Carlito Springs

Just 20 minutes east of Tramway Blvd off of IH40; Carlitos Springs Open Space is an amazing escape from city life. Check their website for a map of the 1.8 mile loop showing 2 different parking areas. Millions of dollars of improvements to the trail have been made over the last few years. There's lots of signs to point your way. Most elevation changes are gradual; trail in my opinion is easy to moderate. Plenty of shade and areas to rest if needed. Don't miss the trail to the 3 spring fed pools; they were my favorite part!

One of my friends is about to move away so we have been going through her bucket list of local things to do in Carlito Springs was on that list.I know it has been closed for a few years, but it's finally re-opened and a highly recommendable lite hike in the east mountains. When starting the trek, go left for a milder hike and right for the longer route that features some cool view points.The springs are small, but definitely worth the short hike. You also get some really great views from the top. They have really nice bathrooms, which isn't always the case for these kinds of recreation areas. The heck, with dog friendly we brought multiple dogs and saw a few on the way.

I have gone back after it being closed for while. They have done some work at the top of the trail and it is a nice place to visit. The hike is a nice easy hike and if you take both trails it's about 3 mile round trip.

Short hike - 90 minutes - not strenuous. Very nice views at the top plus the springs our nice.

All the reviews are correct. This place is an oasis from the norms of New Mexico. The hike is a bit steep, but in the shade, and the views are great. Take the left trail, and enjoy.

This place is so beautiful! A real gem located close to Albuquerque. We took our 4yo and 4 month old up here today. The hike is very child friendly. We hiked both sides of the trail and highly recommend taking the left trail where it is more shaded. This trail is also shorter but is much steeper. The views from both trails and Carlito Springs itself are amazing. I was surprised though that we could hear the interstate traffic the whole time. The trails were quite busy. When we got there the parking lot was full so rather than park on an already narrow barely two lane gravel road, we opted to park off the road and walk the 0.3 miles to the trailhead. The parking lot is very small but if you went during the week, I bet you won't have any problem parking,I would say to plan on spending several hours up there to explore the grounds. The signs say that you are not allowed to swim or let pets go in the springs. Just about every dog we saw up there was wet and there were people playing in the springs.There are a couple of picnic tables at the top if you want to pack a picnic. There are also trash cans and portable toilets.I will go back for sure. I can't wait to see what it will be like once phase 2 is done and the cabins are open.

Came here on a Monday and had no trouble parking. I went left and took the steeper, shadier side to the springs. The trail was well-marked. The springs were pretty cold and the lower ones were a little mossy, but I was still able to stick my feet in. Only negative is that you can see/hear the interstate from the top. I took the other part of the loop down, and enjoyed that side as well. It is a little more exposed, as others have mentioned, but it was cool enough in November to not be an issue, and there were small trees throughout. There were some nice views near the top you wouldn't want to miss.

Wow. Can't believe how close this is to town, how easy it is to get to, how chill it is to hike (especially with kids, mine are 8, 6 & 4) and how delightful it is at the top. Don't miss out on this one! Take the left trail for plenty of shade, i visited at the end of June at 10am, it was perfect weather, not too hot, lots of flowers. The pools are crystal clear, refreshing this time of year!

A very nice simple hike for a day when you want to get some fresh air and exercise.The parking lot we arrived at from directions from the GPS was small. I don't know if there are any other parking lots but if not, you have to almost get lucky to find a spot. We did not see many people during our time here and other reviews sound like it is still a lesser known spot so it might not be too bad.If you are looking for the springs in the photos on Google when you search "Carlito Springs" it is to the left when you arrive at the fork from the parking lot. We got lucky with our rock, paper, scissor to go left.When you reach the cabins that have been bolted shut is when you have arrived at the springs. Continue walking straight, right of the cabins, and you will see the spring when you peek down between the trees.The water really is crystal clear! There is moss on the rocks in the water and little water bugs floating at the top but other than that, it was very nice. There was also a pool net that you can use to clear the water from debris yourself.There is also another little spring right below the main one but I felt that one had more moss making me not want to put my feet in there.It is a very good place to come and relax. The only bugs I really saw besides the ones floating in the water are dragon flies.

Great hike. We've taken the kids and pups. The climb up can be a bit of a workout but man is it worth it when you get to the top! Beautiful view.