Santa Fe National Forest · New Mexico

Spence Hot Springs

0.3 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 130 · trail class 3 · typical grade 5-8% · hiking, bike

Trailhead Spence Hot Spring Trailhead Drive there

Spence Hot Spring Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Spence Hot Spring is reached from a short hike from the parking area. Located five (5) miles north of Jemez Ranger District Office. There is no location sign for the spring. The paved parking area accommodates seven vehicles.

The popular Spence Hot Spring includes a small pool that accommodates a relatively low number of people. Although the spring maintains a 95-degree temperature the water has been cooling for the last several years and is a warm spring at approximately body temperature.

No glass containers, camping or campfires are permitted along the trail and at the spring.

Special Instructions: Please be considerate of the hot spring and surrounding area. The water quality is not monitored so there are possible health hazards. Visitors should avoid getting water in their noses to minimize the risk of contracting a potentially fatal parasitic amoeba called Naegleria Fowleri, common in warm springs. Also, watch for Poison Ivy along the trail.

Nudity is a violation of State Law and violators will be cited.

Please pack out all trash and leave the area enjoyable for others to use.

Restrictions Dogs must be leashed at all times while in the parking and hot spring areas.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.