Sespe Hot Springs Mar 8

I do not think I have ever really done a real bikepacking trip before but with the Grade Valley Road seasonally closed until May I thought it might be a good opportunity to have a quiet approach to Sespe Hot Springs, another place I had not been to in well over 15 years! Keith loaned me his box of bikepacking gear and I tuned up my bikes ready to go. The plan was a 11 mile bike ride on Grade Valley Road and then a 9 mile hike on the Johnston Ridge Trail to Sespe Hot Springs. Thinking access was more difficult this time of year I was hoping for few people at the hot springs (but being the weekend in southern California it was plenty busy). We got a bleary eyed start from Riverside and parked at the locked gate near Lockwood Valley Road. It took time to rig the bikes but I was pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the bikepacking gear in carrying our camping gear effectively. We set off at about 8:30am, a cold start on the uphill paved portion of the road. At the first saddle the road became dirt, more in line with my memory. Progress was slow through the slight up and down of the hanging flats, but the desolate open pine forests and quietness were pleasant. At the second saddle we peered down Grade Valley and I could see the low gap on the distant horizon that would lead us into the Sespe catchment. I enjoyed the steep descent into Grade Valley, but lamented the suffering of having to climb it on the way out.

Before too long we were at Piru Creek which I was thinking might require us to dismount and wade across. It turned out to be shallow enough that we could paddle on through with care. We crossed three times and then climbed the last hill away from the Piru. It took us about 1hr 40min to get to the Johnston Trail trailhead area (now a very developed staging area rather than the 3 car pull-out I remembered it as). 

The mighty Piru Creek

It did not take all that long to convert from bike mode to backpack mode and stash the bikes in the bushes. We walked the trail which was somewhat overgrown in places and obnoxiously crossed in and out of side drainages and over two extra saddles as the trail bypassed the private inholdings of Mutau Flat. The main highlights were the occasional views of Mutau Flat and the mature stands of bright red manzanita.

Mutau Flat

At the edge of Mutau Flat we peered down the head of Hot Springs Canyon. It looked like a long descent to the distant mountains on the other side of the Sespe but we worked our way at it steadily. The trail contours around the head of the drainage to gain the prominent Johnston Ridge and then follows its ridgeline down. We past the interesting fan surfaces cut into a strath terrace, prominent grassy surfaces I remember from my last trip here.

Descending Johnston Ridge

My excitement grew as we neared the hot springs and especially once I caught my first glimpse of their steaming source without any people in view. It took us about 3.5 hours to finally reach the floor of the canyon. Unfortunately a group of about 5 people arrive probably minutes before us and promptly took the prime upper palms campspot. We strategically dropped our packs at a nice creekside camping spot a comfortable distance upstream from the palms and then set out to walk up the creek sampling pool temperatures as we went. We also noticed a happy group of eight bighorn sheep on the hillside above the hot springs and continued to see them until nightfall. The source was just as boiling hot as I remembered it. The hot springs themselves are interesting enough with at least a dozen sources leaking out over metamorphic gneiss and Tertiary shale contact for a thousand foot length of the creek. The result is that the creek gradually decreases in temperature downstream but sneakily some nice temperature locations can be found hidden between rejuvenating springs and seeps. The geological map (Dibblee) suggests that it is a depositional contact but I have to say it seemed more like a fault contact to me. Regardless this is probably the highest volume hot spring in southern California and provides a unique opportunity in that rather than competing with others for the one hot spring pool, the cascading creek allows a large number of people to have pools to themselves spread out such that you can have your view to yourself.

Ridge-view of Hot Springs Canyon

We continued up the pricky pear-covered fan surfaces to the mouth of Poplar Creek where memory served that we would find clean cold drinking water and we did. We found a convenient pool at the base of a small boulder falls and stocked up to max capacity, fortunately just about the right amount that meant we would not have to collect water again the rest of the trip.

Returning from getting water in Poplar Creek

We hoped to soak in a partially shaded pool halfway back to our packs but found it much too hot. Also a picturesque pool at the confluence of two stream braids was also too hot. I realized one of these braids was less hot than the other and followed it up finding the perfect temperature pool! It needed some work though so refusing to relax just yet I grabbed the resident shovel from the palms camp and dug out the gravelly shale chip sediment from the pool while simultaneously shoring up the pool's dam and plastering algae into the voids to reduce permeability. After about 20 minutes of effort I increased the pool's water level by at least six inches and we had the perfect soaking pool to lounge out the rest of the evening. 

Not too shabby!

The wind continued at intervals and other groups began to arrive. I set up the tent to formally stake our claim on our chunk of paradise (with plenty of other options for others). We watched the bighorn sheep from the springs and ate dinner. We sat in the hot springs well into the evening, enjoying the great star show and the light winds. We both wish we could have stayed another day rather than an early morning wake up to retrace our days steps.

Well camouflaged bighorns

Fortunately the night was not too cold. We set out from camp at about 6:30am. Walking out I was surprised to see that there were at least 7 other groups in total that arrived at the hot springs, nearly all camping downstream. The return hike and bike were not too notable other than the slow steady grind to regain elevation. We did opt for a cross country return skirting the property boundary at Mutau Flat which cut out the worst of the trail and saved some time and effort.

View of the palms

Hiking the fenceline past Mutau Flat

The return hike took us 3hrs 45min, not bad considering. The return bike closer to 3hrs this time. Once we hit the pavement at the final saddle came five minutes of very enjoyable downhill back to the car.