Stay near Nathrop
Use Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort as the trip anchor, then compare hotels or nearby town bases close enough for the soak, dinner, and the drive home.
Hot springs you can reach from Denver
Denver is the best urban basecamp for hot springs in the American West. Eleven Colorado hot springs sit within driving distance of the city, ranging from a 2-hour drive (Hot Sulphur Springs) to a 6-hour drive (Dunton Hot Springs in the San Juan ghost town). The mix is unusually rich: world's largest mineral pool at Glenwood Hot Springs (3 hours), family creekside resort at Mount Princeton (2.5 hours), city-owned pool at Ouray (5+ hours), and the world's deepest geothermal source at Pagosa Springs (4.5 hours).
Most Denver weekenders do a single overnight at one of these, but the I-70 west corridor toward Glenwood Springs makes day-trip and weekend-and-back patterns realistic in summer. Winter changes the calculus: Glenwood Canyon and the high-country passes are weather-sensitive and the drive becomes the limiting factor.
Below is the drive matrix and our recommendations for the four most useful Denver hot springs trip patterns: closest day trip, family weekend, adults-only weekend, and ski-trip combo.
Our recommended Denver hot springs trips
Closest day trip
Hot Sulphur Springs Resort
2 hours via I-70 W and US-40. 21+ chemical-free pools. Day pass $30. The closest serious Colorado hot springs to Denver.
Family weekend
Mount Princeton Hot Springs
2.5 hours south via US-285. Family pools, 400-foot water slide, creekside hot pots. Cabins and lodge rooms on-site.
Adult weekend
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
3 hours via I-70 W. 35 mineral pools with 21+ Premier tier. Pair with Glenwood Hot Springs 0.6 miles away.
Ski-trip combo
Glenwood Hot Springs
3 hours via I-70 W. World's largest mineral pool. 107-room lodge. Recovery soak after Vail, Aspen, or Snowmass skiing.
Hot springs by distance from Denver
| Spring | Distance | Drive time | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa | 63 mi | 1h 22m | Colorado |
| Cottonwood Hot Springs Inn & Spa | 90 mi | 1h 57m | Colorado |
| Desert Reef Hot Spring | 90 mi | 1h 58m | Colorado |
| Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort | 93 mi | 2h 01m | Colorado |
| Glenwood Hot Springs Pool | 124 mi | 2h 42m | Colorado |
| Iron Mountain Hot Springs | 125 mi | 2h 43m | Colorado |
| Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa & Event Center | 128 mi | 2h 47m | Colorado |
| Orvis Hot Springs | 186 mi | 4h 02m | Colorado |
Where to stay for hot springs near Denver
When the best soak is too far for a relaxed same-day return, compare these base towns before booking.
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Stay near Glenwood Springs
Use Glenwood Hot Springs Pool as the trip anchor, then compare hotels or nearby town bases close enough for the soak, dinner, and the drive home.
Stay near Ouray
Use Ouray Hot Springs Pool as the trip anchor, then compare hotels or nearby town bases close enough for the soak, dinner, and the drive home.
Stay near Buena Vista
Use Cottonwood Hot Springs Inn & Spa as the trip anchor, then compare hotels or nearby town bases close enough for the soak, dinner, and the drive home.
Lodging guides for hot springs near Denver
Use these after choosing the soak to decide whether the trip should be a day trip, resort stay, or nearby hotel night.
Colorado lodging
Where to stay for Glenwood Hot Springs
Stay at the Glenwood lodge for the easiest family pool trip, downtown for restaurants and walkability, or west toward Iron Mountain for quieter adult soaking.
Colorado lodging
Where to stay for Mount Princeton Hot Springs
Stay on property if you want the full resort rhythm and included hot springs access. Stay in Buena Vista if you want restaurants, lower friction, and more town around the trip.
All hot springs within 350 miles of Denver
Colorado - 63 mi
Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa
Grand County's largest mineral resort: 21+ chemical-free pools and baths along the Colorado River, 200,000 gallons of fresh minera
Colorado - 90 mi
Cottonwood Hot Springs Inn & Spa
The unplugged, no-WiFi, no-alcohol adult-leaning counterpoint to Mt Princeton 20 minutes south.
Colorado - 90 mi
Desert Reef Hot Spring
A small, strict, contemplative clothing-optional hot springs in Colorado's banana belt: 6 pools on 10 acres, 2.5-hour reservation
Colorado - 93 mi
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort
The creekside mountain hot springs everyone in Colorado names first: four pools, a 400-foot water slide, and direct access to Chal
Colorado - 124 mi
Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
The largest mineral hot springs pool in the world, with a 107-room lodge on-site that converts a soak into a stay.
Colorado - 125 mi
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
Glenwood's quieter, more adult-oriented hot springs: 35 mineral pools, a five-sauna Summit, and the only Premier 21-and-over tier
Colorado - 128 mi
Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa & Event Center
San Luis Valley wellness retreat under the Sangre de Cristos: three chemical-free pools, heated yurts and tipis, a grow dome, a st
Colorado - 186 mi
Orvis Hot Springs
Colorado's signature clothing-optional hot springs: seven pools from 65 F to 114 F including the famous Lobster Pot, on a small ad
Colorado - 186 mi
Ouray Hot Springs Pool
Colorado's most family-friendly hot springs town: a city-owned, sulfur-free public mineral pool with adult overlook tiers, family
Colorado - 202 mi
Pagosa Springs Hot Springs
Home of the Mother Spring, Guinness-certified world's deepest hot spring; three operators share the water and The Springs Resort r
Colorado - 214 mi
Dunton Hot Springs
Colorado's only all-inclusive ultra-luxury hot springs: a meticulously restored 1885 ghost town in the San Juans with 13 cabins ar
New Mexico - 244 mi
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa
America's most historically continuous mineral resort: established 1868, four different mineral waters (Arsenic, Lithia, Soda, Iro
Questions visitors ask about hot springs near Denver
What is the closest hot springs to Denver?
Hot Sulphur Springs Resort in Grand County, roughly 2 hours northwest via I-70 W and US-40. 21 chemical-free mineral pools at 95 to 112 F, $30 day pass adult and $16 child. The Winter Park ski area is 25 minutes east and Steamboat Springs is 80 minutes west, which makes Hot Sulphur Springs a natural ski-area side trip.
Can you do Glenwood Hot Springs as a day trip from Denver?
Technically yes (3-hour drive each way), but a 6-hour round-trip drive plus a soak is a long day. Most Denver visitors do Glenwood as an overnight, often pairing it with Iron Mountain Hot Springs 0.6 miles away. The Lodge at Glenwood Hot Springs makes the overnight version particularly easy because pool access is included with the room.
What is the best hot springs near Denver for families?
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort 2.5 hours south via US-285. Family pools, 400-foot water slide, creekside hot pots where kids can build their own warm pool with rocks, cabins and lodge rooms on-site. The drive is scenic and one of the simpler routes from Denver. Ouray Hot Springs Pool (city-owned, family-built) is the alternative but further away (5+ hours).
Are there hot springs near Boulder?
Boulder is 30 miles north of Denver and shares the same closest hot springs (Hot Sulphur Springs at 90 minutes, Mount Princeton at 2.5 hours, etc.). There are no commercial hot springs operations within Boulder city limits.
Best hot springs near Denver for a winter trip?
Hot Sulphur Springs (combines with Winter Park or Steamboat skiing), Glenwood Hot Springs (combines with Aspen or Vail), and Mount Princeton (combines with Monarch or Crested Butte) are the strongest winter combinations. Avoid Pagosa Springs and the San Juan guides in deep winter; the drives over multiple passes (Monarch, Wolf Creek, Red Mountain) become long and weather-sensitive.
Is the drive from Denver to Glenwood Springs hard in winter?
Sometimes yes. Glenwood Canyon (I-70 between Vail and Glenwood Springs) is the most weather-volatile segment of the drive and can close briefly after major storms or rockfall events. Check CDOT (cotrip.org) before driving in November through April. The closure windows are usually short but can require detouring via US-50 (much longer).