Sykes Hot Springs in Big Sur is one of the most famous and popular backcountry hot springs in California, and it is easy to understand why. Outdoor Project may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers. This alone made the trip worth it. yeah." I met plenty of hikers. The trek to Sykes Hot Springs is about 10-miles one way along the Pine Ridge Trail. David Bird, Hanif Payandeh, and Shane Western go backpacking to Sykes Hot Springs in Big Sur California on memorial day weekend 2014. Probably figured they wouldn’t be able to dominate Sykes. Distance and Duration: 10 miles one way on the Pine Ridge trail to Sykes camp, we finished the hike in about 4 hours one way. Feb 23, 2015 - Big Sur has many great destinations, but Sykes Hot Springs is definitely near the top of the list for anyone who has been there. Sykes Hot Springs Big Sur, Los Padres National Forest Photo via AllTrails. Keep walking, you can't miss the springs. Almost every trekker in the area makes a pilgrimage to Sykes Hot Springs at some point, and for good reason. Where can you hike in Big Sur? Mildred King City, CA 93930. Most were in perfect view of either the trail or a part of the campground and none were particularly sturdy. You can find campsites both upstream and downstream. Spent some time trying to get wildlife photos. California State Parks, State of California. The destination has some nice hot springs and a trout filled stream. So at least one part of the Alphabet (Google's parent company) that is Google knows where the Sykes hot springs is (if not the campground). Estimated opening is mid 2020.. Big Sur has two hot springs which are open to the public; Sykes Hot Springs and the hot springs located at the Esalen Institute. Trails, Roads, OHV and Campground Information . Nothing was willing to be close enough to my lens for a good shot – except the lizards. Document created 02 February 2011, last updated 08 November 2017 The Sykes Hot Springs are awesome, I hope to go back. I didn’t stop here on my way in but I did on my way back. Each toilet was a box with a hinged lid atop a hole in the box which was atop a hole in the ground. They are not for the faint of heart. Hiking and camping in Big Sur is always one of those must do's for any native Californian. Is the camp ground and trail still closed? Since Sykes is in federally designated Wilderness and within a protected Wild & Scenic River corridor, the tubs were illegal impoundments and a developed structure inconsistent with Wilderness character. Estimated opening is mid 2020. The next evening I headed over to the Ventana Campground. Big Sur is close enough to UC Santa Cruz that the student population comes out here for the hot springs. Regarding the hot springs, wildfire and heavy winter storm damage in 2016-2017 completely wiped out the trail to Sykes Camp, as well as the hot tubs themselves. 1. Sykes Hot Springs Campground is a campsite in Monterey County. To get to Sykes Hot Springs via the Pine Ridge Trail, it’s about a 10 mile hike. The Soberanes fire of 2016 scorched sections of the Pine Ridge Trail, the route I took on this trip. They went away in the evening when it was cool. The last mile to the river is all downhill. It would be ideal for backpackers to pitch tent here, loose the luggage and head to the springs for a nice hot dip. Sykes Hot Springs in Big Sur is one of the most famous and popular backcountry hot springs in California, and it is easy to understand why. Unfortunately, a wildfire in 2016, followed by subsequent landslides, caused enough damage that the Forest Service closed it. Relaxing hot springs. Update in 2020: Sykes Camp / Sykes Hot Springs is Closed (VentanaWild). Can be extremely crowded. We’ve noticed over the past few weeks that this site has started receiving traffic from people using variations of the phrase “How to sneak into Sykes Hot Springs” as search terms. Trails, Road and Campground Information . Having wanted to hike this trip for a while, intrigued by the hippie-ridden hot springs, we jumped at the opportunity to go with… Than to take a dip in a couple of miles in I threw my bag up on a relatively path. Common courtesy, and for good reason though it takes time and effort to a... You ’ ll find these steaming Springs destination is Sykes camp and the Hot spring pools at Sykes backpacking Sykes... Nice Hot Springs campground is a lot of people there, mostly from local colleges as well as foreign.. T Big your face No matter how fast you walked Bernie ) is... And I ought not to assume it would be a welcome respite the... 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