It is on the border of the Ventana Wilderness and within the Los Padres National Forest, southeast of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

The center is only accessible over 5,082-foot-high (1,549 m) Chews Ridge via a narrow, steep, 13.7-mile (22.0 km) one-lane dirt road from Jamesburg.

[4][5] The 126-acre mountain property surrounding the Tassajara Hot Springs was purchased by the San Francisco Zen Center in 1967 for the below-market price[6] of $300,000[5] from Robert and Anna Beck.

[11][12][13] The Tassajara Center was threatened by the 2016 Soberanes Fire; it escaped damage[11] but was closed to guests for the remainder of the year.

The guest season, with less rigorous daily schedules,[17] is a cornerstone of Tassajara's economic well-being.