Sulphur Hot Spring

Monterey County, California · Near Seaside
36.6180°N, 121.8450°W · 36 ft
100°F 59°F air · Good soaking weather 36 ft Roadside

Sulphur Hot Spring is on the Monterey coast, a mile and change from Seaside, barely above sea level. The water comes out at soaking temperature, close to a hundred degrees. It sits three feet from a road by the mapping, beside it in the plainest sense. Nothing in the record says who owns it or if the public is allowed in, and for a spot this close to a town that question comes first.

Location

Coastal and low, with a cool even climate. No snow. Moderate winter rain. It sits at the pavement edge; the road is not named in our data. The land columns are empty for manager and for unit. No campground appears in the record within a useful range of this point.

Listed best months are the winter ones, though on this coast the weather barely changes between seasons. Roadside. There is no camping on file for this spot. Access is unrecorded. So are fee and ownership. Expect to do your own homework on the legal side before planning a soak here.

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 Sulphur Hot Spring.

Aerial view of the ground around Sulphur Hot Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Sulphur Hot Spring
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.

Setting
Gentle slope
The ground tilts gently up to the northwest.
Highest ground nearby
57 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the northwest
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
97 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 43% 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
52°
Jan
53°
Feb
54°
Mar
56°
Apr
57°
May
61°
Jun
63°
Jul
64°
Aug
64°
Sep
62°
Oct
56°
Nov
52°
Dec
Annual Precip: 18.0 in Annual Snow: 0.1 in
Best Time to Visit
January Air 52°F · Water 100°F · +48° contrast
December Air 52°F · Water 100°F · +48° contrast
February Air 53°F · Water 100°F · +47° contrast
January offers 12°F more contrast than September
Current Conditions
59°F
Cloudy W 16.6 mph 88% Good soaking weather
Tuesday 66° Low 56° Partly Sunny 1% precip
Spring is +34° warmer
Wednesday 66° Low 57° Partly Sunny
Spring is +34° warmer
Thursday 68° Low 57° Partly Sunny
Spring is +32° warmer
Friday 68° Low 56° Mostly Sunny
Spring is +32° warmer
Saturday 67° Low 57° Partly Sunny
Spring is +33° warmer
Where to Stay

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Temperature
100°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 100°F (38°C)
Avg Air Temp 58°F
Above Ambient +42°F
Good soaking conditions September
Access
Road Access Roadside
Distance to Road 3 ft
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Sulphur Hot Spring?
Sulphur Hot Spring has a water temperature of 100°F (38°C). This is considered a hot spring, well above body temperature.
Where is Sulphur Hot Spring located?
Sulphur Hot Spring is located in Monterey County, California at 36 feet elevation, near Seaside. Coordinates: 36.6180°N, 121.8450°W.
How do I get to Sulphur Hot Spring?
Sulphur Hot Spring has Roadside road access (3 ft from the road).