Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort

What to expect

Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort sits at 8,250 feet in the Chalk Creek valley, about 4.5 miles up County Road 162 from Nathrop, with the white Chalk Cliffs of Mount Princeton rising straight above the pools. It is a big, busy, full-service place on about 70 acres: several pool areas, a historic bathhouse, a spa, a steakhouse and five kinds of lodging. If you want a quiet, undeveloped spring, this is not it. If you want a reliable soak with kids, good views and real facilities, it is one of the best in the state.

The water is the selling point. It comes out of the ground at up to about 140°F60°C, is non-sulfurous, so there is no rotten-egg smell, and it feeds every pool on the property.

The real draw for many people is the creekside hot springs. Along Chalk Creek, below the bathhouse, hot water seeps up through the gravel into rock-ringed pools. Move a rock and you let more cold creek water in; move it back and the pool heats up. The resort lists these pools at anywhere from 33°F to 120°F1°C to 49°C, which is accurate: you can find a spot that feels like a bath and another a foot away that takes your breath away.

The pools

A day pass covers four areas:

• Historic Bath House: the Soaking Pool, held around 105°F41°C and one of the hotter commercial pools in Colorado, and the Exercise Pool at about 95°F35°C, used for water fitness classes, with a big outdoor fireplace at one end. The resort dates the bathhouse to 1887.
• Creekside Hot Springs: natural pools in Chalk Creek, 33-120°F1-49°C depending on where you sit and how high the creek is.
• Upper Pools: a large pool kept near 82°F28°C, joined to smaller hot pools by a lazy river, next to the twin 700-foot water slides (48-inch minimum height, swimmers only, $7 extra).
• Infinity Pool: opened in 2019, about 99-104°F37-40°C, with a zero-entry end, built-in seating and jets. It is open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and Friday to Sunday the rest of the year, 10 am to 5 pm.

The Spa & Club has its own relaxation pool and cascading hot springs, a sauna and a steam room. It is reserved for overnight guests and spa treatment clients aged 16 and up.

Getting there

The resort is at 15870 County Road 162, Nathrop, between Buena Vista and Salida in the upper Arkansas Valley.

• From Denver (about 2.5 hours): Take US 285 southwest through Fairplay to Johnson Village, then continue south on US 285 about 5.5 miles to Nathrop. Turn right at the sign for Mount Princeton and St. Elmo onto County Road 162. The resort is 4.5 miles up on the left.
• From Colorado Springs (about 2 hours): Take US 24 west to Johnson Village, turn south on US 285 and follow the same directions.
• From Salida: Drive north on US 285 to Nathrop, about 25 minutes total, and turn left onto County Road 162.

The road is paved all the way, and parking is spread between the bathhouse, lodge and Upper Pools. Buena Vista is about 15 minutes north for groceries and gas. Denver International Airport is about three hours away; there are no commercial flights into the small Buena Vista airport.

When to go

The resort is open every day of the year, 9 am to 9 pm, with a daily cleaning schedule.

Fall and winter are the best months to soak. Nights in Nathrop drop well below freezing from November to March, so the 105°F41°C pool and the creek pools feel their best, and crowds thin out on weekdays.

Late spring brings snowmelt. When Chalk Creek runs high and cold, the creekside pools close for a while; the Ark Valley Voice reported them temporarily closed in May 2025 for exactly this reason, and it happens most years.

Summer is family season. The Infinity Pool and water slides open daily from Memorial Day weekend, and summer weekends are crowded. Come early, or come for the evening soak after day-trippers leave.

Prices and booking

Day passes (2026):

• Adults (16+): $40 Monday to Thursday, $45 Friday to Sunday
• Children 4-15 and seniors 62+: $35
• Age 3 and under: free
• Water slides: +$7 for unlimited rides
• Towel rental: $10 ($5 back when you return it)
• Locker: $7

Day passes are walk-in only and cannot be bought ahead. You can leave and come back through the day. Everyone must sign the online waiver before entering.

Rules: swimsuits at all times; no outside alcohol in the pool areas (drinks are sold at the bathhouse counter and juice bar); no smoking anywhere in the resort; no animals at the pools.

Staying overnight: Lodging options are the main lodge, Cliffside and Hillside rooms, Creekside Suites and cabins. The Denver Gazette put starting rates at $245 a night in 2025. Each night includes two days of hot springs access (all of check-in and check-out day), free fitness classes and mountain bike or fat bike rentals, and access to the 16+ Spa & Club. Check-in is from 4 pm, check-out is 11 am. Dogs are allowed in certain cabins and Cliffside and Hillside rooms for $60 a stay.

Food is at the Mary Murphy Steak House in the main lodge, which also serves breakfast, and a summer Biergarten beside the Infinity Pool.

Where to stay nearby

Staying at the resort is the easy choice since it includes pool access. Other options in the same valley:

• Antero Hot Springs Cabins, about a quarter mile west, rents three cabins with their own spring-fed pools.
• Treehouse Hot Springs, just up County Road 162, is a whole-house rental with a private pool.
• Aqua Hot Spring is a single cabin with its own geothermal pool in the same canyon.

Buena Vista and Salida both have motels, inns and restaurants. The San Isabel National Forest above the valley has Forest Service campgrounds along Chalk Creek.

Safety notes

• Altitude: At 8,250 feet, hot water and dry air dehydrate you quickly. Drink water, keep soaks short and skip alcohol in the hottest pools.
• Creek pools: Rocks are slick and the creek current is strong in early summer. Watch where cold and hot water meet, because a scalding pocket can sit right next to a cold one.
• Kids: Children must meet the 48-inch height rule and be able to swim to use the slides.
• Weather: Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. Get out of the water when you hear thunder, and pack a warm layer for the walk between pools in winter.

History

The springs were used by the Ute long before settlers came. A way station and freight depot went up near the site in 1860 for wagons heading over the passes to Gunnison country. In 1879 a group of mining men who had made money from the Mary Murphy Mine started a three-story hotel here. It took four years to build and never had a paying guest. The resort’s Mary Murphy Steak House takes its name from that mine.

Nearby stops worth adding

Keep driving up County Road 162 to reach St. Elmo, one of Colorado’s best preserved mining ghost towns. The Chalk Cliffs are visible from the pools, and the Colorado Trail crosses Chalk Creek nearby. Buena Vista is a rafting hub for Browns Canyon National Monument on the Arkansas River. In Salida, the Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center has a large indoor geothermal pool.