When my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in October, we continued a tradition we began when we moved to Colorado by visiting a Colorado hot spring area for a few days. We've visited Strawberry Springs in Steamboat Springs, Iron Mountain Springs in Glenwood Springs, and this year we spent a few days in Buena Vista, Colorado and visited the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort that is located in Nathrop, between the towns of Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado.
Mount Princeton is a part of Colorado's Collegiate Peaks, part of the Sawatch Range in central Colorado. The mountain stands at 14,197 feet, and one can hike a challenging 13.25-mile out-and-back hike that ascends to a grueling 5,400 vertical feet. Nearby is 14,269-foot Mt. Antero, which has a 16-mile round-trip hike, with 5,200 vertical feet climb. The resort has views of both mountains, as well as the Chalk Cliffs.
Not being athletic enough to consider taking either of those hikes, We decided that enjoying the views of those mountains from the various pools in the resort would do. What beautiful views they were!
The Princeton Hot Springs Resort includes on-site many different accommodation options, from a lodge to cabins and creekside suites, and there is a restaurant, and spa treatments available, as well as fitness and yoga classes for guests.
The odorless geothermal fed pools vary in size and location on the premises. We spent the most time in the brand new family relaxation pool. There is also an exercise pool, a historic bathhouse pool that was built in the mid-1800s, a relaxation pool that is adult-only, and a soaking pool.
In the Upper Pools and Lazy River, there is a 400 hundred foot long water slide that traverses down the hill into a pool. We saw children and teenagers enjoying that slide all day long!
We also tried the creek hot springs pools located right in the midst of the cool rushing waters of Chalk Creek. Each natural pool located along the creek is fed by natural geothermal hot springs with water as hot as 140 degrees that are bubbling up into the creek bed and mingling with the cold spring water.
The creek is approximately one foot in depth most of the year with a comfortable sandy bottom. By moving a few stones one can allow cooler water to rush in and cool the water until you reach the desired temperature inside your own circle of stones.
A hillside view of the upper Mt Princeton Resort Pools and slide.
We really enjoyed soaking and relaxing in the Mount Princeton Resort pools and creek hot mineral waters. We also enjoyed exploring the nearby towns of Salida and Buena Vista, as well as a few ghost towns located in the mountains--more about these places in future blog posts. We are now researching more hot spring areas for future trips, and feel fortunate to be living in a state that has so many!
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