When my siblings and I went to Colorado to ski Steamboat Springs, I knew part of my trip would involve soaking my ski-weary legs in a natural hot spring. Before leaving Virginia, I didn’t know where that was going to be, but I presumed Steamboat Springs received its name due to “springs.” Thankfully, I wasn’t wrong. The name of the town is as obvious as it seems. Steamboat Springs was named such due to a hot spring that is located downtown.
(The story is the original settlers thought the sound from the spring they were standing near was a steamboat hissing its way down the river. When they realized they were wrong, they named the noise-making hot spring Steamboat Spring due to their initial confusion.)
Peppered throughout the landscape are small hot springs bubbling up from the ground. You can find a list of all of Steamboat Springs’ hot springs, complete with a walking tour map and descriptions of each.
But when coming to town for a vacation, there are really two main hot springs that most visit: Old Town Hot Springs and Strawberry Park Hot Springs. These two seem to have the necessary infrastructure to allow an out-of-towner to visit with ease, as well as feel comfortable spending a few hours in the springs
Here are reviews on both, to help you decide which one may be right for you. They have different sensibilities, but they both have the natural waters humans have been drawn to for centuries.
Old Town Hot Springs
Old Town Springs is a more commercialized hot springs experience but was built around one of the original, historic springs (Heart Spring). It is now part of a larger gym and wellness center, located in the middle of town.
This makes it incredibly convenient to visit, and due to its services, it has a slew of additional amenities.
While visiting these hot springs you can scale the indoor climbing wall, take a spin or yoga class, get a smoothie, or even get a massage (we managed to get last-minute massages with Emily McNeal who was amazing yet refuses to move to Virginia so that I can have her massage me every week). By scheduling a massage, we were given access to the hot springs for the entire day.
Outdoors, there are a couple of pools filled by the historic hot spring, but also a lap pool for swimming if desired. The deck is heated, making it easy to dart in and out. Most people bring a towel (which can either be rented at the front desk or are provided by the front desk depending on your service) and a water bottle. Most don’t wear shoes to go to and from the springs, but if you have flops or Crocs, feel free.
Indoors, locker rooms with shower facilities are provided (it’s a gym, after all).
This hot spring is family-friendly, with a lot of kids enjoying the heated pool in the middle (which is not fed by the spring). The original Heart Spring is limited to ages 15 and up. We went in the middle of a weekday and found we had plenty of space to enjoy, without crowding.
To learn more about the Old Town Springs, and to schedule services, visit: oldtownhotsprings.org.
Strawberry Park Hot Springs
Strawberry Park Hot Springs are a completely different experience, and certainly worth exploring if you have some time in your itinerary.
Located on private property further out of town, these springs have been lovingly cultivated and built into an impressive outdoor landscape. There are pools of various temperatures and also a frigid lake to take the cold waters in between. (After dunking in ice-cold water here, I knew I could do it, and also how good my body would feel afterward. So yes, I did dunk! Highly recommend.)
If you are visiting these hot springs in the winter, listen to the posted rules: you absolutely have to have 4WD and likely chains. It is not for the faint of heart, and we saw a gentleman get his large, appropriately equipped truck stuck when he was run off the road into a snowbank. The hot springs staff wouldn’t/couldn’t help him out, so he was looking at a very, very expensive tow out.Â
We opted to pay for the shuttle service of Sweet Pea Tours and were so glad we did!
At the arranged time, our driver picked us up, went and grabbed one other group around the corner, and drove us all up to the hot springs. Sweet Pea Tours also provided plastic bags for wet garments as well as water bottles.
This was fairly inexpensive, as well, and our shuttle ticket included entry into the springs. The driver pulled up, walked us to the springs, pointed out where everything was, and we were on our merry way. Sweet Pea allowed for two hours at the hot springs, and we were ready to go right about that time, so it was perfect. I can’t recommend this option strongly enough. Take the stress out of the trip and just have someone else do the hard work of navigating the wintry roads.
When visiting Strawberry Park Hot Springs, you will need to walk down gravel and snowy paths to get to the springs below. So bring good boots (we wore our snow boots and were glad we did). Moving between pools and hot springs, most (including us) just tiptop quickly in bare feet. It’s not that bad if you move quick!
We also brought water bottles with us and our own towels, with backpacks holding clothes to change into before riding the bus back to our lodging.
There is a changing hut, with a warm fire making it cozy, as well as a bathroom that is quite nice (no showers or hairdryers). They do offer massages onsite as well if you’d like to book one in advance.
There are a couple of practical things to know about visiting Strawberry Hot Springs.
First, if you have read any other posts on the Internet, you will already know that this becomes clothing-optional at dark. We know someone who accidentally experienced this and they were pretty uncomfortable since the nudity also turned into an…um…”appreciation of others’ nudity” when she was there. But I didn’t experience this firsthand. We were out well before the sun set.
Children are not allowed on the premises after dark.
Second, there is absolutely no cell signal or WiFi. It is off the grid. So if you are driving and you get stuck…. well, have a plan…
Third, these hot springs are really popular, and for good reason. We had our tour pick us up at two in the afternoon and felt as though we had plenty of space to enjoy when we arrived at the springs. We tried all of the pools and felt relaxed, floating in hot mineral waters while staring out at snow-laden boughs and hills. By the time we left, though, you couldn’t stick out your arm without touching someone – and there were some more raucous crowds arriving.
So depending on what experience you are looking for, the time of day you visit these hot springs matters.
To learn more about Strawberry Park Hot Springs, visit: strawberryhotsprings.com.
To schedule transportation with Sweet Pea Tours, visit: sweetpeatours.com.
I am glad we experienced both of these. While Old Town Springs was so convenient and the massage a wonderful experience, Strawberry Park Hot Springs felt more remote and wild. Either way, if you get a chance, visit a spring while you are in Steamboat Springs.