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Agua Caliente Hot Springs
Categories: Hotels & Travel Campgrounds Beauty and Spas Day Spas Campgrounds, Day Spas [Edit]
County RdS-2
Borrego Springs, CA 92004
- Price Range:
-
$
- By Appointment Only:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
6 reviews for Agua Caliente Hot Springs
6 reviews in English
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Review from Cherish S.
Lemon Grove, CA
4/4/2012
I enjoyed visiting Aguascalientes. We camped over the weekend and ut was beautiful. I definitely recommend camping here. The desert is full of natural wonders. I enjoyed the pools and the campgrounds. I also recommend Vallecito campground a few miles down if you want a more mellow campsite with more trees. Also make sure to wear closed toed shoes! I accidentally stepped on a cholla cactus...it was the most painful thing that has ever happened to me.
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Review from Laura H.
Saratoga, CA
4/18/2011
Been there two years in a row now and LOVE Agua Caliente.
I have to laugh at the people who proclaim with disgust that the pools are CONCRETE and children, children were PLAYING at this campground! And other people were making NOISE!
First, have you ever been to a natural hot spring? There is no way to clean or maintain it, they typically have muddy bottoms with sharp objects, high bacterial counts, etc. If you were seriously expecting a county park to be hosting a muddy, bacteria-infested, algae-crusted hot spring for hundreds of visitors, you are kind of an idiot and obviously have no experience with hot springs. If you want the natural kind, be prepared to buy a guidebook and hike into one. And don't be upset when it's muddy and full of broken glass.
To the people who complain about kids playing and making noise at the campground...sorry. There are a ton of adult-only hot springs and spas, if what you want is unbroken silence and meditation. I only know of a handful of hot springs that my kids are even allowed to visit. They have the right to run around, ride bikes and enjoy their vacations too. They had a complete blast at Agua Caliente. I won't pretend that they were silent during the day, but at night they were, and that's the only reasonable expectation.
We stayed for five days straight and we did not experience any rude neighbors (on the contrary, everyone was as nice and friendly and polite as could be), any loud music after hours, any uncleanliness.....we had no problems whatsoever. The pools were clean and well-maintained. The bathrooms too.
The grounds are gorgeous, the scenery is spectacular. There are two fabulous hiking trails right there in the campground that rival anything else in the surrounding vicinity. You can hike and explore your heart out without ever leaving the park, if you so desire.
Campsites have plenty of space for privacy if you pick the right one. We actually enjoyed our neighbors, and had them and their kids over to our campfire for marshmallows and wine.
The rangers are helpful and friendly. Partial hookup sites are a total steal at $25 a night. You get water and electricity right there. At other places I have paid $35 for a weedy site with a rusted out fire ring, no nearby water, no electricity, and bathrooms a mile away.
Yes, you will hear birds in the morning, and maybe frogs at night. I love that! I didn't come to the desert to be in a sterile environment with no contact with living things. I came to see the flowers and birds and mountains, to soak in hot water, to let my kids free-range and play a bit, to get out of my ho-hum routine and clear my head, play board games with my husband, etc. Agua Caliente totally did the trick. We love it and we'll be back next year too. -
Review from Evan P.
San Diego, CA
3/13/2011
The pools, are overused, and full of some nasty floating materials (not cleaned enough). The campsites are too close together and not ideal for someone looking for a relaxing weekend. The ranger will come around at 11 to let you know of the fire curfew, but does not follow up on the noise coming from other campers. Quiet time is 10PM to 8AM, but not enforced. I had a party in the 5 campsites next to me up till 2AM, talking and shouting across sites, and up at 6AM. Then during the day, people are allowed to use music amplifying devices... needless to say you can here music from other sites across the campgrounds. Overall the scenery is beautiful, but the experience is lacking in the fact that the park ranger and camp hosts are so lax on rules.
I had reservations for Friday and Sunday night, and ended up leaving Saturday afternoon, due to complete irritation from the other campers. -
Review from Ubersheist G.
Ventura, CA
6/11/2007
This county-run hot spring is within the Anza-Borrego Regional Park. It's located south of the town of Borrego Springs. More information can be found onthe San Diego County Dept. of Recreation's website -http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks/camping/agua_ caliente.html .
Anza Borrego is phenomenal. There's far too many geological formations and nifty box canyons to describe in anything less then a full book. One of the niftier geologic formations is Agua Caliente Hot Spring - if interpreted loosely since a 'hot spring" is not technically a "formation."
Anyway, the county run hot spring facility at the campground is clean and efficient. There's two pools - a hot pool the size of a very, very large jacuzzi, and a warm pool the dimentions and size of a typical backyard pool. The tempuratures were perfect, and relaxing. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was not.
When we were there, several children were playing. While I can't blame them or chide them from being kids, they didn't help with the relaxation. Also, this hot spring had the most utilitarian feel that Iive ever had at a naturally occuring body of water. It felt like the pool and hot tub at a 24-Hour Fitness, although the view outside was better then the office building at the 24-hour Fitness near my house. However, they covered the hot pool with a roof. Oh, the horrors! Why, why, why?
The spring's best qualities are that they're free with the park admission. If they weren't, they'd be getting fewer stars.
My advice is to go to Anza Borrego for everything else that the county park has to offer. Go during the late fall through early spring, as it gets bewilderingly hot htere. While there, use the hotsprings if you happen to be in the area. Just don't go too far out of your way for them. -
Review from Chris W.
Escondido, CA
4/30/2010 2 photos
One of my favorite places to get away and relax from the everyday hustle.
With nothing around you but desert and blue skies, a soak in the pools is a vacation in itself. Yes, they are swimming pools, but they are filled with naturally heated mineral water. The three pools (one enclosed and two outdoor pools) are a great treat during the spring months, with the enclosed heated pool a relaxing soak in the morning or evening.
This is a campground, and have both hook-ups and non hook up camp spots available. With the hiking trails all around, this is the perfect weekend get-a-way. A note...the park is closed during the hot summer months of June-Sept. and re-opens labor day weekend. -
Review from Jenn C.
3/29/2009
These are just swimming pools that are heated by the hot springs. This is such a scam! We went there expecting to soak in some natural hot springs. Instead, we drove an hour from Julian just to see some typical swimming pools in the middle of the desert. Biggest waste of time EVER. DO NOT EVER EVER EVER come here unless you are passing by and need to go for a swim. It's basically just a campground in the middle of the desert with a couple of pools. It SUCKS.
