The Colorado Hot Springs Road Trip
A 5-day loop through the best hot springs in Colorado, covering 800+ miles of the state's best mountain scenery. Three itinerary options depending on how much time you have.
The Premise
Colorado has more geothermal hot springs than any other state in the continental US. They’re spread across the mountains in clusters — the Arkansas Valley, the San Luis Valley, the San Juan Mountains, the Western Slope — which means a hot springs road trip isn’t just about soaking. It’s about driving through some of the best mountain terrain in North America, with a hot spring waiting at the end of each day.
This guide gives you three options:
- Weekend Loop (2 days): Arkansas Valley and back. 4–5 springs, mostly 2-hour drive range.
- 5-Day Loop: The full circuit. Best springs from Denver to the San Juan Mountains and back.
- 7-Day Extended Loop: Everything in the 5-day loop plus Pagosa Springs and a slower pace.
All loops start and end in Denver.
Weekend Loop (2 Days)
Best for: Experiencing multiple quality springs without heavy mileage. This is the sweet spot for a genuine hot spring road trip that doesn’t exhaust you.
Total miles: ~300 miles | Total springs: 3–4
Day 1: Denver → Arkansas Valley
Morning: Drive US-285 south through Kenosha Pass to Buena Vista (~2 hours).
Midday arrival: Check into lodging in Buena Vista. Good downtown options and short-term rentals throughout the Arkansas Valley.
Afternoon: Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort. Get there by 2pm to secure a creek pool spot before the afternoon rush. Spend 2–3 hours. The natural rock pools in Chalk Creek Creek with Mount Princeton overhead are the best “wow” moment for first-timers.
Evening: Dinner in Buena Vista. The downtown is a 15-minute drive from Princeton. Eddyline Brewing is consistently good; Bontà Natural Artisan Gelato after.
Day 2: Cottonwood → Hot Sulphur or Indian Springs → Denver
Morning option A: Cottonwood Hot Springs (8 miles down CR-162 from Mt. Princeton). Opens early. A clothing-optional adults-only experience that’s the complete opposite of Mt. Princeton’s resort energy. Go before 9am and you may have a pool to yourself.
Morning option B: Skip Cottonwood and get on the road; you’ll have time for a third spring on the way back.
Return route: North on US-285. Two good add-on stops:
- Hot Sulphur Springs Resort — detour north on CO-9 to US-40, then west to Hot Sulphur Springs. Twenty pools cut into a hillside. The most underrated spring on the front range. Worth the extra 45 minutes.
- Indian Hot Springs — easier detour via I-70 east from Dillon. Thirty minutes from Denver. Vapor caves are genuinely weird and good.
5-Day Loop
Best for: The serious hot springs road trip. This covers the Arkansas Valley, San Luis Valley, and Southwest Colorado.
Total miles: ~800 miles | Total springs: 6–8
Day 1: Denver → Buena Vista (Mt. Princeton)
Same as the weekend loop above. Drive US-285 south, arrive by midday, spend the afternoon at Mt. Princeton.
Day 2: Cottonwood + Valley View → San Luis Valley
Morning: Cottonwood Hot Springs, early. Spend 1–2 hours. Then south on US-285.
Midday arrival: The San Luis Valley opens up south of Poncha Springs. Wide, flat, high desert ringed by the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains. Drive south on US-285 to Valley View Hot Springs near Villa Grove.
Important: Valley View requires advance reservations and an overnight stay. Book well ahead, especially for weekends. This is the most respected hot spring in Colorado among serious soakers, and the overnight policy is what makes it work.
Evening: On the hillside above the San Luis Valley, watching the Sangre de Cristo Mountains go dark while soaking in a 105°F pool. No phone signal. Worth it.
Day 3: Valley View → Joyful Journey → Pagosa Springs
Morning: One more soak at Valley View before checkout. The early morning light on the valley is excellent.
Midmorning: South on US-285 to Joyful Journey Hot Springs near Moffat. A day-use soaking facility with good pools and some of the best dark sky access in Colorado. Do a morning soak, then continue south.
Afternoon: West on US-160 over Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs (~1.5 hours from Joyful Journey). Check into lodging.
Evening: The Springs Resort & Spa in Pagosa Springs. Twenty-five pools at varying temperatures terraced above the San Juan River. Book a late-afternoon session — the evening view over the river is excellent. The resort has a good bar/restaurant for dinner afterwards.
Wolf Creek Pass in the spring and fall is one of the better drives in Colorado. In winter, check road conditions: it closes periodically.
Day 4: Pagosa → Durango → Silverton → Ouray
Morning: Another session at The Springs if you want it. Then west on US-160 to Durango (~1 hour).
Midday in Durango: Worth a real stop. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad headquarters is in downtown; the lunch options are excellent. Trimble Spa is 7 miles north of Durango on US-550 if you want a late-morning soak before getting on the road.
Afternoon: North on US-550, which becomes the Million Dollar Highway after Silverton. This is one of the most dramatic mountain roads in North America: sheer cliffs, no guardrails, 11,000-foot passes, and views that make no sense. Take it slow and stop at overlooks. The drive from Durango to Ouray via Silverton is 80 miles and takes 2–3 hours depending on stops.
Evening: Check into Ouray. One of the best small mountain towns in Colorado. Dinner in town, early night.
Day 5: Ouray + Orvis or Ridgway → Denver
Morning: Ouray Hot Springs Pool opens at 9am. The setting — surrounded by jagged San Juan Mountains on three sides, Victorian town below — is genuinely extraordinary. A 2-hour morning soak here, then breakfast in Ouray (The Brown Bear Café).
Late morning option: Orvis Hot Springs in Ridgway, 10 miles north of Ouray. Clothing-optional, eccentric, good. If you have the time and the inclination, Orvis is a worthwhile add-on before the long drive home.
Return to Denver: US-550 north through Montrose, then US-50 east through Gunnison, then US-285 north through South Park back to Denver. Approximately 5.5–6 hours depending on stops.
Or the direct route: US-550 north to Montrose, then I-70 east through Glenwood Canyon back to Denver. About the same time, but you miss the South Park stretch.
7-Day Extended Loop
Add these stops to the 5-day loop for a more leisurely pace:
Day 3 extension: Extra night in the San Luis Valley. Great Sand Dunes National Park is 25 miles east of Joyful Journey. The combination of sand dunes, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and geothermal soaking in the same day is uniquely Colorado.
Add Avalanche Ranch: On the return from Ouray, take CO-133 north through the Crystal River valley to Avalanche Ranch Hot Springs in Carbondale. Then I-70 east back to Denver. Adds about 3 hours to Day 5 but gives you one more spring and one of the quieter mountain valleys in Colorado.
Add Glenwood Springs: Stop at Iron Mountain Hot Springs or Glenwood Hot Springs Pool on the way back. Both are right off I-70 and require no detour.
Quick Reference: The Full Loop
| Day | Location | Spring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buena Vista | Mt. Princeton | Best creek pools in CO |
| 2 | Villa Grove | Valley View | Book months ahead |
| 3 | Pagosa Springs | The Springs Resort | 25 pools, best resort in SW Colorado |
| 4 | Durango → Ouray | Trimble + drive | Million Dollar Highway afternoon |
| 5 | Ouray → Denver | Ouray Hot Springs, Orvis | Best mountain setting on the list |
Logistics
Reservations: Valley View requires booking far in advance (sometimes months for weekends). The Springs Pagosa and Iron Mountain also benefit from advance booking in peak season. Book before you leave Denver.
Passes: Mountain passes can be snowy October through April. Wolf Creek Pass (US-160) and Red Mountain Pass (US-550 near Silverton) are the most serious. CDOT cotrip.org has live conditions.
AWD/4WD: Not strictly required for any road on these routes, but highly recommended for winter travel on any of the mountain passes.
Budget baseline: $80–$120/person/day for lodging (variable), plus $20–$65/day in hot spring entry fees depending on which springs you visit.
Phone signal: Patchy throughout the San Luis Valley, Ouray, and anywhere on US-550. Download offline maps and any hiking trail info before you leave cell range.
Ready to pick your spring?
Browse All Springs →