GO NEW MEXICO
Making a splash on Route 66
Santa Rosa鈥檚 famous spring-fed pool draws swimmers and divers with 62-degree water year-round
Published
SANTA ROSA 鈥� The Blue Hole is 62 degrees all year long.
Located in the Route 66 boomtown of Santa Rosa about 120 miles from sa国际传媒官网网页入口, the Blue Hole is a naturally occurring pool with crystal blue waters open to swimmers and scuba divers.
The Blue Hole, formed after the limestone bedrock eroded and collapsed into an underground aquifer, is part of a network of more than a dozen lakes or sinkholes near Santa Rosa, many of which empty into the nearby Pecos River.
On a hot summer day, travelers along Route 66 can cool off in the Blue Hole after a sweltering car ride but should be sure to check the forecast for rain.
Parking is ample, and the lot is typically filled with cars from across the United States. The pool, on a sweltering mid-June afternoon, had bathers of all ages from Europe, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. There is a nearby restroom to change clothes.
Venture into downtown Santa Rosa afterward for something to eat, or head to Bill鈥檚 Place, on Fourth Street right off of the old Route 66, for a bright blue coconut-flavored soda named for the Blue Hole.
The Blue Hole is 81 feet deep. Bathers can step in, or better yet, dive in off of the cliff above the hole. Scuba divers must get a permit.
The Blue Hole is one of the most popular diving destinations in the United States, according to Santa Rosa officials.
Though don鈥檛 try to make it to the bottom 鈥� there is a permanent gate blocking off the cave system at the bottom of the Blue Hole, put in place when two student divers died after getting trapped in the caves at the bottom of the lake in 1976.
Swimming is free, but a weekly dive permit is available for $25 at the Santa Rosa Convention Center (which doubles as the town鈥檚 DMV) directly adjacent to the Blue Hole.
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
