Four small dams have been constructed across famed Río Caliente in the Primavera Forest, offering new options to bathers.
“They’ve done a great job,” said Canadian geologist Chris Lloyd who celebrated Mexican Constitution Day recently by soaking in one of the newly created pools. “The last rains wreaked havoc on the river, filling all the low spots with sand and gravel. You literally couldn’t get into the water anymore.”
Local landowners decided to act decisively and had dams built at strategic spots within easy reach of the parking lot. The dams use local rocks and—in my opinion—harmonize nicely with the river and its surroundings, unlike some concrete monstrosities I’ve seen in other places. Not only that, all the pools are located along a bend in the river which is well-shaded in the morning hours.
“In many parts of the world,” said an expat American in the water, “you need sunshine to inspire you to jump into a cold river, but here, the combination of this river plus sun can result in an unbearably hot mixture. Fortunately, among these new pools there are spots that stay shady until around 1 p.m.”
After a disastrous conflagration burnt down large sections of the Primavera Forest in April of 2013, the public was denied access to Río Caliente for many months, “so the woods would have a chance to regenerate,” according to Primavera spokeswoman Karina Aguilar.
What this means at the beginning of 2014 is that the huge crowds previously seen here every Sunday are no longer thronging to the river. “I came here last Thursday,” said Lloyd, “and found only three people in one of the four pools. I had my pick of all the others. I just hope your article won’t change that.”
I’m sure that the big crowds will eventually come back, but I doubt it will be because they all read the Guadalajara Reporter. Curiously, Río Caliente is one of the very few places out of town that most Tapatíos are familiar with. In point of fact, I believe the great majority of people who live in Guadalajara rarely venture out to see any of the other natural wonders within easy reach of the city. There are numerous rivers and waterfalls, volcanoes, mountain peaks, dramatic canyons, cloud forests, swamps and tropical jungles inside what I call “The Magic Circle” around Guadalajara, but few people visit them and even fewer are interested in protecting them.
Nevertheless, I invite you to follow Chris Lloyd’s lead and spend some time soaking your body in the highly mineralized, soothing waters of Río Caliente, whose temperature is about 37 degrees Centigrade (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit) in the first (and hottest) pool. After twenty minutes, you’ll find every muscle in your body relaxing and probably end up taking an unexpected nap when you get back home.
The instructions for reaching Río Caliente in my book “Outdoors in Western Mexico,” are still good and the entry fees remain reasonable: 25 pesos per car just after you exit the town of La Primavera and another ten pesos per person at the parking lot. Driving time from the Ring Road is about half an hour. Come on a weekday before noon and enjoy the hot water, the shade and plenty of peace and quiet.