Spence Hot Spring

What to expect

Spence Hot Spring is the easiest of the Jemez Mountains’ primitive springs to reach. It sits on a forested slope above the east bank of the Jemez River, in the Santa Fe National Forest, a few minutes’ walk from a paved lot on NM 4. There is no bathhouse, no staff and no sign at the spring. You walk down, cross, climb a little, and find the pools tucked into the hillside.

The main pool has a sandy bottom and is fed by a spring that rises right in it. It drains into a couple of smaller rock pools set lower on the slope. A few other small seeps and pools sit farther uphill. The main pool is not big. The Forest Service describes it as small and able to hold relatively few people at once, so on a busy weekend you may be sharing with strangers or waiting your turn.

Expect warm, not hot, water. Spence was known for years as a steady 95°F35°C soak. The Forest Service now says the water has been cooling for the last several years and is roughly body temperature. That makes it a long, easy sit on a summer afternoon. On a cold winter day it can feel cooler than you want, and the walk back to the car in wet clothes is the coldest part.

The setting is ponderosa pine and rock, with the sound of the river below. It is close enough to the highway that you sometimes hear traffic. Overuse over the decades has worn the slope and the pools. Treat the place gently.

Getting there

From Albuquerque, take US 550 northwest to San Ysidro and turn north onto NM 4. Follow it through Jemez Pueblo and the village of Jemez Springs. Continue north past Soda Dam and the Jemez Ranger District office. Spence’s parking lot is on the east (right) side of NM 4, about 7 miles north of Jemez Springs and about 5 miles north of the ranger office. From Los Alamos, come over the mountains on NM 4 from the other direction, past La Cueva and Battleship Rock.

The lot is paved and small: the Forest Service lists room for about seven vehicles plus one trailer space. There are no toilets and no drinking water. Do not park along the highway shoulder if the lot is full. Come back later or try another spring.

From the lot, a short trail drops down to the Jemez River and climbs the slope on the other side to the pools. It is short but steep in places and can be muddy or slick, so wear real shoes. The Forest Service also warns about poison ivy along the trail. Learn what it looks like before you go, and keep dogs on the path.

When to go

Spence is open year-round, and you can reach it in any season as long as NM 4 is clear. Spring and fall are the most comfortable, with mild air and a warm pool. Summer brings the most people, and weekends can be crowded because the walk is so short. Winter is quieter, but with the water now around body temperature, a soak on a freezing day is more bracing than relaxing.

Early mornings on weekdays give you the best chance of the main pool to yourself.

Fire closures: the Jemez can close sites quickly in a bad fire season. In June 2026 the McCauley Springs Fire burned about 712 acres east of Battleship Rock, a few miles up NM 4. Early July updates from the Forest Service listed Spence Hot Springs among closed day-use sites, along with Battleship Rock, Rincon and Dark Canyon. The fire was fully contained on July 13, and the mid-July update no longer listed Spence as closed. In October 2026 the forest alerts page shows no closure for the Jemez canyon, and the Spence trailhead page reads “Site Open.” Check the alerts page before any summer trip.

Rules and etiquette

The Forest Service rules for Spence are short and enforced:

• Day use only. No camping and no campfires along the trail or at the spring.
• No glass. Broken glass in a small sandy pool is a real hazard.
• Swimsuits required. Santa Fe National Forest occupancy and use order 10-494, in effect since June 10, 2021, bans public nudity on all forest land, roads and trails. The Spence page states that nudity will be cited. The order runs until Dec 31, 2026 unless rescinded, so check for a renewal if you visit later. The same order bans alcohol for anyone under 21 and limits camping to 14 days in any 45 elsewhere on the forest. Violations are a Class B misdemeanor, with fines up to $5,000.
• Leash your dog in the parking lot and at the spring, and keep it out of the pool.
• Pack out all trash. There are no bins.
• No soap, shampoo or sunscreen in the water. A pool this small clouds up fast.

There is no posted fee for this lot. If you also stop at Battleship Rock or Jemez Falls, those trailheads charge $5 per vehicle.

Spence is small, so the etiquette is simple. Keep voices down, do not hog the main pool when others are waiting, and leave the rock walls of the lower pools as you found them.

Where to stay nearby

You cannot camp at Spence, but there are several bases close by:

• Jemez Springs, about 7 miles south, has small inns, cafes, and two developed soaks: Jemez Hot Springs and the historic Jemez Springs Bath House.
• Jemez Falls Campground, off NM 4 north of Battleship Rock, is a seasonal Forest Service campground (usually May to November).
• Redondo Campground, farther up NM 4, is another Forest Service option in season.
• San Antonio Campground, on NM 126 near La Cueva, is the base for San Antonio Hot Springs.

Ask the Jemez Ranger District office in Jemez Springs which campgrounds are open and whether fire restrictions apply.

Safety notes

• Naegleria fowleri: the Forest Service warns that this amoeba lives in warm springs and can be fatal if water goes up your nose. Keep your head above the water, do not dive or dunk, and watch children closely.
• Water quality: the Forest Service does not monitor the water. Do not drink it, and skip the soak with an open cut.
• Footing: the trail is steep and can be muddy, and the rocks around the pools are slick.
• Poison ivy grows along the trail.
• Car break-ins: do not leave valuables in sight at the lot.
• Signal: cell coverage in the canyon is patchy. Tell someone your plans.

Nearby stops worth adding

Soda Dam, a few miles south on NM 4, is a mineral dam the Jemez River has cut through, built up by its own warm springs. McCauley Warm Springs is a 2-mile hike up East Fork Trail 137 from Battleship Rock, a little north of Spence, and has a larger, cooler set of forest pools. Higher up, the Valles Caldera National Preserve opens onto a huge grassland crater.