Ojo Caliente in the summer? (Santa Fe, Taos: hotel, pool, gas)

[adventuregurl]

Is it too hot to enjoy Ojo Caliente in the summer months? Is there much else to do at that time of year?

Thanks!

[GreatSantaFe]

Ojo Caliente is great in the summer, but aside from the hot springs there's really nothing else there. Of course, there's hiking and fishing and within an hour or so from there you could visit Santa Fe, Taos, Abiquiu and Chama for day trips.

[adventuregurl]

Thanks, I called today and they said they have very little shade there - I need some shade as I'm fair so will probably go back to Riverbend Hot Springs in Tor C NM, they have a lovely shaded area to sit and shaded pools.

[GreatSantaFe]

Originally Posted by adventuregurl

Thanks, I called today and they said they have very little shade there - I need some shade as I'm fair so will probably go back to Riverbend Hot Springs in Tor C NM, they have a lovely shaded area to sit and shaded pools.

I seem to remember lots of trees on their grounds, but not in their pool areas. Have fun in T or C or wherever.....

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by adventuregurl

Is it too hot to enjoy Ojo Caliente in the summer months? Is there much else to do at that time of year?

Thanks!

Much better, IMO, than a hot springs resort, is Nambe Falls, on the Nambe reservation north of Santa Fe. You park and hike into a natural pool that's fed by a waterfall from the reservoir above it. Nice, cool water, family atmosphere. Don't take a bathing suit; dress modestly in shorts and a t-shirt, or shorts and a one-piece bathing suit underneath. There's a sign off the highway indicating Nambe Pueblo, and from there, watch for signs indicating Nambe Falls. There will be a small entrance fee, for parking. You can also drive farther up the hill to see the lake, but there's no swimming allowed in the lake. They have rangers patrolling the tourist areas.

There are picnic tables just off the parking lot, by the creek, with some shade trees. Or you could go for lunch or dinner at Buffalo Thunder Resort hotel; they have all-you-can-eat buffets. That's at the neighboring Rez, Pojoaque Pueblo, just to the south, on the main highway. There's cheap tax-free gas in that corridor that goes past Pojoaque Pueblo, so time your gas tank refill accordingly. You can save somewhere around $0.12-$0.16/gallon, depending on which station.

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by GreatSantaFe

I seem to remember lots of trees on their grounds, but not in their pool areas. Have fun in T or C or wherever.....

Thank you, I plan to

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Much better, IMO, than a hot springs resort, is Nambe Falls, on the Nambe reservation north of Santa Fe. You park and hike into a natural pool that's fed by a waterfall from the reservoir above it. Nice, cool water, family atmosphere. Don't take a bathing suit; dress modestly in shorts and a t-shirt, or shorts and a one-piece bathing suit underneath. There's a sign off the highway indicating Nambe Pueblo, and from there, watch for signs indicating Nambe Falls. There will be a small entrance fee, for parking. You can also drive farther up the hill to see the lake, but there's no swimming allowed in the lake. They have rangers patrolling the tourist areas.

There are picnic tables just off the parking lot, by the creek, with some shade trees. Or you could go for lunch or dinner at Buffalo Thunder Resort hotel; they have all-you-can-eat buffets. That's at the neighboring Rez, Pojoaque Pueblo, just to the south, on the main highway. There's cheap tax-free gas in that corridor that goes past Pojoaque Pueblo, so time your gas tank refill accordingly. You can save somewhere around $0.12-$0.16/gallon, depending on which station.

Thanks so much, this is some great information Ruth !

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by adventuregurl

Thanks so much, this is some great information Ruth !

Yeah, the only catch is that if you soak in the waterfall-pool in your shorts, you'll have to change clothes somewhere, if you go for lunch or dinner, or just to drive back to wherever. So take a change of clothes to switch into at a gas station. Bring towels to sit on in the car, and to dry off with, when you change.

[sbsoso]

In spite of what Ojo told you when you called, they actually do have some shaded areas. One of the big pools (what was originally the women's bath house) is entirely enclosed with a full roof overhead. It's my favorite pool summer or winter. They also have several latilla shade structures with hammocks hanging.

[Cactus Hibs]

Originally Posted by adventuregurl

Thanks, I called today and they said they have very little shade there - I need some shade as I'm fair so will probably go back to Riverbend Hot Springs in Tor C NM, they have a lovely shaded area to sit and shaded pools.

It's true that there isn't a lot of shade in the outdoor parts of Ojo, but if I recall correctly there are at least a couple of pools that are partially indoors.

Another thing to consider when comparing Ojo and T or C in the summer is that T or C is going to be minimally a good 10-15 degrees warmer than northern New Mexico....something else to factor into the equation alongside shade, etc.