TRAVEL: Soaking up the hot springs of the Southwest
A sulphury circuit through southwestern Colorado in search of hot springs, from Pagosa to Dunton
Steam with a slight sulfur smell mixes with the cold, fresh smell of mountain rain. Soaking muscles slowly relax and racing minds calm down.
Ahhh, hot springs. No wonder they’re often called healing wonders.
Colorado is lucky to have so many of these geological marvels scattered throughout our mountains, from Steamboat Springs to the southern border. Here’s a southwestern circuit, starting in Pagosa Springs and venturing west and north to Ridgway and beyond.
The Springs at Pagosa
pagosahotsprings.com/hotsprings
Pagosa Springs is home to the deepest natural hot springs on record. When officials from Guinness World Records came to Pagosa, they couldn’t find the bottom with a 1,002-foot plumb line.
But it’s easy to forget about the depths and just enjoy the scenery at the Springs. Small pools of varying temperatures (from 90 to 114 degrees) dot a terrace that runs down to the San Juan River. Overheating after a soak in the higher-temp Lobster Pot? Take a dip in the snowmelt rushing through the river. For families, the big pool is set just away from the smaller pools, so the kids can get a little rowdy without bothering other guests. Overnight guests at the resort (and those willing to pay a little extra) also have access to an adultsonly Relaxation Terrace, a quiet space with a fire pit and even more small pools.
Trimble Hot Springs
trimblehotsprings.wordpress.com
Trimble is a smaller hot springs, just north of Durango, and what it lacks in size it makes up for with a colorful history: resorts on the site have burned down three times. The first lasted only 10
years after Frank Trimble started the springs in 1882. In 1896, owners built the three-story brick Hermosa House, which burned in 1931. A new, grander Trimble went up — Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe stayed while filming “Across the Wide Missouri” in 1950 — and burned in 1957. The rumor in Durango was that American Indians had cursed the site, so when Trimble reopened again in 1988, the new owners invited elders from the Southern Ute Tribe, who blessed the grounds in an ancient native ceremony.
Now, the hot spring has a large lap pool open year-round; it’s filled with city water kept at 83 degrees. The natural hot springs, surrounded by flowers in the summer, is tucked into the back and divided, with temperature options at 104 and 106 degrees. The sloping lawn, with its views of the red cliffs of the Hermosa Valley, is a great place to for a picnic.
Ouray Hot Springs
ouraycolorado.com/hot-springs Ouray is one of the only hot springs owned by a city. Recently remodeled, the facility now has a lap pool, two slides, an activity pool with a climbing wall and three large soaking pools. Only the three soaking pools are filled with mineral water, ranging from 88 to 108 degrees; the water is sulfur-free and therefore odorless. The rest of the pools are filled with city water but heated geothermally. The lap pool, shallow soaking pool and the hot pool stay open year-round, but Ouray closes some pools in the winter to ration thermal heat. The best part: All the pools have great views of the rock walls surrounding Colorado’s “Little Switzerland.”
Wiesbaden Hot Springs
wiesbadenhotsprings.com Wiesbaden, in Ouray, has a distinctly warm, communal vibe, more European hostel than massive American resort. There’s a small outdoor pool, but its main attraction is the vapor cave, located in the basement behind a metal door — it feels sketchy until the steam hits your face. The entry room’s rock walls drip with mineral-rich water, and a small hobbit-like door leads to an even steamier cave with a shallow pool for soaking. Once you have cleared out all your pores and soaked your lungs in the thick air, lounge chairs await just outside for decompressing.
The Wiesbaden also has an interesting history, according to Diane Workman, who has worked there for 10 years. Chief Ouray built a home on the site — the Utes called the place “Miracle Waters” and revered them as a sacred. In the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. Carl Bates, another believer in the hot springs’ healing properties, sent patients to the springs, which he called the Bates Bath and Sanitarium.
Orvis Hot Springs
orvishotsprings.com
Located in Ridgway, Orvis is a clothing-optional hot springs, which also makes it a peaceful spot — no clothing means no cameras are allowed, including phones. Orvis’ one large pool has a gravel bottom, where the spring naturally bubbles from the ground. There are four additional small outdoor pools, and a new cold plunge. Orvis also has three indoor pools; two are private, and the third is the only pool where swimsuits are required. Orvis offers one more perk that adds to the communal feel here: a community kitchen with free teas, coffee and hot cocoa.
Dunton
duntonhotsprings.com
Dunton is an old ghost town turned resort. The town, established 1985 along the Dolores River, was a mining town that boomed to 300 people in 1905 but was deserted by 1918. Now it’s a high-end resort where you can rent either a cabin or the entire town. The current owners of the hot springs salvaged as much history as they could through renovations: charcoal graffiti still graces the walls of the large bathhouse; “Butch Cassidy” is etched into the original bar top from the town saloon; and the large indoor pool still uses the miners’ old plumbing. Behind the bath house is a small outdoor pool. Another pool sits at the hot springs’ source, and there’s another by the river. A few cabins also have their own personal hot springs.
Amy Brothers: abrothers@denverpost.com or @brothers_amy