Spence Hot Springs

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—temperature

A natural thermal spring.

Scale30/60

Documentation11/20

Character10/20

The details

Soak: Temperature unrecorded
Area: Albuquerque
Coordinates: 35.849, -106.629

Get directions →

About Spence Hot Springs

Spence Hot Springs is a natural hot spring in New Mexico.

At that temperature it's temperature unrecorded — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.

Plungeworthy rates Spence Hot Springs 5.1/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Soda-white terraced pools on a canyon shoulder above the East Fork Jemez, warm rather than hot, with steam drifting through ponderosa — the Jemez Mountains' most-loved short walk. Reopened July 2026 after the McCauley Springs Fire closure lifted.

Getting there

Trailhead: Spence Hot Spring Trailhead, NM-4, five miles north of Jemez Ranger District
Parking: Paved ~7-car lot — the real constraint
Road: Paved
Hike: 1.4 mi round trip, 141 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: Day use, sunrise to sunset.

When to go

Year-round; winter steam over snow is the postcard. Weekdays or dawn beat the tiny lot.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Free
Dogs: Leashed
Hours: Sunrise–sunset
Camping: Prohibited — day use only
Warnings: Nudity is citable here despite the old reputation; keep your head above water (amoeba risk); poison ivy lines the path.

Researched from USFS — Spence trailhead. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Spence Hot Springs recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.