Astrophotography at Mercey Hot Springs

Directions to Mercey Hot Springs: Drive to Watsonville, then Hwy 129 to San Juan Bautista and Hollister, south to Paicines and turn left onto Panoche Road, over the hills into Panoche Valley and past the old cowboy bar and left onto Little Panoche Rd to Mercey Hot Springs. Then go one mile further past the hot springs and look for a dirt road - Panoche Access (sign is pictured on this page). Drive up this road a few miles till you get to a locked gate, at the hilltop, which has a panoramic view in all directions. Click here to see a large scale map and note "Mercey Hot Springs" on the right side. Click here for a close up and note the red "X" circle where our site is. If you have a GPS, the coordinates are at the bottom of the page. And this link shows an aerial picture of our site from close up. Here's some more maps I made. Here, here, here, and here.