Categorized by region:
North
Central West
Central East
South
When There's Fire & Rain in California
FIRE WATCH June – Sept!
• Caltrans 1-800-427-7623 (road conditions)
• Latest California Fire Maps
Details: Unfortunately, Southern California often has high fire danger June – September. Drought and high winds can exacerbate this issue, and fires can spread with frightening speed. Always double check local sources about road conditions and fire dangers, during this season.
Caltrans is also a good resource year round, for road conditions. Highway 1, is one of the most expensive roads to maintain in the United States, since it often sits along the ocean. The cliff defying stretch along favorite tourist destinations, such as Big Sur, is more prone than most, to having problems with falling rocks, mudslides. fog. and floods, during winter.
When There’s Fire & Rain in California
FIRE WATCH June – Sept!
• Caltrans 1-800-427-7623 (road conditions)
• Latest California Fire Maps
Details: Unfortunately, Southern California often has high fire danger June – September. Drought and high winds can exacerbate this issue, and fires can spread with frightening speed. Always double check local sources about road conditions and fire dangers, during this season.
Caltrans is also a good resource year round, for road conditions. Highway 1, is one of the most expensive roads to maintain in the United States, since it often sits along the ocean. The cliff defying stretch along favorite tourist destinations, such as Big Sur, is more prone than most, to having problems with falling rocks, mudslides. fog. and floods, during winter.
Best Family Hot Springs
They’re out there! Share your insites… and read the recommendation of others.
Related Links
In the Sky…
Lunar Calendar. Moon phase graphics calculated by most any date between 1951-2015.
Meteor Shower Calendar and Tips for the lay person.
IMO Meteor Calendar International Meteor Organization’s nice info packed page, culled from IMO’s Visual Meteor Database, “the single most accurate listing available anywhere today for naked-eye meteor observing.” Lots of nice diagrams, viewing suggestions, and scientific jargon.
On the Ground…
www.soak.net for natural hot springs temperatures and GPS locations across the USA.
All Around…
Worldwide Directory of Clothing Optional Destinations Search or browse through nearly 600 clothing optional places. Bed and Breakfast Inns, Resorts, Campgrounds, Spas, Beaches, Hot Springs, Associations, and clubs can be found in this, the largest directory of its kind.
NudistParksUSA.NET Find U.S. Nudist and Clothing Optional Parks, Clubs, Inns and Resorts by Zip Code.
California North
NOTE: Always doublecheck your destination directions and information before starting your journey.
Try as we might to be accurate, our sources are sometimes incorrect.
Please let us know if there’s a mistake, or another worthy hot springs that we should include, and we’ll change the map!
To post non-map comments, please post to the appropriate individual hot spring.
Big Bend Hot Springs (CLOSED)
California North
Big Bend, California coordinates: 41.019803, -121.907881
(REOPENED or CLOSED?): [3/14/2015 – I’m currently waiting to hear back from the caretakers of Big Bend Hot Springs. – Editor ]
Despite a neighbor kindly reporting that the hot spring is “reopening”, the website says it’s closed. Big Bend Hot Springs has been closed and undergoing many years of attending to Shasta County-required repairs and code upgrades.
Primitive, Developed
Indoor and oudoor hot tubs, natural pools
Clothing optional? Yes
fee: $, Payment accepted: unknown, cash, Credit Cards
Shelter: camping/ RV hookups/ cabins
Food: community organic garden, diet programs
massage:
Nearby activities:
Address: 196 Hot Springs Row, P.O. Box 186, Big Bend, CA 96011
phone: 1-530-337-6606 (updated May 2008)
Email: info [at] bigbendhotsprings.org (updated May 2008)
Website: www.bigbendhotsprings.org
Directions: Just outside Big Bend,on Hot Springs Row.
Details: NO smoking, alcohol or drugs. Attracts new-age health seekers. Variety of tubs in and outside of bathhouse. Natural pools are beside the Pit River.
Campbell Hot Springs
California North
(renamed Sierra Hot Springs in 1989)
There seems to be some confusion between this and Sierra Hot Springs. They are listed as 2 separate places in the book “Great Hot Springs of the West” ’93, yet the descriptions and locations sound very familiar though PO box’s different. Anyone know the truth here?
outdoor hot swimming pools, indoor and outdoor hot tubs
clothing optional in bathing areas
fee $
notes: According to our readers “Actually Campbell HS is not used but owned by Sierra HS. Sierra has their own wells that feed to only hot tub opened in winter.” “Harbin bought it in like 1989 and named it Sierria hot springs…the spring comes out of the ground in 2 different places… where google map shows is where the one of the springs comes up by the main lodge and to the northwest on the hill about ¼ away the other spring comes up. Harbin also bought a hotel in the town Seirraville a few miles from the springs so one of the addresses might just be for the hotel.”
address: P.O. Box 38,Sierraville,CA 96126.
how to get there: About one mile Southeast of Sierraville, off Lemon Canyon Road. Turn off Lemon Canyon Road onto Campbell Hot Spring Road, past the airport and continue to end of road.
phone: 530 994-3773 (916 994-3737 outdated)
email:
shelter: camping/lodging
food: picnic area/ vegetarian meals from produce on site.
payment accepted: Visa, MC & Discover plus personal checks accepted.
massage: yes/ plus a wide range of programs including rebirthing.
Drakesbad Guest Ranch
FIRE WARNING! (8/8/2009) – contact Caltrans 1-800-427-7623 (road conditions)
California North
Seasonal, outdoor hot-spring-fed swimming pool, indoor tubs.
bathing suit req in pool
fee $
address: 2150 N. Main St., no. 5 Red Bluff, CA 96080
how to get there: In Lassen National Park, at the end
of Warner Valley Road. c/o California Guest Services, Inside the Park
phone: 530/529-1512
Fax 530/529-4511
Website: www.drakesbad.com
Rates: $115-$140 per person, double occupancy. Rates include meals
Payment accepted: DISC, MC, Visa
shelter: Upscale rustic lodging/cabins (some with electricity, most with
kerosene lamps). 19 units, no phone.
food: restaurant
payment accepted:
massage: no
temperature:
Map: Lassen Volcanic Park Detail, or Google Map http://tinyurl.com/86ds9
DIRECTIONS to Lassen:
About 3 hrs and 40 min from San Francisco.
From San Francisco, I-80 E entry ramp to Bay Bridge/Oakland – go 53 mi
Take the I-505 N ramp to Winters/Redding – go 0.2 mi
Take the I-505 N ramp – go 34 mi
Continue on I-5 N – go 95 mi
Take the CA-36 E/CA-99 S exit 649 to Central Red Bluff/Chico – go 0.4 mi
Bear right at CA-36/CA-99 – go 40 mi
Turn right at CA-172 – go 5.8 mi
Turn left at Tamarack Way – go 0.1 mi
Continue on Birch Way – go 0.1 mi
Turn left at Dogwood Way – go 0.1 mi
NOTES: Seasonal, only open early June to early Oct. Children’s center. The only lodge in Lassen Park, in a high mountain valley. It is located on the south side of the park and accessed through the town of Chester. Surrounded by meadows, lakes, and streams. Very popular and often booked as far as 2 years in advance. Call May or June regarding cancellations. Drakesbad as a historic cultural landscape has recently been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. First homesteaded by Edward Drake in the late 1800s and purchased by Alex Sifford in 1900 as a business endeavor, Drakesbad consists of a historic lodge, dining hall, cabins, hot spring fed pool, recreational lake, and trail system nestled in a beautiful meadow in Warner Valley with views of Mt. Harkness and Flatiron Ridge. The Siffords owned and managed Drakesbad for nearly 60 years to provide recreation and tourism opportunities for many people. The property was sold to the National Park Service in 1958. Lassen Volcanic National Park continues to operate Drakesbad as guest accommodations in a fashion similar to the historic ways that the Siffords did.