Manby Hot Springs

Manby Hot Spring is a relaxing oasis on the side of the Rio Grande River, just outside of Taos, New Mexico. On our way home from the Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Festival we took the rutted and rough roads down to enjoy a nice long soak. 

​Three pools with varying temperatures, good people, and mysterious structural remains made this stop and short hike more enjoyable than Taylor and I could have expected.

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The pools are contained by rock walls and sediment, and rising gas bubbles heat the trapped water. The pool furthest from the trail’s end is the hottest and smallest, while the other two pools are, “as warm as bathwater.” All three pools could hold fifteen people without being too crowded. ​

​To get down to the water we took the trail straight from our car down into the canyon. It was a very steady decline for the entire mile to the bottom, which made the hike easier, but what made the hike better, were the immaculate views. The rocks were layered all around us and the further we walked down the more the views changed, and the more animals and plants we encountered, all the way until we hit the rivers edge and stepped into our first pool!

I started by easing into the cold, rushing river before joining Taylor in one of the larger, cooler pools for a long sit and short talk with a man from Mexico. We exchanged English and Spanish translations before Taylor and I decided to hop into the warmest water.

​The smallest pool is full of rising bubbles and fine sediment on the bottom. We soaked in the hot water and talked with a couple from Alaska for a good long time, before another group joined in and we chose to head out. 

We toweled off, and said goodbye and "adios" to the new friends we had made before starting back up the trail. 

​Large clay bricks stacked into what used to be a wall caught our eyes as we were leaving, and we spent a few moments wondering when and why the walls were built. A couple of structures appeared to be built into the canyon wall, and a smaller structure used to stand next to the small, hot rock pool. Continually guessing, we started walking. ​

The one mile hike up to Taylor’s car seemed to fly by as we strolled along the path. This nice short detour to Manby Hot Spring relaxed our tired bodies and left us feeling euphoric and was the perfect cap to our weekend at Albuquerque’s International Balloon Festival.

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