Sykes Hot Springs

We sucked the marrow out of the bones of the Thanksgiving turkey weekend, braving some cool, windy (but sunny!) weather to sleuth out the famed hot springs of Big Sur's Ventana Wilderness.   A soak in the rustic springs - with two cute Czech boys thrown in for good measure! - more than prepared us for the frightfully strong winds that swept our riverside camp after dinner.  In the absence of a campfire - prohibited by Forest Service regulations - the warm companionship of new friends held the chill at bay.

Here’s the perfect opportunity to burn off that extra helping of Thanksgiving stuffing and treat your weary muscles to a nice warm soak after doing so!

After meeting up for a carpool in Monterey (Highway 1 and Soledad Drive) at 8:00AM sharp on Saturday, November 28, we’ll make our way down the Big Sur coast and hike ten miles along the Pine Ridge Trail to our riverside camp beside Sykes Hot Springs, a series of three rock-lined pools fed by sulfur springs. The Pine Ridge Trail is one of the most scenic trails in Central California, affording ravishing views of coast, mountains and deep wilderness canyons. It endured the ravages of the Basin Complex Fire in the summer of 2008 and has only recently been re-opened to the public. We’ll break camp Sunday morning, and return to Monterey by late Sunday afternoon.

Be advised that this trip will be fast-paced, covering twenty miles in two days over challenging, roller-coaster terrain, and is thus suitable only for experienced backpackers in good shape; participants will be asked about their recent backpacking experience. Also, because some visitors prefer to enjoy the hot springs in the nude, this isn’t the trip for you if you are at all uncomfortable with public nudity. Owing to ongoing hazards resulting from the 2008 fire, this trip is strictly dependent upon a favorable weather forecast. High winds and rain can easily topple trees killed or weakened by fire, causing life-threatening hazards for hikers and campers, so we’ll hope for one of those balmy, bluebird interludes autumn on the Central Coast is so famous for. A National Weather Service forecast of wind or rain within 72 hours of our start will therefore cancel this outing, as will fewer than four confirmed signups.