New Mexico hot springs
77 springs, hottest at the source is Sulphur Springs at 189°F. 3 are on public land.
New Mexico’s hot springs sort neatly into four regions, each with a different character: free forest soaks in the Jemez Mountains northwest of Santa Fe, river pools in the Rio Grande gorge near Taos, a small town built entirely around bathhouses on the lower Rio Grande, and wilderness springs in the Gila that you earn on foot. This directory lists 93 New Mexico springs. The practical ones are below.
Where the springs are
The Jemez Mountains (NM 4, north of Jemez Springs). The Santa Fe National Forest holds the state’s best free soaks. Spence Hot Springs is a short walk from a small paved lot about five miles north of the Jemez Ranger District office: day use only, no camping, no glass, no fires, dogs leashed, and nudity is a violation of state law that the forest says it cites. The pool is small and has cooled over the years from the 95°F it was once known for to roughly body temperature. The Forest Service also posts a warning there about Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba found in warm springs, and tells visitors to keep water out of their noses. McCauley Hot Springs is a longer hike to a warm pool, day use only. San Antonio Hot Springs, up a rough forest road that closes seasonally, is the hottest and most scenic of the three (129°F at the source, with cooler terraced pools below) and has no facilities. In the village, Jemez Springs Bath House and Jemez Hot Springs are the paid options, both with minimum ages, and Soda Dam Hot Spring is a roadside travertine formation where the hot water meets the Jemez River.
Taos and the Rio Grande gorge. Manby Hot Springs and Black Rock Hot Springs are rock-lined pools on the banks of the Rio Grande below the gorge rim, reached by dirt roads and short, steep trails. Manby floods when the river is high and the trail has poison ivy. Ojo Caliente, southwest of Taos, is a historic resort built over several distinct mineral springs with day soaking and lodging. Ponce de Leon Springs south of Taos is also in the directory; confirm access before visiting.
Truth or Consequences. This town on the Rio Grande was simply called Hot Springs until March 1950, when residents voted to rename it after Ralph Edwards’ radio show, and the hot mineral water under downtown is still its real identity. A dozen bathhouses and motels pipe it into private tubs and riverside pools; Riverbend Hot Springs has outdoor pools on the river, Artesian Bath House has operated since 1930, and several others set minimum ages of 12 or so. This is the easiest hot springs trip in the state: drive in, check in, soak. The Truth or Consequences entry here is recorded at 113°F.
The Gila. Gila Hot Springs, on the road to the Gila Cliff Dwellings north of Silver City, is a campground with riverside soaking pools. From there the Gila Wilderness begins: Jordan Hot Springs is a river-crossing hike up the Middle Fork, Lightfeather (Gila / Lightfeather Hot Springs) is a short walk from the visitor center, and Turkey Creek Hot Spring (165°F at the source) is a long, hot canyon trip for experienced hikers. Near Glenwood, San Francisco Hot Springs and the Frisco Hot Springs sit in the San Francisco River canyon in the Gila National Forest. Faywood Hot Springs south of Silver City is a rustic resort, and Mimbres Hot Springs is in the directory as a source only.
Elsewhere. Montezuma Hot Springs near Las Vegas, New Mexico, are free roadside rock pools (138°F at the source) that are only usable where the water has cooled. Radium Hot Springs near Las Cruces and the Socorro springs are in the directory as sources rather than soaks.
When to go
Fall and spring are the easiest seasons everywhere. Summer monsoon storms, roughly July through September, can flash-flood the canyon pools in the Jemez and the Gila, and the Rio Grande gorge pools go under during spring runoff. Winter is excellent at Spence and San Antonio if the road is open, and Truth or Consequences is a year-round town. Gila trails get dangerously hot in June.
Etiquette and safety
- Nudity is illegal on public land in New Mexico and the Jemez district writes tickets. Faywood and Ojo have their own policies; everywhere else assume suits.
- Keep your head above water. The amoeba warning at Spence applies to every warm, still pool in the state.
- Day use only at Spence and McCauley; no glass, no fires, no camping.
- Carry water. None of the forest or wilderness springs has potable water, and the Gila hikes involve repeated river fords.
- Many sites have minimum ages (12 or 14) at the bathhouses; check before bringing kids.
- The rough road to San Antonio closes seasonally and should not be attempted in a low-clearance car when wet.
Practical logistics
Albuquerque and Santa Fe are each about 90 minutes from Jemez Springs, which has a few inns and the bathhouse. Taos serves the gorge pools and Ojo Caliente. Truth or Consequences is on Interstate 25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces, with its own small airport and plenty of motel rooms. Silver City is the base for the Gila; the road to Gila Hot Springs and the cliff dwellings is slow and winding, so allow two hours each way.
Map
Springs by nearest town
Arroyo Hondo
- Manby Hot Springs
near Arroyo Hondo / 100°F (38°C) / Unknown
Manby Hot Springs, also known as Stagecoach Hot Springs are thermal springs located near the town of Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico. The springs discharge into three rock pools with sandy bottoms located near the ruins of an old bathhouse and a historical stagecoach stop.
Faywood
- Faywood Hot Springs
near Faywood / 129°F (54°C) / Resort or commercial
Faywood Hot Springs, (also known as Bull Spring, Mimbres Hot Springs and Hudson Hot Springs), are thermal springs in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of US 180 and .5 miles (0.80 km) west of NM 61, just south of the City of Rocks State Park.
Gila Hot Springs
- Gila Hot Springs
near Gila Hot Springs / 151°F (66°C) / Unknown
Gila Hot Springs is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census.
Jemez Springs
- Jemez Hot Springs
near Jemez Springs / 169°F (76°C) / Unknown
Geothermal springs in and around the village of Jemez Springs feed the Jemez River in the red rock San Diego Canyon of the Santa Fe National Forest; the village has been a hot springs and retreat destination since its post office opened in 1907.
- McCauley Hot Springs
near Jemez Springs / 99°F (37°C) / Public land
McCauley Hot Springs, also known as McCauley Warm Springs and Battleship Rock Hot Springs, is a thermal spring in the Santa Fe National Forest, near the Jemez Springs area of Northern New Mexico.
- San Antonio Hot Springs
near Jemez Springs / 129°F (54°C) / Public land
San Antonio Hot Springs are a group of geothermal springs located in the Santa Fe National Forest in Northern New Mexico.
- Soda Dam Hot Spring
near Jemez Springs / 117°F (47°C) / Unknown
The Soda Dam Hot Spring, also known as the Jemez Springs Soda Dam or simply Soda Dam, is a grouping of fifteen hot springs which have formed a unique calcium carbonate and travertine formation creating a bridge over the Jemez River in Northern New Mexico.
- Spence Hot Springs
near Jemez Springs / 100°F (38°C) / Unknown
Spence Hot Springs are a group of geothermal springs located north of the town of Jemez Springs, New Mexico.
Las Vegas
- Montezuma Hot Springs
near Las Vegas / 138°F (59°C) / Unknown
Montezuma Hot Springs, also known as Las Vegas Hot Springs, are a grouping of 20-to-30 thermal springs in the Montezuma unincorporated community of San Miguel County, near the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Monticello
- Ojo Caliente
near Monticello / 83°F (28°C) / Unknown
This Ojo Caliente is a spring in Spring Canyon, a tributary of Alamosa Creek in Monticello Canyon, Socorro County. It was the central landmark of the Apache lands known as Canada Alamosa and is not the Ojo Caliente resort in Taos County.
Radium Springs
- Radium Hot Springs
near Radium Springs / 127°F (53°C) / Unknown
Radium Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Radium Springs had a population of 1,498.
Truth or Consequences
- Truth Or Consequences
near Truth or Consequences / 113°F (45°C) / Unknown
The hot springs of Truth or Consequences, founded as the town of Hot Springs, are part of the Hot Springs Artesian Basin; the first public bath was built over Geronimo Springs in the late 19th century, and by the late 1930s the town had about 40 hot springs spas.
Other locations
- Alamos Spring
72°F (22°C) / Unknown
Alamos Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 72°F (22°C).
- Allen Springs
78°F (26°C) / Unknown
Allen Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 78°F (26°C).
- Apache Tejo Warm Spring
97°F (36°C) / Unknown
Apache Tejo Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 97°F (36°C).
- Aragon Springs
70°F (21°C) / Unknown
Aragon Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 70°F (21°C).
- Ash Spring
72°F (22°C) / Unknown
Ash Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 72°F (22°C).
- Black Rock Hot Springs
Unknown
Black Rock Hot Springs are a small system of thermal springs west of the town of Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico.
- Clear Water Spring
69°F (21°C) / Unknown
Clear Water Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 69°F (21°C).
- Cook Spring
70°F (21°C) / Unknown
Cook Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 70°F (21°C).
- Derry Warm Spring
Sierra County / 92°F (33°C) / Unknown
Derry Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Sierra County) with a recorded surface temperature of 92°F (33°C).
- El Ojo Escondido
73°F (23°C) / Unknown
El Ojo Escondido is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 73°F (23°C).
- Frieborn Canyon Spring
92°F (33°C) / Unknown
Frieborn Canyon Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 92°F (33°C).
- Frisco Hot Spring
Catron County / 98°F (37°C) / Unknown
Frisco Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Catron County) with a recorded surface temperature of 98°F (37°C).
- Frisco Hot Springs
Catron County / Unknown
Frisco Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Catron County).
- Gila / Lightfeather Hot Springs
Unknown
Gila / Lightfeather Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico.
- Goat Camp Spring
69°F (21°C) / Unknown
Goat Camp Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 69°F (21°C).
- Hot Springs
Unknown
Listed by NCEI as a thermal spring with a hot maximum surface temperature (no measured value recorded).
- Indian Big Spring
79°F (26°C) / Unknown
Indian Big Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 79°F (26°C).
- Indian Springs
123°F (51°C) / Unknown
Indian Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 123°F (51°C).
- Jemez Hot Springs Original Springs
Sandoval County / Unknown
Jemez Hot Springs Original Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Sandoval County).
- Jemez Springs Bath House
Unknown
Jemez Springs, New Mexico.
- Jordan Hot Springs
Public land
Gila National Forest.
- Kennecott Warm Springs
Grant County / Unknown
Listed by NCEI as a thermal spring with a warm maximum surface temperature (no measured value recorded).
- Laguna Pueblo Seeps
82°F (28°C) / Unknown
Laguna Pueblo Seeps is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 82°F (28°C).
- Laguna Pueblo Springs
80°F (27°C) / Unknown
Laguna Pueblo Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 80°F (27°C).
- Lyons Hunting Lodge Hot Spring
Grant County / 126°F (52°C) / Unknown
Lyons Hunting Lodge Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Grant County) with a recorded surface temperature of 126°F (52°C).
- Mangas Springs
81°F (27°C) / Unknown
Mangas Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 81°F (27°C).
- Mimbres Hot Springs
Grant County / 136°F (58°C) / Unknown
Mimbres Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Grant County) with a recorded surface temperature of 136°F (58°C).
- Mosley Spring
68°F (20°C) / Unknown
Mosley Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 68°F (20°C).
- Ojitos Springs
68°F (20°C) / Unknown
Ojitos Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 68°F (20°C).
- Ojo Caliente
111°F (44°C) / Unknown
Ojo Caliente is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 111°F (44°C).
- Ojo Caliente Hot Springs
Taos County / Unknown
Ojo Caliente Hot Springs is a group of thermal springs located in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. They are also known as the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs.
- Ojo de las Canas
79°F (26°C) / Unknown
Ojo de las Canas is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 79°F (26°C).
- Phillips Springs
70°F (21°C) / Unknown
Phillips Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 70°F (21°C).
- Ponce de Leon Springs
93°F (34°C) / Unknown
Ponce de Leon Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 93°F (34°C).
- Rainbow Spring
71°F (22°C) / Unknown
Rainbow Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 71°F (22°C).
- River bend Hot Springs
Unknown
River bend Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico.
- San Antonio Warm Spring
Sandoval County / 101°F (38°C) / Unknown
San Antonio Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Sandoval County) with a recorded surface temperature of 101°F (38°C).
- San Francisco Hot Springs
Catron County / 120°F (49°C) / Unknown
San Francisco Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Catron County) with a recorded surface temperature of 120°F (49°C).
- San Ysidro Hot Springs
85°F (29°C) / Unknown
San Ysidro Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 85°F (29°C).
- San Ysidro Warm Springs
68°F (20°C) / Unknown
San Ysidro Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 68°F (20°C).
- Socorro Spring, Sedillo Spring
93°F (34°C) / Unknown
Socorro Spring, Sedillo Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 93°F (34°C).
- Souse Springs
88°F (31°C) / Unknown
Souse Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 88°F (31°C).
- Spring
71°F (22°C) / Unknown
Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 71°F (22°C).
- Spring (Hot)
149°F (65°C) / Unknown
Spring (Hot) is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 149°F (65°C).
- Spring (Hot)
111°F (44°C) / Unknown
Spring (Hot) is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 111°F (44°C).
- Spring (Salt)
86°F (30°C) / Unknown
Spring (Salt) is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 86°F (30°C).
- Spring (Salt)
78°F (26°C) / Unknown
Spring (Salt) is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 78°F (26°C).
- Spring (Salt)
76°F (24°C) / Unknown
Spring (Salt) is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 76°F (24°C).
- Spring Mfg Four
93°F (34°C) / Unknown
Spring Mfg Four is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 93°F (34°C).
- Spring Mfg One
88°F (31°C) / Unknown
Spring Mfg One is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 88°F (31°C).
- Spring Mfg Two, Spring Mfg Three
99°F (37°C) / Unknown
Spring Mfg Two, Spring Mfg Three is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 99°F (37°C).
- Statue Spring
83°F (28°C) / Unknown
Statue Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 83°F (28°C).
- Sulphur Springs
189°F (87°C) / Unknown
Sulphur Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 189°F (87°C).
- The Meadows Warm Spring
91°F (33°C) / Unknown
The Meadows Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 91°F (33°C).
- Truth or Consequences Hot Springs
Sierra County / Unknown
Truth or Consequences Hot Springs is a thermal spring system located in the Hot Springs Artesian Basin area surrounding Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (formerly known as Hot Springs, New Mexico) in Sierra County.
- Turkey Creek Hot Spring
165°F (74°C) / Unknown
Turkey Creek Hot Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico with a recorded surface temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Upper Frisco Hot Springs
Catron County / Unknown
Upper Frisco Hot Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Catron County).
- Warm Spring
Sierra County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Sierra County).
- Warm Spring
Taos County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Taos County).
- Warm Spring
Grant County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Grant County).
- Warm Spring
Rio Arriba County / Unknown
Warm Spring is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Rio Arriba County).
- Warm Springs
Sierra County / 87°F (31°C) / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Sierra County) with a recorded surface temperature of 87°F (31°C).
- Warm Springs
Sandoval County / 129°F (54°C) / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Sandoval County) with a recorded surface temperature of 129°F (54°C).
- Warm Springs
Grant County / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Grant County).
- Warm Springs
Sierra County / Unknown
Warm Springs is a geothermal spring in New Mexico (Sierra County).