One of my favorite things about Colorado is the abundance of hot springs and hot springs resorts. Our summer vacation usually included a stop at Glenwood Hot Springs and even a few secret spots along the Crystal River. Now that I continue to visit Colorado often, I make it a point to check out new (to me) Colorado hot springs whenever I can.
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In 2015, when a backpacking trip was cut short by illness, I spent some time checking out the cute mountain town of Buena Vista. On a drive up to St Elmo ghost town, I passed by Mt Princeton Hot Springs and knew I had to come back. As soon as I got home to a computer, I was checking calendars and availability. A year out, the fall weekends were almost booked up! I was lucky to snag one of the Mt Princeton hot springs cabins for 3 nights in October.
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Where is Mount Princeton Colorado Hot Springs Resort?
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort is technically in the tiny town of Nathrop, which is just outside the slightly larger town of Buena Vista. Buena Vista is about three hours from the Denver airport, making this a great weekend getaway from just about anywhere. I prefer to take the southern route along Highway 285 and avoid the madness of the I-70 corridor, which seems to get worse every year.
If you are flying in and renting one of the Mt Princeton hot springs cabins, plan to stop in Buena Vista to pick up some groceries and check in with your last bit of cell service (which is even spotty in the town of Buena Vista – take it from me, save yourself the frustration and just plan to be offline for a few days!)
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort
The resort has a pretty great lineup of activities and a friendly concierge staff who can arrange whatever you want. Of course, soaking in the natural Colorado hot springs is the main reason to stay here, but you can’t spend the whole day shriveling up in the springs. I was able to join a free yoga class in the pool. I’ve never done water yoga before, and it was fantastic! It was 50 degrees outside abd the pool was around 100 degrees…it made for a great start to the day!
The resort has several hot springs for soaking. There is an exercise pool, a soaking pool, and natural hot springs in Chalk Creek where you can make your own pool and control the temperature by moving rocks around to allow cold water in. If you stay at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort, you should definitely sample all of the options. I didn’t love sitting in sand and rocks, but it was still a fun experience.
Check out these other top hot springs resorts in the United States!
Spa Treatments at Mount Princeton Hot Springs
The Spa & Club at the Resort has a wide array of spa treatments and amenities available for your use. In addition to soaking passes for all of the pools, you have access to a sauna, steam room, and services include facials, massage, and packages combining body treatments with luxurious add-ons.
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Cabins
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort offers a ton of different lodging options. We had the downstairs half of a cabin (called a condo cabin.) There are also full cabins, Cliffside and Hillside hotel rooms, and rooms in the lodge. In the summer, there’s a kid-friendly pool with a waterslide, and the main pool and spa area have a full roster of fitness classes that are complimentary for guests of the resort. Our cabin had a queen size bedroom, plus a pullout couch in the living room. We also had a small kitchen, which was convenient as the on-site restaurant is pricey and does not offer a lot of variety.
I truly loved Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort. The wifi was bad, and restaurant service was spotty, but you just can’t beat the setting. I love that it’s not right in town, but close enough to run in for anything you might forget.
Hiking Near Buena Vista
While Buena Vista lacks the glitz and glamour of ski towns, there is no shortage of mountain scenery and hiking trails. On this trip and others, I’ve enjoyed several hiking trails near Buena Vista.
Nearby Cottonwood Pass has several trailheads and outstanding views in all directions. If you are looking for an easy way to get above treeline, head to Cottonwood Pass.
Not far from Mount Princeton Hot Springs resort is the ghost town of St. Elmo. It’s a fun day trip, and several trails leave from this area. We hiked the Poplar Gulch trail between soaking sessions in the hot springs.
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Best Time to Visit Colorado Hot Springs?
If you can’t tell from my photos and posts, autumn in Colorado is my favorite season. The days are warm and the nights are cold, which is perfect for soaking in a Colorado hot spring. I love the fall foliage and strolling through golden aspen forests. Fall color peaks in Colorado pretty early, so plan ahead. We visited towards the end of October, which was a bit past peak, but still gorgeous! While driving through Leadville later in the weekend, I actually got dusted with snow! Of course, winter in Colorado is also magical, and hot springs soaking in the snow is pretty fantastic, too!
In subsequent trips to Colorado, I’ve also visited Ouray and Pagosa Springs, both of which are unique and offer a fun Colorado hot springs experience!
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We actually looked at doing some hot springs on this past trip (Strawberry something, I believe?) but they were too far away, and we didn’t want to spend our whole trip in the car. This looks like a viable contender, though, for our next trip!
Yes, definitely recommend this area! Glenwood Springs is nice, too! I think Strawberry Hot Springs is by Steamboat Springs, which is quite a haul from Denver.
Yes Colorado is so pretty and I haven’t spent near enough time there. Looks like you had a great weekend in spite of your friend. The pool yoga sounds really interesting and fun, would love to try that sometime. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
I don’t think you can ever spend enough time in Colorado! Never enough for me, anyways!
Ooh this looks so relaxing and the water yoga sounds interesting! I’ve never heard of that before! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
It was…I wish water yoga was a thing here, but I suppose it wouldn’t be the same without the mountains in the background!
We are BIG fans of fall color, and we love the Rockies, so we’re making a note of the Mt Princeton Hot Springs. Thanks for tipping us off to that. And thanks for linking up on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Cool – let me know what you think once you have a chance to visit!
I’ve never been to Colorado, and it’s something I really need to remedy! If only for the foliage, this place looks and sounds so wonderful! Water yoga would be… interesting, haha.
I hope you get to see it, the fall colors are beautiful!
That looks like such a spectacular trip! How beautiful are those views though! I really hope to explore Colorado and that area of the country more. I am really missing out on something! Such a breathtaking adventure.
It is one of my favorite states in the U.S. – I highly recommend a visit!
You can live without Wi-Fi, but it’s such a shame the restaurant isn’t as good as it could possibly be! Beautiful photos, I’ll have to visit Colorado in the Autumn.
It’s my favorite season in the mountains – warm days and cool nights, crisp air…ah, I can’t wait for fall again!
This place looks amazing and water yoga sounds like fun! I’ve always wanted to visit a hot spring. Lovely pictures.
Oh wow this place sounds like a dream. I love hot springs (especially the sound of the river ones) so it will for sure be going on to my to do list.
Cool, let me know what you think! If you are into backcountry camping, there are remote hot springs only accessible by hikes, which I think sounds pretty neat, but having a cozy little cabin was nice, too!
Looks amazing! Love the photos 🙂
Thanks!
What a gorgeous place! Love your photos- I swear fall is the best (only) time to travel anywhere for the phenomenal photo ops ;c) And I didn’t even know water yoga was a thing- sign me up!
Thanks! Fall is my favorite – I think I took 4 weeks of vacation last year between September and October, trying to catch all the fall colors.
Great info and beautiful pictures. That 100 degree hot pool looks amazing! Sometimes no wifi is a good thing, for me personally. Hope you get to go back soon- sounds like you leave your heart there.
I sure do! And wi-fi is usually not a necessity as I like to get off the grid, this trip was an exception due to a work situation. It was good practice for becoming a digital nomad, though 🙂
Such a gorgeous area—a great place to get in touch with nature. The water yoga sounds like a really fun experience! Would love to try.
Indeed – this is a great place for nature and luxury all at once!
Looks lovely! I’d love to try water yoga – I’m pretty inflexible on land, but I always feel like I’m more flexible in the water 😛
It looks so beautiful in autumn. I need to go visit the US in autumn so I can see those colours. I haven’t done too much in Colorado but this place looks like its worth a visit and I would love to stay in one of those cabins too.
Autumn is a pretty special time in much of the US – the days are warm, nights are cool and the colors can be amazing!
This looks so relaxing! I was in the Denver area for vacation a couple weeks ago and the mountains are so relaxing. I wish we would’ve had time to visit this area while we were there because it looks beautiful.
There is so much ground to cover in Colorado, I go every year and there are still many places I haven’t seen!
Hot Springs! I love the sound of that! Great post! Hope to visit Colorado someday! 🙁