Sykes Hot Spring

01.05.10 - 11:16 am | Gary Hanauer |

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Rating: A

Fans of Sykes say it's well worth hiking 10 miles to experience soaking in one or more of its six warm pools. Afterward, you can pick from a pair of campgrounds to spend the night. These attractions are located high in the hills above the Big Sur River. The walk isn't easy: it's moderately steep and, for the first few miles, fairly open and sun-baked. "If this is your first time backpacking and you aren't in great shape and are a wimp, then this may not be a good starter trail for you," says Sarah of San Francisco. Sykes gets more visitors in spring than any other season, so to avoid waiting up to a whopping two hours to use the two most popular soakers, come another time. Or, who knows, you may get lucky. Sarah visited this Memorial Day weekend in late May and posted on Yelp: "never had trouble getting into the hot springs when we wanted to." Want to take your dog with you? A number of hikers bring their furry friends with them, often offleash.

Legal status:

Part of the Ventana Wilderness area of the Los Padres National Forest.

How to find it:

From Monterey, go south on Highway 1. Park at the Big Sur Ranger Station off Highway 1. Get a hiking permit and a map, then follow Pine Ridge Trail for about 10 miles as it winds along and roughly parallels the Big Sur River. After some switchbacks, the trail levels and goes downhill. It leads to the pools. Two campgrounds, Sykes (12 miles from the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park trailhead) and Pine Ridge, are in the area. "We brought a few beers each in our bags and used the river as a refrigerator," says Sarah.

The beach:

The path will take you to various pools, including one that holds five people next to a fallen tree and large boulder and another on a riverbank.

The crowd:

In spring, expect lots of visitors, all of them most likely naked. But in summer, fall, or winter, you may have Sykes all to yourself.

Problems:

Wait often required to use springs; increased garbage; varying water temperature (depending on season and year); steep and dry trail; fire damage in area.