Just an hour and a half Northwest of Albuquerque is the Jemez National Recreation Area. If you are traveling through New Mexico and looking to get off the beaten path and experience a truly magical place the Jemez is not to be missed. There are really endless opportunities here for outdoor enthusiasts.
Hot Springs
There are 6 Hot Springs in total in the Jemez Mountains. I’m only going to share my personal favorite although all of them are worth visiting.
San Antonio Hot Springs - This is one of my all-time favorite hot natural hot springs. When FR 376 road is open you can drive up to a parking lot about a mile away from the springs. If the road is close then it’s about a 6-mile hike into the springs. The springs are a series of rock pools built along San Diego Canyon. The hottest pool is around 104 degrees at the source and as the water cascades down into the other pools it becomes gradually colder so on warm summer days you can always find a temperature that’s perfect.
Climbing
On Hwy 4 just a few miles West of the Valles Caldera is Las Conchas Climbing Area. Here there is some amazing climbing in a serene setting along the East Fork Jemez River. While a good amount of climbing here is a bit on the more difficult side there are some great opportunities for moderate leaders to climb quite a few routes in one day. A great place to start for all climbers in all levels is the Cattle Wall. This crag has a little something for everyone and offers sport climbs ranging from 5.6 - 5.12. Another great crag for the moderate leader is Gateway Rock. With climbs ranging from 5.6 to 5.11 it’s also a great place to start.
There is something for everyone at Las Conchas it’s in a really magical setting.
Fishing
While I never claimed to be an angler I had an amazing time fishing the waters of the Jemez. I had some success fishing the Upper and Lower Rio Cebolla as well as the East Fork of the Jemez. We mainly caught brown trout and a few rainbows. We also had success fishing at Fenton Lake State Park in the Upper Rio Cebolla. We really enjoyed the Fenton Lake State Park it has a really cool campground and we took our SUP out a few times and fished.
Hiking
There is a lot of options for hiking here in Jemez. There are a lot of trails located in the Valles Caldera National Monument one of our favorite trails in the Caldera is Cerro Grande Trail. This is a 4.5-mile climb up 1200 feet to the summit of Cerro Grande Peak overlooking the Valle Grande. The summit is at 10,190 feet and is one of the higher peaks in the area. This was a pretty easy hike to get to a summit so we felt obligated to do it and were rewarded with incredible views of the land of enchantment from the top of the summit.
Another scenic and easier hike is along the East Fork starting at Las Conchas and making your way as far as you feel comfortable. This is a very scenic and relatively flat trail that will end at some point and then will require creek crossings and some bush waking but it will take you through a beautiful lush canyon that you never would expect in New Mexico.
Cheap Campgrounds
While there is plenty of Dispersed camping along FR 376 and other Forest Roads in the Jemez Mountains there are some incredibly affordable camping options at the National Forest Campgrounds and even at Fenton Lake State Park. If you have a national park pass you can pay 1/2 the price for these campgrounds which in 2022 was only $5 per night! That’s the cheapest I think I’ve ever paid for camping.
