Hot springs in Colorado: 13 soaks, from free to resort

Strawberry Park Hot Springs

A series of stone-lined pools on a forested hillside above Steamboat Springs, fed by a 147°F source that cools as it flows down through the terraced pools, from around 106°F near the top to 95°F at the bottom. Reservations run in timed two-hour windows, $30 for adults and $20 for children 17 and under, cash only on arrival (Strawberry Park Hot Springs). Clothing is required during the day; after dark, the pools become clothing-optional and no minors are permitted. The unpaved access road can require four-wheel drive or chains in winter. Full details are on the dedicated Strawberry Park Hot Springs page.

Conundrum Hot Springs

A backcountry soak reached only by an 8.5-mile trail, one way, climbing from 8,800 to over 11,200 feet in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness outside Aspen. The soaking pools run roughly 98–104°F. Day hikers don't need a permit, but anyone camping overnight does: $10 per person per night for stays from May 1 through October 31, plus a $6 processing fee, booked exclusively on Recreation.gov. Permits release in blocks on fixed dates (February 15 for April–July, June 15 for August–November), and high-demand summer dates sell out fast. Full details are on the dedicated Conundrum Hot Springs page.

Glenwood Hot Springs

The original developed hot springs in town, drawing from the Yampah Spring at 122°F since 1888. The main pool runs 90–93°F and a smaller therapy pool stays near 104°F. Adult admission runs roughly $32 to $38 depending on season, more on holiday weekends, with online bookings about $5 cheaper than the gate (Glenwood Hot Springs Resort). Book ahead for winter weekends, which can sell out.

Iron Mountain Hot Springs

Across the Colorado River from Glenwood Hot Springs, a newer resort with smaller soaking pools ranging 98–108°F plus a larger 93°F freshwater family pool. Admission is tiered and priced by day: the all-ages Select Access tier runs roughly $44 to $52, and the 21-and-over Premier tier, which opens an additional set of adults-only pools, runs about $61 to $69, higher on peak dates (Iron Mountain Hot Springs).

Old Town Hot Springs

Steamboat's other hot springs, downtown rather than up the canyon road, built around the Heart Spring, which produces about 250 gallons a minute at 102–103°F, warm enough that no cooling is needed before it reaches the pools. Day passes start at $29 for adults 15 and up, $23 for youth and $26 for seniors, with the newer spa-style hot pools priced as a separate upgrade (Old Town Hot Springs). It doubles as a full recreation center, with a gym and classes alongside the pools.

Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort

A large resort in Chalk Creek Canyon with both indoor/outdoor developed pools and shallow creekside pools where guests move rocks to blend hot spring water with cold creek flow. Standard day passes run about $30 to $45 depending on the day; the adults-only spa section and the top Relaxation Pass tier run $65 to $95 (Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort). Day passes are sold on site, no reservation needed.

Cottonwood Hot Springs

A smaller, quieter resort about five miles outside Buena Vista at the base of Cottonwood Pass, roughly a 30-minute drive from Mount Princeton. Four hot spring pools plus a cold plunge, with lodge rooms, cabins and campsites on site. Day passes run $30 for adults on weekdays and $35 on weekends and holidays, with lower kids' rates, no reservation needed (Cottonwood Hot Springs).

Ouray Hot Springs Pool

A town-owned recreation center in the "Switzerland of America," fed by Box Canyon springs gravity-fed more than a mile to the pool, supplemented by a well for winter operation. Pools range from a 75–83°F lap section to a 102–106°F overlook pool. Adult admission runs roughly $26 to $30, with lower rates for youth, seniors and military, plus a separate waterslide wristband in summer; current rates are posted by the City of Ouray.

Pagosa Springs

The Springs Resort and Spa runs 25 mineral pools terraced along the San Juan River, with general admission starting at $67 for adults, a $27 rate for local residents within 60 miles, and pricier premium tiers (The Springs Resort). A few blocks away, Nathan's Hippy Dip is a free, clothing-required soaking spot on the river's south bank, fed by a pipe carrying overflow from the same geothermal system. It has historically been left open by its private owners rather than formally designated public access, so treat it as informally tolerated rather than guaranteed. Between them, Pagosa offers both a full resort day and a genuinely free soak a short walk apart.

Radium Hot Springs

A primitive soaking pool on a canyon wall above the Colorado River near the BLM's Radium Recreation Area, reached by a roughly 1.5-mile round-trip hike with a steep climb and descent from the trailhead at the end of Warm Springs Road, off Trough Road. The BLM has no designated trail to the springs from the Radium Recreation Area itself and points visitors to that trailhead instead, where the Warm Springs Trail (foot travel only) and the Ol' Warm Springs Trail lead to the springs. The old social trail from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Mugrage Site on Radium Road is closed to protect bighorn sheep habitat, and parking along Radium Road isn't allowed. The BLM charges day-use and camping fees in the recreation area from April 1 through November 30 (BLM, Radium Recreation Area). The pool can flood and run cold with spring snowmelt, so summer through early fall is the more reliable window. Full details are on the dedicated Radium Hot Springs page.

Penny Hot Springs

A roadside soak on the Crystal River a few miles north of Redstone: a parking turnout directly off Highway 133 near mile marker 55, then a short, sometimes slippery scramble down to the pools. The springs parcel belongs to Pitkin County's Open Space and Trails program, managed within the highway right-of-way (Pitkin County, Penny Hot Springs). Source water enters around 130°F and settles to roughly 100–106°F where it mixes with the river; visitors shift rocks in the wall to control the blend. Free, no changing rooms, only a portable toilet at the lot. Park in the turnout only, not on the highway shoulder. More on the dedicated Penny Hot Springs page.

Valley View Hot Springs (Orient Land Trust)

A clothing-optional soaking property in the San Luis Valley, run by the nonprofit Orient Land Trust, with pools ranging from the high 80s°F in a swimming pool to 104–106°F in the hottest pools. Orient Land Trust highly recommends reservations because admission is limited, and daily capacity is capped at 100 guests; a two-hour day-use slot runs $30 for adults and $20 for kids, or $34 for an unrestricted day soak (Orient Land Trust). Non-members can book only within 24 hours of a visit, while supporting members reserve further ahead, so summer day slots go quickly. Overnight cabin or campsite guests get 24-hour pool access. Full details are on the dedicated Valley View Hot Springs page.

Indian Hot Springs

A historic resort in Idaho Springs with an indoor domed pool around 90–100°F and separate, gender-specific geothermal caves running 104–112°F, bathing suits optional in the caves, minors not permitted there. Day passes run roughly $25 to $30 per person depending on the day, no advance reservation needed for a walk-in visit (Indian Hot Springs). It's the closest developed hot springs to downtown Denver on this list, under an hour away.

Indian Hot Springs, in Idaho Springs, is the closest option, under an hour west on I-70. Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort and Cottonwood Hot Springs, both near Buena Vista, run about two and a half hours south. Strawberry Park, up in Steamboat Springs, is the farthest of this group at roughly three hours, more realistic as an overnight trip than a day soak.

Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort and Cottonwood Hot Springs are both about two hours west via US-24, close enough together to visit both in one trip. Valley View Hot Springs, in the San Luis Valley, runs closer to three hours south, a longer drive but paired well with a Great Sand Dunes visit.

Two soaks on this list run clothing-optional. Strawberry Park switches from suits-required by day to clothing-optional after dark, with no minors allowed once that switch happens. Valley View Hot Springs, at Orient Land Trust, is clothing-optional across the entire property, day or night, framed by the trust as a naturist community space rather than an after-hours policy. Strawberry Park requires a reservation; Valley View highly recommends one, as admission is limited.

This guide was compiled from public land-manager sources (the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and Pitkin County for the undeveloped sites), the CDC, and the official sites of the resorts and organizations listed. We haven't visited these sites ourselves. Fees, reservation systems and access rules change often at commercial resorts in particular; every listing links to its primary source where one exists, last checked August 2026. Verify current pricing and hours with the operator or land manager before you go.