Complete Beginner's Guide to Colorado Hot Springs: Denver Hot Springs

Never been to a hot spring? Start here. Everything you need to know before your first soak: what to expect, what to bring, and which spring to visit first.

First Time? You’re Going to Love This.

Colorado hot springs are one of the state’s best-kept secrets: except they’re not really a secret anymore. Over 150 natural hot springs dot the state, ranging from free primitive pools on BLM land to full resort experiences with 25 pools and mountain views.

If you’ve never been, here’s the honest beginner guide: what it’s actually like, how to prepare, and which spring to visit first.

What Is a Hot Spring, Actually?

A hot spring is groundwater that’s been heated by geothermal activity underground and rises to the surface naturally. In Colorado, that water picks up minerals along the way: sodium, calcium, magnesium, and sometimes sulfur: which is why hot spring water feels different from a regular pool and why some springs have that distinctive egg smell.

The water temperature varies by spring. Most soaking pools are kept between 98°F and 108°F. Some springs have hotter source water (Valley View hits 120°F at the source, Pagosa’s Bingham Pool reaches 145°F) that gets cooled or diluted before soaking.

Is it good for you? The honest answer: the minerals are real, the heat genuinely relaxes muscles, and the experience of soaking outdoors is legitimately restorative. Whether it cures anything specific is between you and your doctor.

What to Expect on Your First Visit

At a commercial spring (Iron Mountain, Strawberry Park, Mt. Princeton):

You pay at the gate and get a wristband
Changing rooms with lockers: bring a lock
Multiple pools at different temperatures: try them all
No glass containers, usually no alcohol
Towels sometimes available to rent: bring your own to be safe

At a primitive spring (Radium):

No facilities: no bathrooms, no changing rooms
You change in or next to your car
The pool is natural and maintained by whoever shows up
Pack everything in, pack everything out

The 5 Things First-Timers Always Wish They’d Known

1. Start cooler than you think. Jumping straight into a 108°F pool when you’ve never soaked before is a fast way to feel dizzy and nauseous. Start in a 100–102°F pool, let your body adjust for 15 minutes, then move up if you want more heat.

2. Drink water before, during, and after. You sweat a lot in hot water even though you don’t feel it. Bring a water bottle and drink actively. Dehydration headaches are the #1 thing that ruins first-time hot spring visits.

3. The sulfur smell goes away after 10 minutes. Springs with high sulfur content smell strongly at first. Your nose adjusts. If you walk away because of the smell, you’re leaving early.

4. 20–30 minutes per pool is enough. More time isn’t always better. Soaking for 2 hours straight in 106°F water will wipe you out for the rest of the day. Get in, soak 20–30 minutes, cool down, repeat.

5. Weekdays are dramatically better than weekends. Colorado hot springs get genuinely crowded on weekends, especially in winter. A Tuesday at Strawberry Park feels like a private experience. A Saturday in December feels like a public pool. If you can go midweek, do it.

What to Bring

Essentials:

Swimsuit (required at all commercial springs)
Towel: a big one, and a second one for your hair
Water bottle: bring more water than you think you need
Flip flops or water shoes: pool decks and rocky primitive springs are slippery
Dry clothes and layers for after: you’ll be warm when you leave but the car ride home gets cold

Nice to have:

Small dry bag for your phone and keys
Hair tie if you have long hair
Sunscreen for daytime summer visits
Changing robe: the single best upgrade for Colorado hot spring visits. Walking from car to pool in a robe instead of a wet towel is a game changer in winter.

Leave at home:

Glass bottles (prohibited at most commercial springs)
Expensive jewelry (mineral water and chlorine are hard on metals)
Expectations of solitude on a Saturday

Which Spring Should You Visit First?

If you want easy and close: Hot Sulphur Springs: 1.5 hours, low crowds, no drama, historically authentic.

If you want the classic Colorado experience: Strawberry Park: the one everyone pictures when they think Colorado hot springs. Go on a weekday.

If you want beautiful and modern: Iron Mountain Hot Springs: Colorado River views, clean facilities, reservation system keeps it manageable. Book ahead.

If you want free: Radium Hot Springs: 1.5 hours from Denver, primitive, free, dogs welcome.

If you want the best in the state: Valley View Hot Springs: 3.5 hours, clothing optional, genuinely spectacular. Save this one for after you’ve done a few others.

Clothing Optional: What’s the Deal?

Several Colorado hot springs are clothing optional: Valley View, Cottonwood, Orvis, and Strawberry Park after dark. Clothing optional means exactly that: optional. Plenty of people wear suits.

The atmosphere at clothing-optional springs is almost universally respectful and non-voyeuristic. These are conservation spaces and soaking retreats, not scenes. Within about 20 minutes it reads as completely normal.

If it’s not for you, Hot Sulphur Springs, Iron Mountain, Glenwood Pool, Mt. Princeton, Strawberry Park (daytime), and Pagosa Springs are fully clothed environments.

One Last Thing

Colorado hot springs are genuinely better in winter. Sitting in 104°F water while snow falls on your shoulders, watching steam rise into pine trees: that’s the experience people come back for year after year. Don’t wait for summer. Go in January. Go in February. The cold air makes it.

Browse all springs by drive time and find your first one: All Springs →