Colorado What To Do›Hot Springs
Colorado Hot Springs
From a block-long pool built in 1888 to stone soaking pools in a forest and the deepest measured geothermal spring in the world, here is where to soak in Colorado.
Where are the best hot springs in Colorado?
Colorado's best-known hot springs are in five areas: Glenwood Springs (Glenwood Hot Springs Pool and Iron Mountain Hot Springs), Steamboat Springs (Strawberry Park and Old Town Hot Springs), Ouray and Ridgway (Ouray Hot Springs Pool and Orvis Hot Springs), Pagosa Springs (The Springs Resort and others along the San Juan River), and Chaffee County near Buena Vista and Salida (Mount Princeton and Cottonwood). These five areas form the Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop.
Colorado's mountains sit on a lot of underground heat, and the springs that reach the surface have been drawing people for as long as anyone has lived here.
Many hot springs towns were sacred or seasonal gathering places for the Ute and other Indigenous peoples long before they were resorts. In the late 1800s, railroads and developers built bathhouses and hotels around them, and several of those historic pools are still operating. Today the springs range from family water parks to quiet, adults-oriented soaking ponds and backcountry pools reached only on foot.
The Historic Hot Springs Loop. The Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop is a roughly 720-mile driving route that links five hot springs destinations, Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs, Ouray County, Pagosa Springs and Chaffee County, and 19 hot springs facilities. It makes a natural road trip on its own; our road trip itinerary overlaps much of it.
Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Hot Springs Pool opened in 1888 and claims to be the largest hot springs pool in the world. The main pool measures 405 feet long and up to 100 feet wide and is kept at about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, cool enough for swimming laps, with a smaller therapy pool alongside at about 104 degrees. The Yampah spring that feeds it produces millions of gallons of mineral water a day. It is family friendly, with a waterslide area in summer.
Iron Mountain Hot Springs, across the Colorado River, takes the opposite approach: many small soaking pools at different temperatures, set along the riverbank. Glenwood also has the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves, natural underground steam caves. Glenwood is about 2.5 to 3 hours from Denver on I-70, which makes it the easiest hot springs weekend from the Front Range.
Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs
Strawberry Park Hot Springs, a few miles north of Steamboat, is a set of rock-lined pools in a forested valley where a hot creek meets a cold one. It is rustic, beautiful and popular, and its rules are worth reading before you go: access, parking and reservation requirements have changed in recent years, and the rules differ after dark. In winter, the road can require four-wheel drive and chains, or you can take a shuttle.
Downtown, Old Town Hot Springs is a community center built around mineral pools, with lap lanes, waterslides and a fitness center, and is the easier family option.
Ouray and Ridgway
Ouray And Ridgway
Ouray Hot Springs Pool is a large, recently renovated municipal pool on the north end of town, with pools of different temperatures and the San Juan Mountains on every side. Several of Ouray's historic lodges also have their own soaking pools for guests.
Ten miles north, Orvis Hot Springs near Ridgway is a quieter, clothing-optional property with a natural rock-lined soaking pond and indoor pools. It is adults-oriented; check its current policies before you visit.
Pagosa Springs
Pagosa Springs And The Mother Spring
Pagosa Springs sits on the San Juan River in a valley named for the springs; "Pagosa" is commonly translated from the Ute language as "healing waters." The Springs Resort has dozens of terraced soaking pools along the river fed by the Mother Spring, a turquoise pool that is far too hot for bathing. In 2011, Guinness World Records recognized the Mother Spring as the deepest measured geothermal hot spring after a plumb line reached 1,002 feet without touching bottom. Other bathhouses in town also draw from the same aquifer.
Chaffee County
Mount Princeton, Cottonwood And The Collegiate Peaks
In the Arkansas Valley between Buena Vista and Salida, the Collegiate Peaks provide the backdrop for several soaking spots. Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort has large pools and, in some seasons, creekside soaking where hot water mixes into Chalk Creek. Cottonwood Hot Springs, west of Buena Vista, is a quieter, rustic property. Salida also has a historic indoor municipal hot springs pool, the Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center. Combine a soak with a rafting day on the Arkansas; see our central high country guide.
Beyond the loop
San Luis Valley And Backcountry Springs
The San Luis Valley has several smaller springs with big views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Valley View Hot Springs, run by the nonprofit Orient Land Trust near Villa Grove, is clothing-optional and limits the number of visitors. Joyful Journey Hot Springs near Moffat and the Sand Dunes Recreation pool near Hooper are other options, the latter a good stop after a day at Great Sand Dunes.
Backcountry springs are a different experience. Conundrum Hot Springs, high in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, is reached only by a long, steep hike, and overnight camping there requires a permit reserved on Recreation.gov. Pack out all waste and do not use soap in natural pools.
How to soak
Hot Springs Tips And Etiquette
- Hydrate and limit alcohol. Hot water plus altitude dehydrates quickly. Soak in short sessions and drink water between them.
- Check reservation rules. Many popular springs now sell timed entry or limit capacity, especially on weekends and holidays.
- Know the dress code. Most commercial pools require swimsuits; a few properties are clothing-optional or adults-only at certain hours. Read the rules before you bring children.
- Keep your head above water in natural pools, and follow posted health guidance.
- Be quiet where it is expected. Many rustic springs are designed for relaxation, not parties.
- Leave no trace at wild springs. Pack out everything, keep glass out of the pools and camp only where permitted.
Common questions
Hot Springs Questions
What is the largest hot springs pool in Colorado?
Glenwood Hot Springs Pool in Glenwood Springs, opened in 1888, measures 405 feet long and up to 100 feet wide and is described by the resort as the largest hot springs pool in the world.
What is the Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop?
It is a driving route of roughly 720 miles that links five hot springs destinations, Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs, Ouray County, Pagosa Springs and Chaffee County, and 19 hot springs facilities.
Are there free hot springs in Colorado?
Most Colorado hot springs are on private land and charge for entry. Wild springs on public land, such as Conundrum Hot Springs near Aspen, are free to visit but may require a long hike and, for overnight stays, a wilderness permit.
Sources
- Colorado Historic Hot Springs Looproute and member facilities
- Steamboat Springs Chamber: Colorado Historic Hot Springs Looploop overview
- Glenwood Hot Springs Resort fact sheetpool size, temperature, history
- Guinness World Records: deepest geothermal hot spring2011 measurement
- U.S. Forest Service, White River National Forest: wilderness permitsConundrum Hot Springs overnight permits
- Strawberry Park Hot Springscurrent rules and access
- City of Ouray: Ouray Hot Springs Poolpool information