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Every Hot Spring

Slates Hot Springs

Slates Hot Springs is a resort hot spring near Big Sur in Monterey County, California. Water at the source is recorded at 122°F (50°C), hot enough to scald. It is on private property, so entry needs the owner’s permission.

122°F50°C recorded at the source
Scalding at the source. Do not enter without a cooled, mixed pool.

Slates Hot Springs (also known as Big Sur Hot Springs, Slate's Hot Springs, Slate's Springs, and Slate's Hot Sulphur Springs) is the site of a hot spring in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. It is located 8 miles (13 km) north-northwest of Lopez Point, at an elevation of 118 feet (36 m).

Facts

Coordinates
36.1231, -121.6364 (Google Maps, OSM)
Source temperature
122°F (50°C)
Access
Private property
Type
Resort
Fee
Not recorded
Clothing optional
Not recorded
Nearest town
Big Sur
Data sources
NOAA NCEI, Wikipedia, Wikidata, Official sources (linked below). See sources

Map

Larger marker is Slates Hot Springs; smaller markers are other springs within 50 miles.

Quick answers

Can you soak at Slates Hot Springs?
Slates Hot Springs is on private property. Do not enter without the owner’s permission.
How hot is Slates Hot Springs?
The hottest recorded reading at the source is 122°F (50°C). That is the outlet temperature, not a pool temperature; water cools as it flows away from the source. Water this hot can cause serious burns, so test any pool by hand first.
Where is Slates Hot Springs?
Slates Hot Springs is near Big Sur in Monterey County, California, at coordinates 36.1231, -121.6364.
What other hot springs are near Slates Hot Springs?
The closest listed springs, in straight-line distance, are Dolans Hot Spring, 4 mi; Tassajara Hot Springs, 9 mi; and Sykes Hot Spring, 9 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/Slates_Hot_Springs
  2. Operator website (esalen.org)

Merged from

  1. NOAA NCEI Thermal Springs List (archived 2025): survey location and source temperature, public domain
  2. Wikipedia: short description, CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Wikidata: name, county and website, CC0