Sand Dunes Recreation (Sand Dunes Pool)

What to expect

Sand Dunes Recreation, still called the Sand Dunes Pool or simply the Hooper Pool by locals, is a family-owned swimming and soaking complex on the flat floor of the San Luis Valley, a few miles north of the tiny town of Hooper. It is not a mountain spring. It is a big outdoor pool, a covered hot pool and a greenhouse full of plants and soaking tubs, sitting among farm fields with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on one side of the valley and the San Juans on the other.

The story starts in the early 1930s, when drillers looking for oil near Hooper hit hot water instead. That well still supplies the pools, and the operator says the water enters the large pool at 118°F48°C. The pool has gone through several lives. Early swimmers used a dirt-bottomed pool lined with boards, and later owners poured two concrete floors on top. It was last used for swimming in 1978, held catfish in the early 1980s, and then sat empty for about a decade. When the current owners deepened it in 1995, crews found all three old floors stacked on top of each other. It reopened in August 1995.

The pools

• Family pool: a large outdoor pool, 50 by 100 feet, kept around 98°F37°C (the operator and county tourism office give 98-102°F37-39°C depending on season). It has a 24-foot water slide.
• Therapy pool: a hot pool that seats about 25 people, kept at 105-107°F41-42°C, under a large covered structure at one end of the main pool.
• Baby pool: a shallow pool under the same cover.
• The Greenhouse: an adults-only (21+) area inside a 10,000-square-foot greenhouse with tropical plants, four soaking pools ranging from 98 to 111°F37 to 44°C, a dry sauna for about 10 people, indoor and outdoor patios and The Steel Box bar, which serves beer and wine. A small-plates menu is served there.

Food for the main pool deck comes from the Mile Deep Grille snack bar.

Getting there

The address is 1991 County Road 63, Hooper, CO 81136. Hooper sits on Colorado Highway 17 in the middle of the San Luis Valley, and the pool is a few miles north of town.

• From Alamosa: Drive north on CO 17 through Mosca to Hooper, then continue to County Road 63 and the pool. It is about 20 miles in total, and the highway is flat and straight.
• From Salida or Denver: Take US 285 south over Poncha Pass into the San Luis Valley, then turn onto CO 17 at the north end of the valley near Mineral Hot Springs and head south toward Hooper.

The valley floor is wide open, so you can see the buildings and the steam well before you arrive on a cold morning.

When to go

The pool is open year-round. From March 1 to November 30 the pool and Greenhouse run from 10am to 10pm. From December 1 to the end of February, the pool opens from 1pm to 8pm and the Greenhouse from noon to 8pm.

Know the closures before you plan:

• Every Thursday the whole facility closes for cleaning.
• Each April it closes for about 10 days of maintenance, starting on the first Thursday. In 2026 that was April 2 to 12.
• Holidays: closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, with shorter hours on July 4, Halloween, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Summer afternoons bring families, campers and visitors coming off Great Sand Dunes National Park. Cold, clear winter evenings are the best time for a hot soak. The valley sits at about 7,500 feet and gets very cold at night.

Prices and booking

Rates from the operator’s site, which does not give a year:

• Adults (13+): $18
• Children (3-12), seniors (65+), college students with ID, military: $12
• Children 2 and under: free
• Groups of 20 or more booked 24 hours ahead and paid together: $9 each
• Greenhouse (21+): $7 on top of admission, $4 for seniors and campers
• Passes: individual, couple and family passes from one month to one year, plus a 10-visit punch card at $125

No booking is needed for day visits. Pay at the door.

Rules and etiquette

• The Greenhouse is 21 and over only. Bring valid ID.
• Swimsuits are expected. This is a family pool, not a clothing-optional spring.
• Shower before you get in. One camper review noted that signs asking people to rinse off were missing, but it is basic courtesy in shared hot water.
• Watch the kids around the slide and deep water. Summer swimming lessons are run on site.

Where to stay nearby

You can stay right at the pool. The operator lists:

• Glamping cabins: three small cabins sleeping two to four, without bathrooms or running water, using a 24-hour shower house. About $150 a night, with pool and Greenhouse entry included for guests.
• Hooper Hacienda: a four-bedroom cabin sleeping 10 with a full kitchen, two-night minimum.
• RV sites: 10 with water and electric ($40 a night) and 10 dry sites ($30), plus a dump station.
• Tent sites: 10 gravel and 20 remote sites ($30 a night).

RV and tent campers get half off main pool admission each day. Book through the website. Alamosa, about 20 miles south, has the valley’s main hotels and restaurants, and the operator also manages short-term rentals there.

Safety notes

• Hot water: The therapy pool and the hottest Greenhouse pool run well above 104°F40°C. Keep those soaks short, especially if you have been drinking at the bar.
• Altitude and sun: At around 7,500 feet the sun is strong on the open deck. Use sunscreen and drink water.
• Winter nights: Air temperatures in the San Luis Valley drop far below freezing. Bring warm clothes and footwear for the walk from the pool to your car or cabin.
• Fire restrictions: Check current county fire restrictions if you are camping.

Nearby stops worth adding

Great Sand Dunes National Park is east across the valley, with the tallest dunes in North America. The usual route from the pool goes south on CO 17, then east on County Lane 6 to CO 150. In Alamosa, Splashland Hot Springs is another historic geothermal pool, and at the northern end of the valley, Valley View Hot Springs offers natural pools on a mountainside, with its own access rules.