BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

You Can Get into a Good Deal of Hot Water on This Hot Well Dunes Trek

You expect the water found on the desert to be warm, but when it comes bubbling out of the ground at more than 100° F., you're talking spa country. And when you find such a spa at the end of a long back road, you've found a great end to an adventurous day. My adventure ended at the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, where water percolates to the surface at 106° F. Diane Drobka, publicity officer for the Bureau of Land Management's Safford office, and Tom Schnell, another BLM employee, had accompanied me on a tour of the hot springs in the vicinity of Safford. When we arrived at Hot Well Dunes, about 35 miles southeast of Safford in a land of lizards and rattlesnakes, we found a couple up to their earlobes in hot water, and water was all they were wearing. At the time, federal regulations permitted such skinnydipping in this remote region in which hot springs are fairly common among the sand dunes, sagebrush, and other desert scrub. That was a few years ago, and let's face it nothing lasts forever. The government did not choose to bare its soulon this one so I can't say why it happened, but the BLM eventually decided that skinny-dipping was not acceptable, and the policy was rescinded. And who knows maybe that wasn't such a bad reversal.

People with small kids have enough problems without having to stutter their way through an explanation of why those people over there are standing around naked. Around 70 years ago, Schnell explained, the thermal hot spring in the dunes was discovered by an oil drilling crew. Then as now, there was not much in that southeastern corner of Graham County along the New Mexico border except rangeland and, as it turned out, oil was among the many elements absent from the landscape. But all the grinding and pumping did eventually produce something: The drillers struck a natural hot spring and brought thousands of gallons of water to the surface of the parched desert.The argument can be made that water in the desert is far more precious than oil, but in 1928 that was a tough idea to sell. The drilling crew remained in the area for some time after their strike to see if by chance the water would suddenly become oil. It never happened. For years afterward, residents The argument can be made that water in the desert is far more precious than oil, but in 1928 that was a tough idea to sell. The drilling crew remained in the area for some time after their strike to see if by chance the water would suddenly become oil. It never happened. For years afterward, residents

Of the Safford area and some from other parts of southern Arizona knew of the spring and made occasional visits there for hot water bathing, though no developed facilities existed. The place remained relatively unknown to many people until 1985, when the BLM acquired the hot spring and the surrounding dunes in an exchange with the State of Arizona. Now visitors from all over are drawn there.Aside from the new dress code, the BLM recently replaced the old tubs with two concrete whirlpool-type basins separated by a shallow wading area for children. It also turned the place into a fee area - $3 per person per day, or, if you plan to go often, you can get a yearly permit for $30. Hot Well Dunes has 10 campsites with barbecue grills, picnic tables, trash cans, and a chemical toilet.

Natural hot springs are abundant in the general vicinity of Safford and the Gila River. For many years there was a lavish resort at Indian Hot Springs in Eden, about 15 miles northwest of Safford, where hot water was pumped into an enormous swimming pool. Indian Hot Springs closed long ago, but other more modest hot spring spas can still be found in the Safford area. The hot springs at Roper Lake State Park, south of Safford and east of U.S. Route 191, have been impounded in attractive stone tubs for public use.

The spring at Hot Well Dunes is the center, and arguably the main attraction, of the 2,000acre Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area. However, off-road vehicle enthusiasts are also attracted to the area by the vast sand dunes that have been set aside for their use.

After my visit on a balmy winter morning, it's easy to see why. Schnell, the BLM employee in charge of Hot Well Dunes, had loaded three fourwheeled ATVs onto the back of a trailer in Safford. We used these to meander for a couple of hours along narrow paths in the sandy dunes, skirting occasional clumps of cholla and thomy mesquite branches.

To get to Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, we drove east from Safford on U.S. 70, through Solomon and on to Haekel Road. From the intersection of U.S. 191 and 70, it was 8.1 miles to the cut-off.

We turned right (or south) off the pavement of U.S. 70 onto the graded dirt route called Haekel Road. The road is generally smooth, but it is graded only once a year, and we were there about a week prior to its annual maintenance, so it was more badly rippled than it normally is.

Still it was only a 25-mile drive through an expanse of rolling creosote to the entrance to Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area. When you go, keep in mind that, about a mile south of U.S. 70, Haekel Road forks. Take the left fork. If you make a mistake and take the right fork, the road will end in about a mile at an erosion-control structure.

The entrance to Hot Well Dunes is clearly marked on the left side of the road. In 1991 the BLM replaced the dilapidated 1928 wellhead with one that pumps the water into two basins that lie about 50 feet apart. A vault toilet has also been installed nearby.

Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area also can be reached from the south by turning north at Bowie, but the road is not as direct as coming from U.S. 70 out of Safford.

For more information about this destination, contact the BLM Safford Field office, 711 14th Ave., Safford, AZ 85546; (520) 348-4400.

TIPS FOR TRAVELERS

Back road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or in the high country, be aware of weather and road conditions and make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape and you have plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return. Odometer readings in the story may vary by vehicle.