Big Bend National Park – Hot Springs

My favorite hike is the Hot Springs Trail. There’s a one mile drive on gravel that winds around and then a short half-mile hike. The trail has it all. There’s recent history with the remains of an early 1900’s resort built around the hot springs. There’s ancient history with petroglyphs and pictographs on the canyon walls.

There’s natural history with adobe nests made by cliff swallows.

Of course, the best part is the hot springs. We wore our swim suits under our clothes and brought a towel. You can soak in the remains of the spa in 105 F spring water. If you get too hot, you can jump into the Rio Grande River that is right beside it. On our first visit, there were quite a few people enjoying the soak late afternoon after a day of hiking. Our second visit was on a cooler day (low 50’s) and early afternoon. For a while, we relaxed in our private spa all alone. Ahhhhh!