On the long stretch of Highway 8 from Tucson to San Diego, there isn’t much for long stretches. Consulting an atlas, there’s not many landmarks on that road.
Driving this stretch before, I had noticed a sign saying “Jacumba Hot Springs” was a town name near the highway. This was not, I knew, a guarantee of an actual hot spring. In America, we like to name towns for springs and sometimes ‘hot spring’ is just attractive nomenclature.
This time, I decided to bite.
I rolled into the small town of Jacumba (an unincorporated county of California, population 561) mid-morning. Most of the town was pretty desolate, with some abandoned buildings that clearly stemmed from a long-gone heyday.
There WAS a steam coming from a point in the river bend, which indicated that hot springs were really there— in fact, the public could dip on a $5 honor system in the natural river.
But that wasn’t QUITE as scenic of a place to bathe as going to the ONLY structure that was still operational in town– the Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel.
A cute trailer parked right outside beckoned me to approach it. An extremely kind person working this greeting desk said that if I had my van to sleep in, I should just do a daypass— and could plunge into all the hot spring pools with the exception of one (which was for hotel guests only, in a little kiva-like setup).
This was a no-brainer. I purchased the daypass and was led back to some lovely changing rooms, complete with shower and very high-quality bath products and towels. For a town that looked like it was on the outs, this was shaping up to be a luxury experience.
As I got into the first pool and felt my body relax into the hot water, I felt absolutely blissful. There were only a handful of other patrons scattered around, not enough to harm the tranquility– and the walled garden made it feel almost like a private enclave.
Then, a staff member came by and handed me a drink menu that was full of delicious-sounding cocktails. A ‘highly-crafted, artisanal’ cocktail in the hot springs? Don’t mind if I do!!!
I ordered the watermelon margarita, which had house-made watermelon puree throughout it, and a little kick from jalapeño. It arrived quickly, and was delightful. They even had fresh juices an other ‘spa-like’ items, as well as light food, right by the pool.
Now, I knew better than to have another cocktail while lounging in the warm waters of the hot spring— though it was early spring and still fairly chilly out (Jacumba is at some altitude), the warm water can already make one woozy on its own. So I stuck to one drink, though it’s worth noting the few patrons scattered around me had a couple of adult beverages each.
I was curious about the town, given it clearly had boomed in the past, and now was hanging on. It turns out that long ago, native people (likely Kumeyaay) inhabited the area because of the stream’s 104-degree output— then ranchers came into the area, and reached by rail in the 1920s, tourists discovered the place. And like Palm Springs and other naturally-hot-sprung areas, the celebrities from Hollywood found solace and rejuvenation there.
Until the highway 8 bypassed the entire thing by TWO MILES. JUST missed. And Jacumba Hot Springs fell from its peak population of 1,500 to a third of that size.
The Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel had apparently foundered in and out of existence over the decades. The ONLY structure in town that was now able to house tourists, this building was renovated in 2013 from its earlier state. And boy, they did an absolutely bang-up job on the exterior restoration and interior design— which felt modern, but also rustic and truly pleasing to the eye. I mean, LOOK at that archway.
And that patio, bar area, and so on:
Being there isn’t MUCH in town, the Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel kinda had to have a restaurant, and they easily could have mailed it in. They could have served crap food for an exorbitant price. Instead, they created an absolute banger of a kitchen and a meal that was exquisite.
I am going to start by saying I don’t like mushrooms— but their portobello mushroom dish was prepared so excellently, it tasted like a buttery steak. Not mushy, the texture was perfectly chewable. The potato-and-parsnip puree below the mushroom was also warming as the night turned cooler (high desert nightfall for ya). This was a stellar way to end a great day.
I also noted the menu offered something called “Bacanora”– or ‘Mexican Moonshine’– but being I was trying to take it easy on the drinking, I didn’t order it. It did sound divine– with sliced oranges and cinnamon, I am sure it was bomb.
If you are ever traveling to San Diego from anywhere on Route 8, you gotta stop here. What a joy.
Posted by Sun
