Gila Hot Springs

The upper Gila River country has drawn people for a very long time. The ancestral Mogollon people farmed and lived along these rivers and built the remarkable cliff dwellings nearby, tucking their stone-and-mortar homes into natural caves in the canyon walls. The warm springs would have been known to them, a natural feature in a landscape they understood intimately.

Later this was Apache country, homeland of the Chiricahua and other Apache bands, whose deep knowledge of the Gila mountains shaped the region's history. The famous Apache leader Geronimo was born in this general country. The springs and the river valley have thus been a gathering place across many chapters of human history, and that long presence gives the remote setting an added depth.

The warm water at Gila Hot Springs is geothermal in origin, heated deep underground and rising to the surface along faults and fractures in the rock. As it travels up through the earth it dissolves minerals, giving the water its distinctive feel and reputation. Where it emerges beside the Gila River, it collects in pools that offer a warm soak within earshot of the cold, rushing river.

The southwest of New Mexico has a history of volcanic and geothermal activity, and hot springs occur at several points across the Gila country. The temperature and flow of natural springs can vary, and some soaking spots are managed on private land with their own access arrangements. The pairing of hot spring and cold river is the classic draw, a natural contrast that has soothed travelers for generations.

The springs lie at the doorstep of the Gila Wilderness, the world's first designated wilderness area, set aside in the early twentieth century thanks in large part to the conservationist Aldo Leopold. It is a vast, roadless expanse of mountains, canyons, and forest, home to some of the wildest country in the Southwest. Just up the road, the Gila Cliff Dwellings preserve the ancestral Mogollon homes built into the canyon walls.

This combination makes the springs a natural base for exploring one of New Mexico's great wild regions. A soak in the warm water pairs perfectly with a walk up to the cliff dwellings or a longer trek into the wilderness. The remoteness that makes the drive so long is exactly what has kept this country so wild and so quiet.

The Gila country teems with wildlife. Elk, mule deer, and wild turkey move through the forests, black bear and mountain lion range the high country, and the rivers hold trout and support a rich birdlife. The Gila is also famous among naturalists as a stronghold of rare species, and patient visitors may glimpse creatures found in few other places.

Spring and fall bring the most pleasant weather for the drive and a soak, with mild days and cool nights. Summer is warm, with afternoon monsoon storms that can swell the river, so caution near the water is wise. Winter is cold and can bring snow to the high country, making the warm springs especially welcome, though the mountain road demands care. In every season, the night skies over the wilderness are gloriously dark.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.