The best things in life: the frosted peach velvet of a horse’s nose, the warm soft tummy on kittens, cool linen sheets.. and natural hot springs.

Albeit Agua Caliente is quite a manicured version, consisting of two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, the water is from natural geothermal sources. Emerging from the foothills of the Tierra Blanca Mountains at 1,300 feet and  91°, it is channeled into this mineral water complex, lying some 100 miles east of San Diego, California, in the Anza Borrego National Park.

It sits on the famous old Butterfield Stage route of 1858-1861 when people trundled across this land by stagecoach and wagons – in fact, its address is 39555 Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849, harking back to even earlier stage use! It was the only route into California in the winter when snow closed off the trails at higher elevations to the north. Just up the road lies the staging post of Vallecito, then Box Canyon, a wash through a pass that was so narrow people found themselves pounding off pieces of rock in order to squeeze their wagons through. Dangerously hot in summer, there was still reliable water to be found in the area.

The Kameyaay Indians were probably the first people to make use of the springs. Today they are popular with snowbirds (Americans travelling south to escape the winter cold) and grey nomads, often much the same thing. There is a campsite at the park, the sites nestled cosily into the embracing rock walls of the hillside, their views falling away to the plain below and more distant hills. The area is very beautiful, especially in spring when the wildflowers bloom and the desert comes alive with colour.  

Day use is only $3 a person but on Friday or Saturday nights the pool is open to residents only between 6 to 9 pm. It is a chance to enjoy the warm waters in the desert night under brilliant stars.

Notes

More details on Aqua Calientes here. Tent camping starts at $24, RV camping with water and electricity at $33. There are cabins from $70 but without mattresses or linen.

There are also campsites at Vallecito where you can view the old stagecoach stop and cabins at Butterfield Ranch. Free camping is widespread in the park: Mountain Palm Spring about 10 miles to the south is one especially lovely site with beautiful walks to clusters of Californian fan palms.