Crabtree Hot Springs, California is a hot spring in Lake County, California at about 689 m (2,260 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Upper Lake, about 15.9 km (9.9 mi) away (Crabtree Hot Springs, California lies NNE of town).
Crabtree Hot Springs is a geological phenomenon in Lake County, California, about 25 miles (40 km) north of Upper Lake. It is located on private property and closed to the public. It lies at an elevation of 2,257 feet (688 m). There is a cluster of four natural hot springs at this location, in an isolated narrow winding steep walled canyon on the north bank of the Rice Fork of the Eel River, about one fourth mile downriver from its junction with Salt Creek. Three of the hot springs are aligned in one area at a large swimming hole, while the fourth hot spring is about 60 feet (18 m) back upriver. The temperature of the hottest spring is 106 °F (41 °C), with a flow rate of about 10 US gallons (38 L) per minute.From the Wikipedia article “Crabtree Hot Springs, California”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crabtree Hot Springs, California the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 58° ENE | 8:42 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 56m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 120° ESE | 4:52 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 24m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Steam is most visible on cold mornings; backlight from a low sun makes rising steam glow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:01 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 20m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 25m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Crabtree Hot Springs, California, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:18 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:28 AM – 5:48 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:54 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:26 AM – 4:06 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:40 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 2:12 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 12:18 AM | 2.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:12 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:03 PM – 8:13 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.54 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 10% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (58%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 72 | 72 | 79 | 90 | 103 | 111 | 116 | 113 | 110 | 102 | 88 | 72 |
| Low °F | 24 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 35 | 40 | 52 | 51 | 42 | 35 | 24 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.8 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 6.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this hot spring
- Condensation forms quickly on lenses; let gear acclimate and carry a cloth.
- Keep to boardwalks and marked paths — crusts around thermal features can be thin and the water dangerously hot.
- A polarizer brings out the colors of mineral terraces and microbial mats.
- Respect bathers' privacy: ask before including people at soaking pools.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Winter gives the most dramatic steam; some primitive springs are only accessible in summer.
Suggested gear: Circular polarizer, Lens cloth, Telephoto for distant pools. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Crabtree Hot Springs, California, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Letts Lake Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Letts Lake Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi)
- Mill Valley Campground10.5 km (6.5 mi) · reservable
- Dixie Glade Campground11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Dixie Glade Campground11.4 km (7.1 mi)
FAQ
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.