Hot Springs

Colorado’s mountains have plenty of activities to get your heart racing, but they’re also perfect for kicking back. Dip into our many natural hot springs, where you can soothe sore muscles after a long day of hiking or skiing. Many also offer water slides and kid-friendly amenities. For many visitors, no trip to the mountains is complete without a rejuvenating visit to one of the state’s mineral hot springs.

As natural attractions, these gurgling pools may rank second only to the Rocky Mountain peaks themselves.

Colorado Hot Springs: No Two The Same

There are a few things that Colorado hot springs have in common: All will offer relaxation, soothe muscles and have you marveling at how such an unglamorous occurrence as geothermal activity can result in such a luxurious experience. But the similarities pretty much end there. Colorado hot springs come in a variety of styles and with a plethora of amenities.

Colorado’s hot springs give you a chance to experience one of the state’s most surreal phenomena: sitting outside in your bathing suit even though it’s snowing. In Colorado, you can submerge yourself in naturally heated hot springs while the flakes fall all around you. Get inspiration from a video of Strawberry Park Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs. Imagine relaxing in 104 degree mineral water while Steamboat’s famous Champagne Powder gently collects in the surrounding forest.

Mad Creek/Hot Springs Trail and Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Perhaps the most charming in the state, this idyllic gem sits in forested seclusion at the end of an unpaved road about 8 miles north of Steamboat Springs. Its stone-walled pools, from 102 to 104 degrees, flow in terraces from one to another, creating restful havens that become clothing-optional after dark. The springs are open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and with minimal lighting, the stargazing is great. Adult admission is only $10, but there are no in-and-out privileges, and credit cards are not accepted.

Strawberry Park Hot Springs
44200 Co Rd 36, Steamboat Springs, CO 8048
970-879-0342

Old Town Hot Springs, Steamboat Springs

This complex touts eight geothermal pools, water slides, a fitness center, tennis courts, massage services and childcare. Book a private cabana on the upper deck to make a full day of it. Fed by a heart-shaped spring behind the main building, this recently remodeled pool complex has been a part of community life in Steamboat Springs since the town’s founder built the first bathhouse in 1875 — a year before Colorado became a state. It now boasts a handful of hot pools plus an eight-lane lap pool that is kept at a comfortable 80 degrees, along with two water slides, a kiddie pool, a fitness center and on-site child care. Run by the nonprofit Steamboat Health and Recreation Association, this is an attractive water playground with a health-club feel.

Family-Friendly Glenwood Springs

If you’ve got little ones with you and are looking for a place with drive-in, drive-out accessibility, you will find the ease and the amenities you need — along with plenty of fun — at Glenwood Hot Springs, the world’s largest mineral pool, also caters to big-time fun with a huge swimming pool, a diving pool, a kiddie pool, a therapy pool and water slides.

Glenwood Hot Springs Resort

Want to know what a million gallons looks like? Just get an eyeful of the king-sized puddle at this landmark resort and spa just off Interstate 70 in Glenwood Springs. The 90-degree, 400-feet-long main pool is so large that it doesn’t feel crowded even when it is. And the adjacent 104-degree therapy pool, at 100 feet long, is as big as most conventional swimming pools. The Yampah Vapor Caves next door are an extra option.

Three hours west of Denver on I-70, this historic resort at the intersection of the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers was once a rough-and-tumble place, hosting guests as diverse as Teddy Roosevelt and Al Capone. Before them, Ute Indians resided here, wintering by the large natural hot pool and steam caves. They called the mineral waters yampah, which translates to “big medicine.” Nowadays, the area is full of amenities, plus opportunities for outdoor adventure in every direction. The main attractions remain the Hot Springs Pool (more than 2 blocks long) and Yampah Spa Vapor Caves.

This is also the only Colorado hot springs you can reach via passenger train. The California Zephyr stops at the depot just across the Colorado River twice each day.

Iron Mountain Hot Springs, Glenwood Springs

Iron Mountain Hot Springs, which opened in July 2015, is located on the site of thehistoric Iron Springs Spa on the banks of the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs. The resort offers a freshwater family pool with an elevated whirlpool spa and 16 smaller mineral hot springs soaking pools that complement the scenic hillside
landscape next to the river.