Hot Springs hop in New Mexico

[Kevinista]

I have a couple of weeks available in the month of October that I was going to use for the Overland East Expo but since that is cancelled I want to plan a trip to New Mexico to visit numerous Hot Springs. Ideally I'd like to make at least three hot springs via off-road trails only and stay a night or two at each one.
Question one would be for anybody that is familiar with the area and could provide Trail routing or suggestions for the best Hot Springs for this event. Question 2 would be who would like to potentially go on this Overland Adventure?
This event would be filmed for the YouTube channel "Project Overland USA" and everyone attending would have to sign a model release to use their footage of themselves and their vehicles in the making of the video.
Secondly but probably more importantly is that I will be spending most of my time filming the event so I would be willing to pay someone to cook some really nice meals for myself and my wife while on this adventure.
I'm sure there's lots of questions or comments about this so please feel free to either a comment below or call me on my phone 954-559-3342.

 

[Sparksalot]

Watching!

 

[Billiebob]

I'd be there in a heartbeat, hot springs in the cooler months are my favourite places but I'll have to do it online this year since the Northern Border is unlikely to open before the first Bronco gets sold/delivered.

Watching vicariously.

 

[Kevinista]

I'd be there in a heartbeat, hot springs in the cooler months are my favourite places but I'll have to do it online this year since the Northern Border is unlikely to open before the first Bronco gets sold/delivered.

Watching vicariously.

I just heard on the news your health minister said another 3 years of lockdown :(

 

[USStrongman]

The NM lock down is not as serious as the media makes it out to be. We were just in Arroyo Seca, Taos and Taos Mountain. No issues at all. Mask to grocery shop, at the coffee shop and tavern on the mountain. If you fly in, they request a 14 day quarantine which makes zero sense since who flies in for more than 14 days? Fly to Lubbock or Amarillo and drive in instead.

What part of NM are you considering traveling to? The reservations have been hit hard and many have entrances closed, so research and allow for that in your trip.

My favorites Ive been to.

San Antonio - Jemez Mountains
McCauley Jemez/Los Alamos (clothing optional)
Manby - 20 Mins S of Taos (nude)
Black Rock - 10 Mins S of Manby (nude)
Montezuma - Las Vegas, NM

Of all of the resort hot springs, nothing beats Ojo Caliente. Michelin rated restaurant, private pools, mud area. However, they just had a fire last night that burned down one building and damaged part of the property. Historic bathhouse torched in Ojo Caliente fire

 

[Boppa's Travels]

The NM lock down is not as serious as the media makes it out to be. We were just in Arroyo Seca, Taos and Taos Mountain. No issues at all. Mask to grocery shop, at the coffee shop and tavern on the mountain. If you fly in, they request a 14 day quarantine which makes zero sense since who flies in for more than 14 days? Fly to Lubbock or Amarillo and drive in instead.

What part of NM are you considering traveling to? The reservations have been hit hard and many have entrances closed, so research and allow for that in your trip.

My favorites Ive been to.

San Antonio - Jemez Mountains
McCauley Jemez/Los Alamos (clothing optional)
Manby - 20 Mins S of Taos (nude)
Black Rock - 10 Mins S of Manby (nude)
Montezuma - Las Vegas, NM

Of all of the resort hot springs, nothing beats Ojo Caliente. Michelin rated restaurant, private pools, mud area. However, they just had a fire last night that burned down one building and damaged part of the property. Historic bathhouse torched in Ojo Caliente fire

I had no problems in Pecos or Red River areas.

 

[Doc Foster]

I was going to spend the night at Sundial Hot Springs - http://sundialsprings.com/ - but she closed down for the "Rona" a couple weeks before my trip. Maybe next time.

 

[Kevinista]

The NM lock down is not as serious as the media makes it out to be. We were just in Arroyo Seca, Taos and Taos Mountain. No issues at all. Mask to grocery shop, at the coffee shop and tavern on the mountain. If you fly in, they request a 14 day quarantine which makes zero sense since who flies in for more than 14 days? Fly to Lubbock or Amarillo and drive in instead.

What part of NM are you considering traveling to? The reservations have been hit hard and many have entrances closed, so research and allow for that in your trip.

My favorites Ive been to.

San Antonio - Jemez Mountains
McCauley Jemez/Los Alamos (clothing optional)
Manby - 20 Mins S of Taos (nude)
Black Rock - 10 Mins S of Manby (nude)
Montezuma - Las Vegas, NM

Of all of the resort hot springs, nothing beats Ojo Caliente. Michelin rated restaurant, private pools, mud area. However, they just had a fire last night that burned down one building and damaged part of the property. Historic bathhouse torched in Ojo Caliente fire

Thanks for all the detailed information. And to answer your question I don't know what Hot Springs I want to go to that's why I was making the post so that I could get people like yourself to contribute your ideas on good places to go. My wife and I went to Ojo Caliente about 5 years ago and had a great time but I was hoping this time we could find hot springs that we can do disperse camping at or next to.

 

[Doc Foster]

I doubt that you are going to be able to camp right next to any hot springs in NM, but this might help - 9 New Mexico Hot Springs - A Couple of Drifters

 

[LostInThought]

The NM lock down is not as serious as the media makes it out to be. We were just in Arroyo Seca, Taos and Taos Mountain. No issues at all. Mask to grocery shop, at the coffee shop and tavern on the mountain. If you fly in, they request a 14 day quarantine which makes zero sense since who flies in for more than 14 days? Fly to Lubbock or Amarillo and drive in instead.

What part of NM are you considering traveling to? The reservations have been hit hard and many have entrances closed, so research and allow for that in your trip.

My favorites Ive been to.

San Antonio - Jemez Mountains
McCauley Jemez/Los Alamos (clothing optional)
Manby - 20 Mins S of Taos (nude)
Black Rock - 10 Mins S of Manby (nude)
Montezuma - Las Vegas, NM

Of all of the resort hot springs, nothing beats Ojo Caliente. Michelin rated restaurant, private pools, mud area. However, they just had a fire last night that burned down one building and damaged part of the property. Historic bathhouse torched in Ojo Caliente fire

The New Mexico State Department of Health COVID-19 webpage can be found HERE.

Not to be contradictory, but the 14 day quarantine applies to those *entering* the state by any means. Son's girlfriend's family had to quarantine 14 days on returning from a car trip out of state - no leaving the house, no grocery store visits, etc. I'm personally aware of 3 instances where one or more individuals who were caught violating the 14 day "self-quarantine" after entering the state (not just flying), were placed in a "supervised quarantine". It's made the news a locally, but I don't have any details beyond what appeared in the news. My best suggestion is to read the governor's order and make your own decision, but in New Mexico, the governor's health order *is* law and *is* being enforced by the state police when quarantine violations come to their attention. With the restrictions/fines and the economy being what it is, I couldn't guess which way an individual hotel operator would lean.

My own experience suggests:

• roads on tribal lands are closed to non-members - and yes, they mean it, the tribal communities have been hit especially hard by COVID
• national park visitor centers and group camping facilities are closed/locked-down (mostly due to people trashing the restrooms during the lockdowns)
• the trailheads and springs on national forest land are accessible, but are generally more crowded than usual (my last trip past trailheads in the the Jemez found the trailhead parking lots full with cars parked along both sides of the highway for ~100-200 yards in each direction from the trailhead)
• Jemez forest roads/trails with some kind of gatekeeper seem much quieter
• Santa Fe nat'l forest seems to be taking advantage of the situation to do road maintenance, etc. - check the forest service websites for road closures
• Rain has been sparse this monsoon season, expect dry conditions. check the FS websites, but expect fire bans - the locals are a little touchy about the prospect of losing their homes and they will report fires/smoke. (gas/propane stoves with a shoutoff are often excepted from the restriction)

 

[USStrongman]

Not saying I'm right, but based on my experience, its a non issue. Now if you are a nurse who travels to Texas and returns and tells your coworkers "I was in Texas yesterday", ya, you're probably gonna catch a lot of flak and someone may tell you to quarantine. In reality, everyone I came across could care less, especially if, like everyone else, they took personal precaution to be safe around others. Exposure is one thing. Contracting it is another. Being hospitalized is another and dying from it is another. As the CDC has shown, comorbidity mean everything.

 

[LostInThought]

The New Mexico State Department of Health COVID-19 webpage can be found HERE.

Not to be contradictory, but the 14 day quarantine applies to those *entering* the state by any means. Son's girlfriend's family had to quarantine 14 days on returning from a car trip out of state - no leaving the house, no grocery store visits, etc. I'm personally aware of 3 instances where one or more individuals who were caught violating the 14 day "self-quarantine" after entering the state (not just flying), were placed in a "supervised quarantine". It's made the news a locally, but I don't have any details beyond what appeared in the news. My best suggestion is to read the governor's order and make your own decision, but in New Mexico, the governor's health order *is* law and *is* being enforced by the state police when quarantine violations come to their attention. With the restrictions/fines and the economy being what it is, I couldn't guess which way an individual hotel operator would lean.

My own experience suggests:

• roads on tribal lands are closed to non-members - and yes, they mean it, the tribal communities have been hit especially hard by COVID
• national park visitor centers and group camping facilities are closed/locked-down (mostly due to people trashing the restrooms during the lockdowns)
• the trailheads and springs on national forest land are accessible, but are generally more crowded than usual (my last trip past trailheads in the the Jemez found the trailhead parking lots full with cars parked along both sides of the highway for ~100-200 yards in each direction from the trailhead)
• Jemez forest roads/trails with some kind of gatekeeper seem much quieter
• Santa Fe nat'l forest seems to be taking advantage of the situation to do road maintenance, etc. - check the forest service websites for road closures
• Rain has been sparse this monsoon season, expect dry conditions. check the FS websites, but expect fire bans - the locals are a little touchy about the prospect of losing their homes and they will report fires/smoke. (gas/propane stoves with a shoutoff are often excepted from the restriction)

FWIW, the Governor of New Mexico updated the travel restrictions and the public health order today. Travelers coming from low risk states and travelers who have proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of entering are now exempt from the 14 day quarantine. Also, outdoor recreation facilities are now open to New Mexico residents (NM driver's license / NM vehicle tags). There's more, you can find them here:

Updated New Mexico Travel Restrictions
Updated New Mexico Dept of Health's Public Health Order

 

[Offroadnutz]

FWIW, the Governor of New Mexico updated the travel restrictions and the public health order today. Travelers coming from low risk states and travelers who have proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of entering are now exempt from the 14 day quarantine. Also, outdoor recreation facilities are now open to New Mexico residents (NM driver's license / NM vehicle tags). There's more, you can find them here:

Updated New Mexico Travel Restrictions
Updated New Mexico Dept of Health's Public Health Order

I wonder how this would apply to someone "passng through" on their way to colorado via the NMBDR.

 

[Kevinista]

FWIW, the Governor of New Mexico updated the travel restrictions and the public health order today. Travelers coming from low risk states and travelers who have proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of entering are now exempt from the 14 day quarantine. Also, outdoor recreation facilities are now open to New Mexico residents (NM driver's license / NM vehicle tags). There's more, you can find them here:

Updated New Mexico Travel Restrictions
Updated New Mexico Dept of Health's Public Health Order

I'm sure there's much more information about this but from what you posted it seems to me that if I'm found off roading or traveling on Forest Trails that I could be cited or arrested if I have out of state license plate?

 

[LostInThought]

I'm sure there's much more information about this but from what you posted it seems to me that if I'm found off roading or traveling on Forest Trails that I could be cited or arrested if I have out of state license plate?

I don't know how the "involuntary quarantine" works. I have heard that the tribal police are enforcing very strictly and locking the gates, but I have no idea how hard the state police or state parks are pursuing this. With NM plates in the Nat'l Forests here, I haven't been stopped. It looks like there was another update on Sept 9. As of today, Colorado was the only adjacent state exempted from the 14 day quarantine. BUT if you have evidence of a negative COVID test within 72 hours before entering the state, that also exempts you from the quarantine.