this place
Sespe Hot Springs is one of the more difficult clothing-optional hot springs to reach in the lower 48 — a backcountry destination deep in the Sespe Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest, roughly 16 miles each way from the nearest trailhead. The route involves a serious multi-day backpacking effort across exposed terrain in Southern California's mountains, with limited water sources and significant elevation changes. Visitors are nearly always dedicated backpackers who came specifically for the springs. The reward is a series of natural mineral pools at temperatures from very hot near the source to comfortable downstream. The setting is a remote canyon with no facilities, no services, and no other humans for miles outside the small naturist community that maintains the place by tradition. Cell service is nonexistent. The closest road is hours of walking away. Clothing-optional use at Sespe is by long convention rather than formal designation. The community is tight-knit and deeply protective of the area's wild character. Visitors who pack out their trash, respect the springs' chemistry by not using soap or sunscreen in the pools, and behave with backcountry courtesy are welcomed. Visitors who don't aren't, and word travels. This is not a casual visit. The Sespe Wilderness requires real backpacking skill, water-management planning, and serious physical fitness. Wildfire risk has periodically closed access — check Los Padres National Forest's current status before planning a trip. For most travelers, simpler hot springs like Deep Creek or Buckeye Hot Spring are more realistic destinations.
Etiquette & ground rules
Backcountry rules apply. Pack everything in and pack everything out — including human waste in WAG bags. Don't use soap, sunscreen, or insect repellent in the pools; the mineral chemistry is sensitive. Clothing-optional culture is universal at the springs. Photography of others is not done. Keep voices low; the canyon carries sound. Stay on established trails. The community's continued access depends entirely on visitors who maintain the area; don't be the visitor who ruins it.
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