Elephant Butte Lake State Park and Riverbend Hot Springs....Not to be Missed!

It was time to leave Albuquerque and head further south to Truth or Consequences. Located just off I-25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces, this little resort town of about 6000 used to be called Hot Springs. There was a big publicity scheme to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ralph Edwards' very successful game show "Truth or Consequences" on the radio. Hot Springs won and changed the name of the town. The host of the show, Ralph Edwards traveled to the town every year for almost 50 years to celebrate their Fiesta.

We stayed at R.J.'s RV Park, another Passport America park for $15/night for full hook-ups. This little guy was under the bush next to my RV.  Yes, it is a gravel park but it was clean, quiet, and very well kept. There is a laundry, small recreation room, and bathrooms. The owners could not have been any nicer so it was perfect for our purposes.

One of the places I wanted to see while in Truth or Consequences was Elephant Butte Lake State Park. I have read about it on so many other bloggers posts as it is the largest state park and one of the most popular both for regular camping and boondocking.  New Mexico state parks can be a real bargain if you use them a lot and buy the annual pass.

We were not expecting this very detailed and unique sand sculpture.

This was done by the Friends of Elephant Butte Lake State Park.

Once again, this is a desert area so if you are expecting trees and grass, you will be disappointed but if you are open minded to different kinds of beauty, you will see it.

We drove around and looked at all the regular hookup sites but apparently didn't take any pictures of them because they were occupied. The lake is large.....you can see a pretty large boat near the center of the picture. And there is a marina.

We did take pictures of the RVs boondocking along the shore.

We could have been happy camping here but were fine at RJs since it was so convenient.

Next we drove around the area near the state park.

Before we headed back into town to check out one of the Hot Springs. There are a number of them around the downtown area. They have been around for a really long time. We decided to check out Riverbend Hot Springs.

It is right on the edge of the river near a little park.

There is parking in front and also some across the road. They have hotel type rooms as well as a few RV spots.

We decided to go in and check on hours and costs while we were there.

We were given a tour by one of the employees. The grounds inside were very nice. The whole atmosphere is relaxing.

All these pictures are of the common pools. Children under 12 are not allowed and the whole area is considered a "whisper" zone. Yes, that was hard for Carolyn.

We decided we definitely wanted to do this. The common pools are $12 a person for an hour. You shower before you go in so all your time is available for soaking. The lady who took us around said it was busier on weekends and in the evening. She said sunset was a magic time to be there.

 Carolyn and I were definitely up for this. Mary Jane opted out but she missed something very special. We were not as impressed by sunset as the sun set behind the area rather than the area where you were looking across the river. As it got dark, little lights were all over the area across the river. It was beautiful. We even heard a coyote sing across the way.

There are 8 common pools with temperatures ranging from 95 to 108 degrees. You want to start in the coolest pool and work your way up.

Let me tell you, it is hard to get Carolyn to sit still long enough to relax which is why we have all these pictures. We were very lucky as it was a weeknight and not at all busy

It was wonderful and relaxing to the point where you felt like jello.

There are also lounges to relax on between dips as well as ice water readily available.

They also have a sauna available which Carolyn tried for a few minutes.

They also have private pools available which have an opening view to the Rio Grande river but no one could see in unless they were boating.......we saw no boats and there were curtains. These are clothing optional and younger children are allowed with their parents. But again, the idea is quiet and relaxing even in these areas.

This was money well spent and I could imagine enjoying this every day you are here. Prices for the rooms and RV parking were fairly steep but included unlimited time in the pools.