Ojo Caliente and El Rito, NM: Across the Border

Borders tend to be arbitrarily drawn by far-away bureaucrats, meaning that the differences from one side to the other are typically indiscernible. But make the drive over Raton Pass from Colorado into New Mexico and you can’t help but experience real change.

Thick forests of pine and juniper on the Colorado side give way to New Mexico’s more arid and open mesa landscapes. The air becomes warmer and the rocks redder. Some even claim to sense mystical healing energy as they enter the Land of Enchantment.

That energy has drawn many to Ojo Caliente, the site of a natural hot springs about 45 miles north of Santa Fe along US Highway 285. Surrounded by cottonwoods and rugged cliffs, Ojo boasts not one but four distinct types of mineral springs, each said to have its own beneficial properties. Archeologists believe prehistoric peoples considered it a sacred site for thousands of years. It was later home to ancestral Pueblo tribes, who settled the area starting around 1250 before abandoning their 2,000-room village in the 16th century. They were more recently followed by Spanish colonists and Genízaro communities, the latter of whom were often forcibly settled nearby to serve as buffers protecting Santa Fe and surrounding areas against raids by the Utes and Comanches.

Throughout it all, people of all backgrounds continued coming for the hot springs. A bathhouse constructed around 1860 makes Ojo Caliente one of the nation’s oldest health spas. Its latest incarnation is a posh resort, where today you see wellness seekers of all sizes, shapes, and ages. But one thing you sure don’t see, or at least I didn’t during my visit, are dudes with shaved legs and funny tan lines.

My wife, Lannie, and I had come to Ojo Caliente as a prelude to a two-week road trip celebrating the sale of my business and the start of life’s next chapter. Though I had ambitious rides mapped out for the days ahead in Santa Fe, Durango, and Creede, CO, the plan for this stop was less about riding and more about unwinding.

The resort offers a variety of overnight accommodations — we stayed in one of their rustic cabins, which included a separate kitchenette and front and back patios. Besides the mineral pools, they offer a full range of spa treatments, as well as yoga classes, hikes to the nearby Pueblo ruins and a very nice restaurant (Lannie had a New York strip steak that was so good that we both ordered it again the second night).

All in all, I found the entire Ojo Caliente experience to be relaxing and refined without being overly woo-woo. Which is to say that I don’t think of myself as the target audience for this kind of place. I’ve never had the patience for things like spas, massages, or hot tubs. That’s Lannie’s thing. So we were both surprised when I enjoyed soaking far more than either of us would have ever expected.

I won’t claim that the waters sparked some miraculous transformation. But I will say that I was feeling lighter than I had in years, so maybe it’s not surprising that I also started to feel the urge to stretch my legs. By early afternoon on our second day, I was ready to start exploring.

My Ride

Looking for a ride led me to tiny El Rito, NM. Just 14 miles north and west of the luxuries of Ojo Caliente’s spa and mud baths, this unincorporated village of farmers, retirees, and artists might as well be a million miles away. Or on another planet.

If you think that last sentence might be hyperbole, please note that one of the first things you’ll see as you come into El Rito is a fantastical art installation known as the Mars Polar Lander. Easily 30 feet tall, it was erected in 2018 by an artist named Pedro (Pete) Garcia from an amalgamation of native rocks and found objects, giving it a funky 60s NASA-chic vibe (it’s worth noting that the actual Mars Polar Lander was a mere 3.5 feet in height).

A second, less adorned, tower stands at the other end of the block. Is it part of the piece? A rough draft? Despite my best research efforts, I can’t answer any of those questions, let alone the more important ones regarding the meaning of Garcia’s otherworldly creation. I choose to see it as a monument to exploration, rather than focusing on the real-life lander’s more tragic ending. (If you know more about El Rito’s Mars Polar Lander, please share in the comments.)

The lander makes for an odd juxtaposition with the town’s other best-known landmark. Sitting across the street is the Church of San Juan Nepomuceno, an adobe structure dating back to 1830¹.

Despite an official population of 996, El Rito felt deserted on the day I visited. The town’s lone restaurant had yet to open (this was my loss — El Farolito doesn’t look like much from the outside, but gets enthusiastic reviews — I will need to go back), but many of the town’s other businesses looked permanently shuttered, including Martin’s General Store, which closed in 2009. About the only people I saw were in cars that stopped for selfies with the polar lander.

When it comes to choosing routes, I usually start with trusted sources like Gravel Adventure Field Guide and Gravel Bike Adventures. Next, I’ll check RidewithGPS.com for routes that have been submitted by multiple riders, especially those that include photos that might give me a sense of the terrain. And sometimes I just trust my gut, looking for routes that seem to hit the day’s sweet spot of distance and elevation gain. This was one of those times (hat tip to Ride with GPS user 907Resident for his El Rito Lollipop, which combines 3,531 feet of climbing over 36.3 miles).

Starting from the lander, it’s less than a mile to the El Rito Cemetery, where you’ll turn onto gravel at Rio Arriba County Road 247. The next five or so miles were a ride I won’t soon forget.

Initially, the landscape was the same rolling high desert that I’d seen on the drive over from Ojo. But junipers and wide vistas quickly gave way to increasingly dense groves of tall Ponderosa pines that shielded me from the hot afternoon sun as I began the climb into the Carson National Forest.

Much of the route’s 3,500 feet of elevation gain is front-loaded onto the first third of the ride, but the single-lane road is well-maintained and the grade is mostly steady. I quickly settled into an easy rhythm, aware that I was working but never feeling uncomfortable. What I did feel was an expanding sense of freedom as I took in the beauty all around me. Even the scorched trunks from 2022’s Midnight Fire looked less like damage than determination. I had come to a very good place.

Soon after cresting the day’s highest elevation at 8,279 feet, you’ll reach the start of the lollipop, which winds through another 10 miles of forests and high meadows. Don’t be fooled, there’s still plenty of climbing ahead, it’s just more rolling and more spread out than what you’ve already done.

On the final descent back into El Rito, those same shadows that were your friend on the way up will now potentially obscure the occasional rough patch on CR247. Stay alert. Speaking of safety, it’s worth noting that I never saw another soul once I left town and I lost cellular coverage about six miles into the ride. Knowing how to operate your iPhone’s satellite messaging before you actually need it is a worthwhile insurance policy. And while this isn’t the longest of rides, there are no services along the way so bring water and food, just in case.

I finished my ride and was able to get back to Ojo in plenty of time for that second steak. The shortness of our visit means that I wasn’t able to give El Rito and Ojo Caliente the full Gravelogue treatment. At least not yet. But such a memorable day deserves to be noted. I hope to return and encourage you to add it to your own list of places to explore.

Other Rides

I would happily repeat this ride, but three others that I’ll be checking out — along with a visit to El Farolito — when I return are part of the annual El Rito Epic gravel race.

Pairing your El Rito riding with soaks in Ojo Caliente’s rejuvenating waters would make for an ideal extended training camp (especially if, like me, you’re traveling with a partner who doesn’t share your cycling passion but will happily partake in spa treatments and good steak).

1. Despite frequent claims to the contrary, it is not among the oldest churches in New Mexico. ↩︎