Gilroy Hot Springs

Santa Clara County, California · Near San Martin
37.1080°N, 121.4780°W · 1,147 ft
106°F 50°F air · Good soaking weather 1,147 ft Open Roadside SPR
Aerial view of the ground around Gilroy Hot Springs LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Gilroy Hot Springs
Aerial LiDAR bare earth

Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.

Gilroy Hot Springs, formally Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs, is a historic resort property inside Henry W. Coe State Park in Santa Clara County, about seven miles from San Martin. The water is soaking warm. The property is on the National Register. Access is recorded as open, though that refers to the land; what the old buildings and bathhouse allow is another matter our data skips.

Location

Foothills at a little over a thousand feet, inside a state park. The springs lie a couple hundred feet from an unnamed road. Modest rain, no snow. No campground is attached to this spring in our records, and the state park designation is the only thing the row says about who runs the place.

Winter months top the list here. The land is state park, access open, no fee recorded. There is no camping tied to this spring in our data. The water is soaking warm. Because this is a historic landmark with standing structures, check with the park about what is open to visitors.

History of Gilroy Hot Springs

Wikipedia describes Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs as a California Historical Landmark and a National Register property, developed by early settlers and later by Japanese immigrants. The oldest surviving buildings, in Italianate Victorian style, date from the 1870s, the earliest bathhouse from 1890, and a Buddhist shrine and Japanese garden teahouse both from 1939.

Terrain

Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Gilroy Hot Springs.

Setting
Hillside
The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the west.
Highest ground nearby
601 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the west
Cross-section through the spring

A slice through the ground from northwest to southeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.

Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.

Heat Below
108 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 58% of the springs on this site.

Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.

Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.

Monthly Climate
49°
Jan
50°
Feb
53°
Mar
56°
Apr
59°
May
65°
Jun
68°
Jul
69°
Aug
68°
Sep
63°
Oct
54°
Nov
48°
Dec
Annual Precip: 17.6 in Annual Snow: 0.1 in
Best Time to Visit
January Air 49°F · Water 106°F · +58° contrast
December Air 48°F · Water 106°F · +58° contrast
February Air 50°F · Water 106°F · +56° contrast
January offers 21°F more contrast than August
Current Conditions
50°F
Clear N 0.0 mph 82% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 82° Low 51° Sunny
Spring is +24° warmer
Wednesday 77° Low 50° Mostly Sunny 2% precip
Spring is +29° warmer
Thursday 81° Low 49° Mostly Sunny
Spring is +25° warmer
Friday 86° Low 51° Sunny
Spring is +20° warmer
Saturday 85° Low 52° Sunny
Spring is +21° warmer
Where to Stay

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Temperature
106°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 106°F (41°C)
Avg Air Temp 59°F
Above Ambient +48°F
Good soaking conditions September
Access
Open
Road Access Roadside
Distance to Road 259 ft
Land
Ownership State
Agency SPR
Designation State Park
Unit Henry W. Coe State Park
Manager SPR
Protection 4 - No known protection
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Gilroy Hot Springs?
Gilroy Hot Springs has a water temperature of 106°F (41°C). This is considered a hot spring, well above body temperature.
Where is Gilroy Hot Springs located?
Gilroy Hot Springs is located in Santa Clara County, California at 1,147 feet elevation, near San Martin. Coordinates: 37.1080°N, 121.4780°W.
How do I get to Gilroy Hot Springs?
Gilroy Hot Springs has Roadside road access (259 ft from the road).
Is Gilroy Hot Springs free to visit?
Gilroy Hot Springs has Open access. It is managed by SPR.
Sources: Wikipedia