The heavily guarded compound comprises about fifty buildings surrounded by high fences topped with blades and watched around the clock by security personnel, cameras and motion detectors.

The base covers an area of 520-acre (2.1 km2) near 19712 Gilman Springs Road, south-east of its intersection with California State Route 79, in unincorporated Riverside County, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north-northwest of San Jacinto and Hemet.

Both parts of the property are surrounded by a chain link fence topped with "Ultra Barrier" spikes and razor wire, with motion sensors and lights.

[4] Scientology spokesperson Catherine Fraser told the Valley Chronicle newspaper in 2009 that the spikes on the fences were intended to "prevent people and animals from intruding.

"[5] When asked why half the spikes face inwards towards the interior of the compound (as pictured below), Scientology spokesperson Tommy Davis told KESQ-TV that "that's just how they were installed".

[4] It includes a 74,000-square-foot (6,900 m2) studio in the style of a Scottish castle, which was built in 1997–1998 at a cost of $10.8 million to serve as a production facility for Scientology's training and promotional videos.

[4] A short distance to the east, a garage formerly used as a public gas station is now the location of Motor Pool Gold and serves as the maintenance facility for the entire property.

[4] The rest of the southern part of the complex is a landscaped open area with a lake and sports facilities, including basketball and volleyball courts and a baseball diamond.

According to author Janet Reitman, Scientology leader David Miscavige ordered dozens of senior executives to go outdoors in the middle of the night and assemble at either the lake or the base's open-air swimming pool.

[25][26] Changing vacation habits and a decline of public interest in mineral waters meant that Gilman Hot Springs was no longer a viable business by the late 1970s; it went bankrupt and the property was sold in 1978.

Scientology claims that Hubbard "had a fascination with all things Scottish [and] chose the Gilman Hot Springs property after discovering it while scouting filming locations that looked like Scotland".

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office took an interest after it was rumoured that pornographic films were being made there or that an organized crime group had taken over the resort, but the property was hurriedly vacated before an official investigation could begin.

One, erected in the fall of 1979, attributed ownership to the "Western States Scientific Communications Association" while another, replacing the first in April 1980, proclaimed: "Massacre Canyon Development Co. – Future sites condominiums and homes."

Scientology was embroiled in scandal after Hubbard's wife Mary Sue and a number of other Scientologists had been arrested by the FBI the previous year and charged with running an enormous espionage network, Operation Snow White, against the U.S. government.

Hubbard's personal staff, known as the Commodore's Messengers, shuttled between "X" and "S" using various counter-surveillance methods to shake off anyone tracking them: switching between locations, using secret meeting points, relaying information covertly, using aliases and so on.

[17]: 122  Scientologists who had been posted to the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) – a kind of punishment unit – were made to carry out the work of redecorating the house and ensuring that it was free of dust and odors.

[35] The tight security remained, nonetheless; the Boston Globe noted that "curious, unannounced visitors are quickly surrounded by guards, photographed, asked for identification, then urged to leave.

[37]: 264  They were sufficiently confident of success that, in 1982, a mock ship called the Star of California was built at the property as a present to the nautically minded Hubbard, constructed at a reported cost of $500,000.

At a public hearing in December 2008 the Riverside County Supervisor, Jeff Stone, accused the protesters of "oppressing Jews, Christians and black people and encouraging youth suicide and terrorism.

[45] Stone did not disclose at the time that his political fund had received a $5,400 donation from the law firm that represented Scientology at the hearing, and another $600 from the head of the public relations department at Gold Base.

[10] Scientology subsequently backed a proposal to realign the road to go around the base, but a decision was put off indefinitely by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors after discussions in January 2011.

They were also banned from taking any form of public transport or taxis, and instead had to travel on special Scientology buses or in private vehicles driven by approved staff members.

[23]: 273 Claire Headley describes how staff lived in constant paranoia due to being required to submit "knowledge reports" on each other if they heard any critical statements or casual asides.

"[53] The Tampa Bay Times reports that dozens of workers tried to escape from the base – some of them repeatedly – but were caught and returned by Sea Org "pursuit teams".

[51] The odds are stacked against escapees, as the compound is located in the desert, there is only one road in either direction and the surrounding terrain is mountainous and barren, with plenty of scrub and rattlesnakes to hinder movement across country.

[23]: 205  Wright describes how one successful escapee, Guy White, managed to get away from the base in October 1988: Each evening, he went for a stroll along the fence line, a little farther each time, carrying a snack for the German shepherd guard dogs.

"[23]: 274 One of the most prominent VIP visitors to Gold Base is the Scientologist actor Tom Cruise, who first visited in August 1989 to have lunch with Miscavige aboard Star of California.

[17]: 280 Wright reports that when Miscavige heard that Cruise had a fantasy of running with Kidman through a meadow full of wildflowers, he ordered Sea Org members to plant an area of the desert.

Another time, when a mudslide soiled their guest cabin, Miscavige held the entire base responsible for ruining the romantic idyll and ordered everyone to work sixteen-hour days to restore it to its former condition.

Scientology acknowledged that the rules under which the Headleys lived included a ban on having children, censored mail, monitored phone calls, needing permission to have Internet access and being disciplined through manual labor.