Soak Colorado

There are hot springs, and then there are Colorado hot springs.

Here, the water comes up through ancient granite and volcanic rock, carrying minerals that have been brewing for millennia. You can soak at 10,000 feet with snow falling on your shoulders, or float in a 107°F pool while elk move through the valley below. Some pools require a 4WD and a willingness to hike. Others come with a spa menu and a robe. We cover both — because the best soak is the one that fits your adventure.

The Rio Grande Rift runs the length of the state, and along its fault lines, groundwater heated by the earth's crust rises to the surface. That geology has created more than 40 soakable springs across Colorado — from backcountry pools reached only by trail in the Elk Mountains to historic bathhouses built during the mining boom of the 1880s.

Some are a short walk from the parking lot. Others require a full day's hike and a night in a tent. All of them carry the same minerals that have drawn people to these mountains for over a century.