Hotwell Dunes Recreation Area

3/27/19

We started our day with a trip to the local Bureau of Land Management office in Safford, AZ. The staff were extremely helpful and encouraged us to try camping on BLM lands and gave us helpful information. They suggested a day trip to Hotwell Dunes in the San Simeon Valley; which has a BLM campground, natural hot water springs and a place to do off road four wheeling. Sounds like the adventure seeking continues.

The roads were mainly like this.

We received more interesting directions on how to get to the site which was about 30 miles from Safford on mainly dirt roads with no signage. The roads through the BLM land were well maintained in most areas. Going slow is the key to a safe enjoyable trip.

The sands at the dune area were a beach surrounding a lake approximately two million years ago. The unique recreation spot provides 2,000 acres of sand dunes to set camp, play on the dunes and soak in hot tubs

There were very few visitors to the site today so we did a little bit of playing on the dunes; actually put the Jeep in Sand mode:). We had fun but without the proper equipment we felt we needed to keep it to a minimum. Next time we have a flag, harness for Biscuit and an understanding of the rules for off roading in a designated area.

Some of the land interspersed with the dunes had these lovely grasses.

The Hot Springs are from an artisan well that produces 250 gallons per minute at a temperature of 106°F. The two cement tubs are constantly filled with the spring water by solar panel powered pumps and the water diverted to nearby ravine as it leaves the tubs. There is no need for chemical additives since the water is constantly changing. The recommended time in the tub is 10 minutes this time of year but my feet could only tolerate it for about 5 minutes, I can't imagine my whole body in there for 10 minutes.

There were even some wild flowers on the drive there. This is why the fields look orange! These desert poppies are everywhere.

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