Radium Sulphur Springs

Los Angeles County, California · Near Hollywood
34.0835°N, 118.3231°W · 282 ft
69°F air · Good soaking weather 282 ft Roadside Camping nearby (13.7 mi)
Aerial view of the ground around Radium Sulphur Springs LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Radium Sulphur 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.

Radium Sulphur Springs was a hot spring on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, and the operative word is was. It came out of a failed oil well and ran as a spa in the early twentieth century. There is no temperature on file and nothing to soak in today; the point on the map marks a piece of Los Angeles history at a city street address.

Location

Melrose Avenue, north side, between Larchmont and Gower. The map point sits a foot off the road, which is to say on the street. Elevation is a couple hundred feet, the climate is dry and mild, and the nearest recorded campground is Millard, about fourteen miles off. No land unit applies to a city block.

The record carries no temperature and no season, which fits a spring that closed as a spa a century ago. Treat the listing as a historical marker. Millard Campground, roughly fourteen miles, is the one camping entry. Nothing about fees or access is on file.

History of Radium Sulphur Springs

The spring appeared in 1905 when an attempt to drill fifteen hundred feet for oil brought up hot water instead. G. P. Gehring opened it as a spa in 1908. The owners claimed the water was radioactive and sold it as germicidal and blood purifying, marketing the supposed radioactivity as liquid sunshine.

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 Radium Sulphur Springs.

Setting
Open ground
Flat, open ground all around.
Highest ground nearby
20 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the northeast
Cross-section through the spring

A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.

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

Heat Below
78 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's close to the US average of 65. It's higher than at 13% 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
55°
Jan
56°
Feb
59°
Mar
63°
Apr
65°
May
70°
Jun
74°
Jul
76°
Aug
74°
Sep
69°
Oct
61°
Nov
54°
Dec
Annual Precip: 10.5 in Annual Snow: 0.0 in
Current Conditions
69°F
SE 2.3 mph 77% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 77° Low 63° Partly Sunny 9% precip
Wednesday 78° Low 62° Patchy Fog then Mostly Sunny 4% precip
Thursday 78° Low 61° Mostly Sunny
Friday 80° Low 61° Sunny
Saturday 82° Low 64° Sunny
Where to Stay

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Nearby Camping
Millard Campground 13.7 mi away

Gate may be closed due to High Fire danger.     Elevation: 1900-Foot ElevationAmenities: 6 hike-in campsites- Picnic tables and campfire rings, vault toilets, no piped water. Seasonal stream water may be available (treat before using). However, water flow may be low or non-existent due to reduced rainfall.Hiking: Just a short hike to the 50' Millard Falls.  Fees: Camping - Adventure Pass/America the Beautiful Pass Required. Campsites are first come-first served. No reserving or holding of cam...

Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
No data recorded
Avg Air Temp 65°F
Access
Road Access Roadside
Nearest Road Melrose Avenue
Distance to Road 1 ft
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Radium Sulphur Springs located?
Radium Sulphur Springs is located in Los Angeles County, California at 282 feet elevation, near Hollywood. Coordinates: 34.0835°N, 118.3231°W.
How do I get to Radium Sulphur Springs?
Radium Sulphur Springs has Roadside road access, with the nearest road being Melrose Avenue (1 ft from the road).
Can I camp near Radium Sulphur Springs?
Yes, Millard Campground is located nearby (13.7 miles away).
Sources: Wikipedia