Ojo Caliente
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
This Ojo Caliente is in Sierra County, about 33 miles from Truth or Consequences, a different place from the well known springs near Taos that share the name. Warm water in the low eighties, short of a real soak. Nobody recorded land owner or access. A 1980 sample found slightly alkaline water with moderate dissolved minerals and no iron.
Two tenths of a mile off Forest 140 Road, at about 6,400 feet. Moderate snow in winter, ten inches or so, and a dozen inches of rain. The record names the road and nothing about the land unit or owner. The road name is a forest route number. Thirty-odd miles to the nearest town makes this one of the more remote entries in Sierra County.
Check access before you go, since nothing in the record says who holds the ground or where a forest boundary falls. The record rates the winter months highest, with the caveat that snow falls at this elevation. Nothing is listed for camping. Don't confuse this with the Ojo Caliente springs in Taos County; the Wikipedia article on that name is about the other place.
Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Ojo Caliente.
- Setting
- Hillside
- The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the southeast.
- Highest ground nearby
- 211 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the southeast
A slice through the ground from northwest to southeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 69% of the springs on this site.
Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
The water at Ojo Caliente is slightly alkaline (pH 7.9) with 547 mg/L total dissolved solids. It is notably rich in chloride (natural antiseptic with skin health benefits).
Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Ojo Caliente sits at 6,419 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 26% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Ojo Caliente is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Springs Near Ojo Caliente
More Springs Around 83°F
Slightly Alkaline Springs (pH ~7.9)
Hike 1 waterfall near Ojo Caliente
Looking for more outdoor adventures? Explore waterfall hikes near Ojo Caliente, New Mexico.