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Every Hot Spring

Little Caliente Spring

Little Caliente Spring is a primitive, undeveloped hot spring near Santa Barbara in California. Water at the source is recorded at 90°F (32°C). Records place it on public land.

90°F32°C recorded at the source
Warm: pleasant on a hot day, cool in winter.

Little Caliente is a hot spring in the Los Padres National Forest north of Juncal Campground, near Big Caliente Hot Springs, with several primitive rock-lined soaking pools that run muddy or clear depending on the season.

Facts

Coordinates
34.5405, -119.6200 (Google Maps, OSM)
Source temperature
90°F (32°C)
Access
Public land
Type
Primitive (undeveloped)
Fee
Not recorded
Clothing optional
Not recorded
Nearest town
Santa Barbara
Data sources
NOAA NCEI, OpenStreetMap, Official sources (linked below). See sources

Map

Larger marker is Little Caliente Spring; smaller markers are other springs within 50 miles.

Quick answers

Can you soak at Little Caliente Spring?
Records place Little Caliente Spring on public land. That is not a guarantee of current access: closures, fire restrictions and road conditions change, so check with the land manager before you go.
How hot is Little Caliente Spring?
The hottest recorded reading at the source is 90°F (32°C). That is the outlet temperature, not a pool temperature; water cools as it flows away from the source.
Where is Little Caliente Spring?
Little Caliente Spring is near Santa Barbara in California, at coordinates 34.5405, -119.6200.
What other hot springs are near Little Caliente Spring?
The closest listed springs, in straight-line distance, are Big Caliente Hot Springs, 3 mi; Agua Caliente Spring, 3 mi; and Montecito Hot Springs, 5 mi.

Before you go

  • Temperatures are measured at the source and can be far hotter than any soaking pool. Test with a hand before stepping in.
  • Access, fees, and road conditions change. Verify with the land manager or owner; "public" here reflects survey records, not a current right of entry.
  • Water in natural springs is untreated. Keep your head above water and avoid soaking with open wounds. Some springs carry Naegleria fowleri risk.
  • Pack out everything, including soap residue. Many springs have been closed because of trash and overcrowding.

Sources

Dataset last rebuilt October 11, 2026. Not yet checked on site by a person. Access, fee, clothing and closure details appear only when a source below states them. How this data is built.

Checked against

  1. Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Caliente_Hot_Springs

Merged from

  1. NOAA NCEI Thermal Springs List (archived 2025): survey location and source temperature, public domain
  2. OpenStreetMap: mapped feature and its tags, ODbL