Cottonwood Hot Springs - Day-use fee or pay-per-soak in Buena Vista, CO (2026)
Hand-built stone pools sit beside Cottonwood Creek, shaded by ponderosa pine and free of chemical additives. Rustic lodge rooms, creekside cabins, and tent sites make it an easy base for Monarch Pass ski days.
Cottonwood Hot Springs is the quieter, lower-priced alternative to Mount Princeton in Colorado's Upper Arkansas Valley near Buena Vista — six terraced stone pools dug into the hillside above Cottonwood Creek, no chemicals, no waterslides, no resort polish. The pools step from cool (94°F) at the bottom to hot (110°F) at the top, with creekside cabins and a small lodge as the only accommodations. It's a 30-minute drive west of Buena Vista on County Road 306, the gateway to Cottonwood Pass and the Continental Divide.
What to expect
Park, pay $30 weekday/$35 weekend at the small office, and walk down to the pool deck. Six pools, no time limits, soft towels available. The water is unfiltered mineral water with a noticeable algae bloom on rocks — the sign that it's chemical-free, not that it's dirty. Massage and dry float-tank treatments bookable in advance. Cabins ($170+) include unlimited soaking; tent campsites are creekside.
Temperature
94°-110°F
Pools
6 soaking pools
Best season
Year-round
Reservations
Walk-up friendly
Dog policy
No pets at pools
Family policy
Family windows available
Safety notes
- Snowy weather turns County Road 306 slick—chains or winter tires are mandatory from November through March.
- Mineral deposits make pool stairs slippery; hold the handrails when entering hotter basins.
Amenities & etiquette
FAQ
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Nearby hot springs
Avalanche Ranch Hot Springs
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Dunton Hot Springs
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A restored 1880s ghost town now operates as an ultra-luxury hideaway with log cabins, chef-led dining, and cedar-lined bathhouse pools fed by a 104°F artesian spring. Winter heli-ski packages and summer fly-fishing fill out the all-inclusive itineraries.
Glenwood Hot Springs Resort
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America's largest mineral pool taps the Yampah spring and pairs a 405-foot lap pool with a therapy soak. Renovated locker rooms, on-site hotel rooms, and a splash zone make it easy to mix with skiing or rafting trips.
Hot Sulphur Springs Resort
Hot Sulphur Springs, CO
Seventeen mineral pools climb a hillside above the Colorado River, fed by 120°F springs once stewarded by the Ute people. Simple motel rooms and massage cabins make it a classic après-ski stop for Winter Park locals.
Editor’s picks nearby
- The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs — 25 mineral pools terraced down to the San Juan River, fed by the 1,000-foot-deep Mother Spring — $79 timed-entry day passes, the most refined of the major Colorado resorts.
- Strawberry Park Hot Springs — the Steamboat-area cult favorite — six stone-bordered pools tucked in aspen forest.
- Valley View Hot Springs — the clothing-optional San Luis Valley nature preserve — multiple pools and a sauna deep in the Sangre de Cristo foothills.