Top Hot Springs In Colorado

Long before white settlers came to Colorado, the hot springs in Colorado's mountains were popular with the Native American tribes like the Utes. Nowadays people flock to the state's more than a dozen established hot springs resorts to ease aching muscles and experience the healing properties of the mineral waters. Here are some of the best.

Glenwood Hot Springs

401 North River St.
Glennwood Springs, CO 81602
(970) 947-2955
hotspringspool.com

Over the years Glenwood Hot Springs has drawn any number of historic figures including President Theodore Roosevelt and Doc Holliday. Today it's not just the history and the beauty of the surrounding mountains which draws tourists, it's the experience of being able to soak in the giant pool, no matter the temperature. Many of the bathers will tell you that the colder it is outside, the better the experience is in the pool. "It's a fantastic place, especially in the winter, to sit here with the steam evaporating from the hot spa, to be in the mineral water; it's such a treat," one bather told CBS4 recently.

Hot Sulphur Springs

5609 County Road 20th
Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451
(970) 725-3306
hotsulphursprings.com

Your clothes may smell like sulfur for several days afterward, but your memories of soaking in Hot Sulphur Springs will likely last a lot longer. These springs are located on the western edge of the town of Hot Sulphur Springs, the county seat for Grand County. Visitors are encouraged to keep conversation to a minimum and signs to keep it quiet are posted throughout. There's a cold water pool with a little slide for kids, four different hot pools for the whole family to enjoy, including one inside a covered shed, and dozens more for adults only. You can see little bits of the minerals floating around in the pools, which takes some getting used to.

Mount Princeton Hot Springs

15870 County Road 162
Nathrop, CO 81236
(719) 395-2447
mtprinceton.com

One of Colorado's most family friendly hot springs, Mount Princeton's facilities in Nathrop have gone through impressive renovations in recent years. They include a steam room and thermal water pipes under the deck to keep the feet from getting cold in the winter months. Between the hot water pools and Chalk Creek there are still very natural hot springs where visitors can settle into warm spots surrounded by natural beauty and natural creek water. "I tell friends that I come sit in the river when it's snowing in the hot springs and they look at me like I'm crazy," visitor Rhonda Moreschini told CBS4 a few years ago.

Strawberry Park Hot Springs

44200 County Road
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
(970) 879-0342
strawberryhotsprings.com

Any visitor to Steamboat Springs should definitely make the trip 7 miles outside of town and up the dirt road to Strawberry Park. The road can be a bit tricky to maneuver in the winter months, but it's oh so worth it. The relaxed atmosphere at these pools is unmatched. The pools are large and the sandy bottom feels great. It gets pretty dark around the pools at night, but for many that's the best time to visit, plus clothing is optional at that point! We can almost guarantee that you'll be craving to go back to Strawberry Park once you've left and those little, annoying cuts you've gotten going from pool to pool over those sharp, rocky walls heal up. Read more here.

The Springs Resort & Spa in Pagosa Springs

165 Hot Springs Boulevard
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
(970) 264-4168
pagosahotsprings.com

The drive over Wolf Creek Pass to get to Pagosa Springs from the East is beautiful, the pools range greatly in temperature and the town is charming. These reasons and more make Pagosa Springs one of the state's absolute best hot springs destinations. "Pagosah" is a Southern Ute word for "healing waters." The pools are located right in the heart of town next to the San Juan River, and you'd better plan a short dip if you're going in the Lobster Pot (114 degrees!) or you're bound to get dizzy quick.