Hot Springs in Colorado Worth the Winter Drive
Hot springs are better in winter. This is not debatable. The contrast between cold air and hot water is the entire point. Steam rising off the surface. Snow on your hair. The feeling of being warm in a place that should be cold. Summer soaking is fine. Winter soaking is the reason hot springs exist.
Colorado has more hot springs than any state except maybe Idaho. Not all of them are worth the winter drive. Here are the ones that are.
Strawberry Park Hot Springs
Location: 7 miles north of Steamboat Springs
Winter access: Four-wheel drive required on the dirt road. Shuttle available from Steamboat for $15 round trip.
Price: $25 per adult
Hours: 10 AM to 10:30 PM. Adults only after dark. Clothing optional after dark.
This is the best hot springs experience in Colorado. Natural rock pools in a wooded canyon. No concrete. No tile. The water flows from the source at 147 degrees and cools as it moves through the pools. You find the temperature you want.
In winter, the road to Strawberry Park is packed snow and ice. Do not attempt it without four-wheel drive and good tires. The shuttle from downtown Steamboat is the smart move if you are not driving something capable.
After dark on winter nights, the steam is thick, the stars are visible through the trees, and the only sound is the creek. It is worth the effort to get here.
Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
Location: Downtown Glenwood Springs, right off I-70
Winter access: Easy. Interstate highway. Plowed and salted.
Price: $32 per adult day pass
Hours: 9 AM to 9 PM (winter hours)
The largest hot springs pool in the world. Two pools. The main pool is 104 degrees and over a block long. The therapy pool is 108 degrees and smaller. Open every day of the year, including Christmas.
This is the most accessible hot springs in Colorado. It sits right in town, two blocks from the Amtrak station. No dirt roads. No four-wheel drive. Park in the garage and walk in.
Winter weekday mornings are the sweet spot. The pool is nearly empty, steam hangs over the water, and the canyon walls are frosted white. Weekend afternoons are crowded. Go early or go late.
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
Location: Glenwood Springs, on the Colorado River
Winter access: Same as Glenwood Hot Springs. Easy interstate access.
Price: $38 per adult
Hours: 9 AM to 9 PM (hours vary seasonally)
Sixteen smaller pools on the bank of the Colorado River. Each pool is a different temperature, from warm to very hot. The pools are terraced above the river. In winter, chunks of ice float by while you soak.
Iron Mountain is more intimate than the big pool across town. Reservations are recommended on weekends and required on holidays. Book online a few days in advance.
The yurt bar sells beer, wine, and cocktails you can bring to the pools. A good IPA in a hot spring pool on a cold night is hard to improve on.
The Springs Resort, Pagosa Springs
Location: Downtown Pagosa Springs
Winter access: Highway 160 over Wolf Creek Pass. Well-plowed but check conditions on CDOT. Snow tires recommended.
Price: $45 per adult day pass
Hours: 8 AM to 10 PM (hours vary by pool)
Twenty-five pools along the San Juan River, ranging from 83 to 114 degrees. The source spring, called the Mother Spring, is the deepest geothermal hot spring in the world at over 1,000 feet deep.
The pools are terraced above the river with views of the San Juan Mountains. In winter, the steam from 25 pools creates a fog over the resort that you can see from the highway.
Wolf Creek Pass on the drive from Durango receives enormous snowfall. The highway is maintained but closures happen. Check cotrip.org before you drive. Once you arrive, the town of Pagosa Springs is small, quiet, and centered entirely around the springs.
Cottonwood Hot Springs
Location: 6 miles west of Buena Vista
Winter access: Cottonwood Pass Road. Paved for the first few miles, then gravel. Plowed in winter but can be icy. Four-wheel drive recommended.
Price: $25 per adult
Hours: 9 AM to midnight
Rustic and intentional. Rock-lined pools in ascending temperatures. A small lodge with simple rooms starting around $120 per night. The vibe is quiet. No music. No bar. Conversation and hot water.
Cottonwood is clothing optional after dark. The nighttime soaking under a sky full of stars at 8,500 feet is the experience they are selling. It delivers.
The road from Buena Vista is manageable in winter with care. The last mile is the tricky part. Call ahead for current road conditions.
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort
Location: 8 miles south of Buena Vista on County Road 162
Winter access: Paved road. Well-maintained. Easy.
Price: $35 per adult day pass
Hours: 9 AM to 9 PM (hours vary seasonally)
The most developed hot springs on this list. Large pools, a spa, hotel rooms, and views of the Collegiate Peaks. Mount Princeton itself, a fourteener at 14,197 feet, towers above the resort.
In winter, the heated pools steam against a backdrop of snow-covered peaks. The infinity pool at the edge of the property has the best view. Chalk Creek runs through the property and in warmer spots, hot water seeps into the creek, creating natural soaking spots along the bank.
This is the hot springs for people who want amenities. Clean changing rooms. A restaurant on site. A real hotel bed afterward. Nothing wrong with that.
Orvis Hot Springs
Location: Ridgway, between Ouray and Montrose
Winter access: Highway 550. Well-maintained.
Price: $26 per adult
Hours: 9 AM to 10 PM
A small, quiet facility outside Ridgway with several pools ranging from 98 to 114 degrees. Clothing optional at all times. The outdoor pond is the main attraction. Large enough to swim a few strokes. The views of the Sneffels Range from the water are wide open.
Ridgway is an hour south of Montrose on Highway 550. The road is well-plowed all winter. If you are driving to Telluride or Ouray, Orvis is right on the way and makes a natural stop.
What to Know
Bring a towel. Most hot springs do not provide them unless you are staying at the resort.
Arrive hydrated. Hot water dehydrates you. Drink water before and after soaking. Altitude compounds the effect.
Weekday mornings are always the best time. Fewer people, more heat, more silence.
Most hot springs have a time limit during busy periods. Two to three hours is typical and honestly plenty. Longer than that and you start to feel it.
Winter soaking is the thing. The cold makes the heat mean something. You step out into freezing air and the warmth holds on your skin for minutes. You drive home through dark mountains feeling loose and clean. That is what you came for.