By John Pint

One day, my friend Chale and I decided to hike along Rio Caliente, the hot river in the Primavera Forest, to see where it goes. We ended up finding a new and surprisingly easy way to reach one of the finest jewels of the forest.

Our plan was to follow the river downstream to a place called Guava Beach, described in our book, Outdoors in Western Mexico. We walked west along the foot of tall, verdant hills and high, steep cliffs. We passed a gorgeous yellow Strangler Fig tree which somehow resembles a tall damsel elegantly seated on a big rock. As we wound our way down to Guava Beach, after an hour’s walk, we came to long, wide meadows and several cool springs: a perfect place to camp.

Beyond Guava Beach, our trail narrowed and took us into heavy bush only a few meters above the bubbling river. We were afraid the path was about to dwindle to an ignominious end, when suddenly we stepped into a wide clearing and blinked in surprise.

We were standing at the edge of a road—where there should be no road—and off in the distance we could see the roof of a large building. Tacked to a tree was a big sign reminding us not to pick plants or disturb the wildlife.

“Where are we?” we asked each other simultaneously. With wondering eyes, we followed the road, which paralleled the river and revealed numerous pools of water created by rough boulder dams stretching across the six-meter-wide river bed. I pulled out my thermometer and took the temperature of the water: a nice warm 35° C (95° F). “Chale, I think we’ve just arrived at Paradise.”

We spotted only two cars as we walked along the road. All around us, on both sides of the river, were green meadows and rocky hills, a pristine hiking area we had never dreamed could be within easy reach.

We soon found out we were at the far end of the least known road leading into the Bosque de la Primavera, under the administration of the Forest authorities and accessible to anyone who pays the ten-peso-per-person entrance fee. Where this fee goes is anyone’s guess, as the road is poorly maintained and there are no facilities of any sort.

A week later, we were back with kids and adults to find out just how “cool” this warm river was. It took us only twenty minutes to get there from highway 70 (the road to Ameca). The children jumped right into the froth and declared it was definitely “chido” which is the highest compliment Mexican kids can give anything. I thought Susan and Lupita, two UDG administrators, were going to join me for a hike, but the moment they submerged, they refused to come out. “Oh, this is so soothing,” they chortled, sitting in the swirling rapids that massaged their backs. At the end, they declared El Rio Salado to be the ultimate stress reliever and suggested the entire UDG faculty might do well to spend some time there.

The Salty River is, in fact, simply a continuation of Rio Caliente with all the benefits of its mineral content (including lithium) but with a much more reasonable temperature, which allows you to soak as long as you want without feeling scalded.

As usual, visit this place on a weekday. The road is not in the best of shape, but a friend’s ordinary passenger car made it all the way, even through four ominous-looking (but not deep) monster puddles. The trick to reach this place easily is always to follow the main (most trafficked) road. Remember, even if those puddles make you nervous, the ultimate stress-reliever is only twenty minutes away.

How to get there

Take Highway 15 (Nogales) 25 kilometers west of the Periférico to Highway 70 (Ameca). Don’t get on the toll road by mistake! Go southwest on 70 toward Ameca for about 3.5 kilometers at which point you are about to cross over a bridge which you could easily miss if not watching intently. Immediately after crossing the bridge, turn left onto an unmarked dirt road heading southeast. Follow the main drag until you come to a fork with a big sign advertising a balneario. Don’t go to the balneario, but bear left and you’ll soon come to some lavish buildings (private property) and a young man who will collect the entrance fee. One kilometer later, you are at the bathing area. Take your pick anywhere along the river. Driving time from Guadalajara is less than one hour. This is also reachable from the Lake via Jocotepec, Santa Cruz and Tala. The turnoff to the dirt road is about 11 kilometers northeast of Tala. If you have a GPS, the turn is at 13 Q 643764 2292474 using UTM coordinates.