Perseid Meteor Shower at American Springs (in the Jemez Mtns)

The family camped out at a spot in American Springs last night, hopeful of observing the Perseid meteor shower. Some friends joined us for the campfire portion, which made it a super fun evening. We didn’t end up seeing many shooting stars before retiring to the warmth of the tent, but I don’t think anybody minded. As usual, the boys had a great time.

American Springs is a region located in the corner formed by rt 4 and rt 501, just southwest of Los Alamos, and it is another one of our local gems. There are dozens of isolated campsites spread out overlooking the canyons, and it feels surprisingly remote for being only a few miles out of town. If you drive in from the south (off rt 4), a 2WD vehicle can get you to great sites. The eastern route (off rt 501) requires high clearance and probably 4WD on some short steep sections, and it’s tricky to find the start (none of it is signed). This morning on our way out we had to cut a downed tree that was across the road–very few people drive the eastern section and there is good reason why.

The American Springs area is overlooked by most. On the south side, the entrance isn’t obvious–the road exits the back of what appears from the pavement to be just a wide pullout and there is a sign saying “closed gate ahead” (there is a gate but it is generally open unless the forests are closed due to fire danger, etc). I think that locals head farther afield for weekend trips (though mountain bikers use the area often, as there are numerous good trails, e.g. Water Canyon), and non-locals would have no reason to know there was anything of interest.

Our camp spot was quite nice: shaded with a few tall trees, but otherwise open, with good views in all directions. I marked it on the map below with the tent icon. I chose this spot for last night’s camp so we would have a clear view to the north for the meteor shower. The only drawback was the quantity of broken glass, as it must occasionally serve as a local party spot.

Perhaps I will start using American Springs more often for our quick overnights, as it is a nice change of pace (and feels more remote) than camping on the ski hill, and only adds about 15 minutes of driving.