Hot Spring
Hot water coming up out of the ground, heated by the earth itself. Some of these springs have been in use for thousands of years — Apache and Comanche and Pueblo people knew them, Spanish colonists mapped them, railroad towns built bathhouses over them. Truth or Consequences, New Mexico still has them. So does Colorado, California, Oregon, and a dozen other states. Most are free on public land.
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Where to Find Them
Hot springs right in town on the Rio Grande, in use for centuries. Named after a 1950s game show. Free camping on the river. Connects to the El Camino Real and the Victorio Peak treasure story forty miles east.
Spence Hot Springs in the Santa Fe National Forest. A short hike up from the road to a natural pool on the side of a canyon. Free, dispersed camping nearby. One of the best-kept secrets in the Southwest.
The largest outdoor hot springs pool in the world, built over springs the Ute Nation called "Yampah" — Big Medicine. A fee-based pool, but the historic bathhouse and surrounding canyon are free to walk.
Search Trek4Free's Explore map filtered for Hot Springs. BLM land in New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, and Idaho has dozens of undeveloped springs. Water temperature and safety vary — check current conditions before going in.