There are no public hot springs in Telluride itself. What Telluride has instead is a position in the middle of the densest concentration of geothermal water in Colorado, with 11 legitimate soaking options inside a half day's drive. For the 2026/2027 winter season, here is every one of them, with addresses, current hours, drive times from Telluride and the details that actually matter once you are standing in the parking lot in ski boots.
Telluride Ski Resort is projected to open in late November 2026 and run into early April 2027, though the resort confirms its dates closer to the season. Plan your soak days around storm cycles and rest days, and read on for the winter driving notes at the bottom, because two of these routes cross mountain passes.
Hot springs near Telluride at a glance
| Hot Spring | Town | Drive from Telluride | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orvis Hot Springs | Ridgway | 45 minutes | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily | Natural, untreated, clothing optional |
| Ouray Hot Springs Pool | Ouray | 1 hour | Generally 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Families, sulfur free water |
| The Wiesbaden | Ouray | 1 hour | Day passes from 9 a.m. | The vapor cave, quiet adults |
| Twin Peaks Lodge | Ouray | 1 hour | Day passes, 24 hours for guests | Lodging plus soaking |
| Box Canyon Lodge | Ouray | 1 hour | 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., guests only | Terraced redwood tubs, stargazing |
| Dunton Hot Springs | Dolores County | 1 hour 15 minutes | Guests only, all inclusive | Once in a lifetime splurge |
| Durango Hot Springs Resort | Durango | 2.5 hours | 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily | 32 pools, cold plunges, private tubs |
| The Springs Resort | Pagosa Springs | 3.5 hours | 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. day guests | The flagship, 50 plus pools |
| Overlook Hot Springs Spa | Pagosa Springs | 3.5 hours | Seasonal, confirm ahead | Rooftop tubs, budget friendly |
| Healing Waters Resort | Pagosa Springs | 3.5 hours | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily | Historic baths, families on a budget |
| Rico Hot Springs | Rico | 30 minutes | Closed to the public | Nothing, see the note below |
Under an hour from Telluride
Orvis Hot Springs, Ridgway
Location: 1585 County Road 3, Ridgway, CO 81432, one mile south of downtown Ridgway just off US Highway 550.
Drive from Telluride: About 36 miles, roughly 45 minutes over Dallas Divide.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with last admittance at 8 p.m. Overnight guests get 24 hour access. After 9 p.m. the property is adults only.
This is the one most locals visit most often. Ten soaking areas range from about 65 degrees up to 112, including the gravel bottom main pond with Mount Sneffels framed straight ahead, an indoor pool, two private tubs and the very hot Lobster Pot. The water is lithium rich, never heated and never chemically treated, which is the whole appeal and also why the pools are drained on a rotating cleaning schedule. Check the posted cleaning dates before you drive over, because showing up on the wrong day means half the property is empty.
Two policies to know. Outdoor pools are clothing optional for adults 18 and over, so arrive expecting to see people in their birthday suits. Bathing suits are required in the indoor pool during business hours and for everyone 17 and under, children under four are not permitted in the pools, and no pets. Orvis is also a tech free property, so leave the phone in the car. Day use runs roughly $28 to $30 per adult. There are six lodge rooms and a small campground if you want the overnight access. See orvishotsprings.com.
Pro tip: run a full hot to cold to hot cycle using the sauna, then the cold plunge, then the Lobster Pot. It is the best ski recovery available within an hour of town.
Ouray Hot Springs Pool, Ouray
Location: 1220 Main Street, Ouray, CO 81427.
Drive from Telluride: About 50 miles, roughly one hour. You go northwest to Placerville, east over Dallas Divide on Highway 62 to Ridgway, then south on 550. Ouray is only 10 miles from Telluride as the crow flies, which tells you everything about how vertical this country is.
Hours: Generally 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily year round, with extended summer hours. Call 970-325-7073 to confirm, since sections close periodically for cleaning.
City run and open to the public since 1927, this is the family pick. Five pools span roughly 77 degrees in the lap pool to 106 in the adults only Overlook Pool, plus a climbing wall, volleyball and a shallow section for small kids. The seasonal activity pools and the water slides only operate Memorial Day through Labor Day, so a winter visit is purely about soaking, which is arguably better.
The defining feature is that the water is completely sulfur free. No rotten egg smell at all, which makes this the pick for anyone who has been put off by other Colorado facilities. Expect roughly $26 to $30 for an adult day pass and $16 to $18 for youth, with children under four and seniors 75 and over free. Rates change, so confirm at ourayhotsprings.com before you go. Your day pass lets you leave and return the same day, so you can soak, get lunch downtown and come back.
Worth knowing: if anyone in your group holds a current Ouray Ice Park membership card, you get 20 percent off daily admission while the Ice Park is open. Towel rental costs extra, so bring your own.
The Historic Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa and Lodgings, Ouray
Location: A quiet residential block off Main Street in Ouray, walking distance to restaurants and shops.
Drive from Telluride: About one hour.
Hours: Day passes available from 9 a.m. Each day reservation covers a two hour soak.
The draw here is the vapor cave, a natural chamber in the mountainside directly beneath the lodge holding a 108 degree soaking pool under constant steam. It is one of only two commercially operated vapor caves in the United States. The cave was used by the Ute people, including Chief Ouray, long before the lodge existed, and it is a genuinely singular experience. If you cannot handle heat and humidity, it will be too much. If you can, nothing else in Colorado compares.
There are six untreated, non recirculated mineral pools on the property running 102 to 108 degrees, plus the Lorelei, a private screened outdoor pool with a waterfall held at 100 to 105 degrees and the only clothing optional option on site, available by reservation. The full spa offers massage and body treatments to both lodge and day guests. Expect around $25 to $30 for a day pass. This is a quiet, adult oriented property, so confirm age policies before bringing kids. See wiesbadenhotsprings.com.
Twin Peaks Lodge and Hot Springs, Ouray
Location: 125 3rd Avenue, Ouray, CO 81427.
Drive from Telluride: About one hour.
Hours: Day passes available to the public. Lodge guests soak around the clock.
A mountain view outdoor pool plus two soaking tubs, one indoors and adults only, one outdoors. Add a hot breakfast, a tiki bar and Jeep rentals next door and it works well as an Ouray base rather than just a stop. Day pass pricing and availability at twinpeakslodging.com.
Box Canyon Lodge and Hot Springs, Ouray
Location: 3rd Avenue in Ouray, the first left after the highway bends onto Main Street coming in from the south.
Drive from Telluride: About one hour.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. year round. Lodge guests only.
New to this list, and the one people miss because you cannot buy a day pass. Four redwood tubs sit tiered along a hillside, each angled for an unobstructed San Juan view, with water piped directly from the Box Canyon source and no chemical treatment. Temperatures hold between 103 and 108 degrees. The terracing creates real privacy between tubs and the canyon walls kill the road noise, so this is the opposite of a crowd and splash environment. The stargazing from the top tub on a clear winter night is the reason to book the room.
One to two hours from Telluride
Dunton Hot Springs, Dolores County
Location: West Fork Road in Dolores County, about six miles northwest of the town of Rico on the West Fork of the Dolores River, at 8,921 feet.
Drive from Telluride: Roughly 25 miles as the crow flies and about an hour and 15 minutes by road.
Hours: Resort guests only. All inclusive, reservations essential, and winter road access is limited, so confirm how you are getting in when you book.
A restored 1880s mining ghost town turned five star all inclusive resort, with 12 hand hewn log cabins spread across 200 acres backing onto 1,600 acres of wilderness. The source spring runs about 108 degrees and feeds both an outdoor pool and a cedar lined bathhouse. Guests eat together at long tables in a restored saloon. Winter packages tend toward heli skiing and backcountry. It is expensive in a way that makes people flinch, and it is also the single most memorable soak in this region. See duntonhotsprings.com.
Worth the road trip
Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa, Durango
Location: 6475 County Road 203, Durango, CO 81301, about eight miles north of downtown Durango in the Animas Valley off Highway 550.
Drive from Telluride: About 125 miles, roughly 2.5 hours south on Highway 145 over Lizard Head Pass.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day open later, around 2:30 p.m. Spa hours run 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Reservations are required.
Formerly Trimble Hot Springs and completely rebuilt, this one belongs on the list now in a way it did not a few years ago. There are more than 40 water features including 32 natural mineral soaking pools, a resort style swimming pool, two cold plunges, five private Japanese style Ofuro tubs, a reflexology walking path and a mineral water rain tower. Soaking temperatures run roughly 95 to 112 degrees. The water is infused with nano and micro oxygen bubbles, which the resort claims is unique among hot springs worldwide.
Admission is sold as timed two hour or three hour sessions, generally in the $39 to $59 range for adults and about half that for children, and you must book in advance. Confirm current rates at durangohotspringsresortandspa.com. Pair it with a night in Durango rather than trying to make it a day trip from Telluride in winter.
The Springs Resort, Pagosa Springs
Location: On the bank of the San Juan River in downtown Pagosa Springs.
Drive from Telluride: About 180 miles, roughly 3.5 hours.
Hours: Day guests soak 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., seven days a week. Overnight guests get 24 hour access plus complimentary wellness activities and the salt therapy sauna.
Colorado's flagship hot springs destination and named the number one hot springs in the country by USA Today 10Best. More than 50 mineral pools terrace down to the river, fed by the Mother Spring, the deepest geothermal spring in the world at over 1,000 feet. Five pools are adults only. Every pool is labeled with its temperature and staff check them regularly, which is a small thing that makes a big difference. There is poolside food and drink service, a full spa, multiple restaurants and a LEED certified hotel.
Day passes are timed to control crowding and run roughly $65 and up depending on the pass tier. Book ahead, especially in winter. See pagosahotsprings.com.
Overlook Hot Springs Spa, Pagosa Springs
Location: Historic downtown Pagosa Springs.
Drive from Telluride: About 3.5 hours.
Hours: Vary seasonally, so call before you go.
Another new addition here, and the value pick in Pagosa. Fourteen soaking tubs run 100 to 106 degrees, and the name comes from the rooftop tubs, which give you a panoramic view over the town and the San Juan River. It is an intimate operation rather than a resort, with private rooms available and massage on site. Day passes have historically run around $24, a fraction of what The Springs charges.
Healing Waters Resort and Spa, Pagosa Springs
Location: Pagosa Springs, a short walk from downtown.
Drive from Telluride: About 3.5 hours.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The third Pagosa option and the most historic. There is a swimming pool held around 90 degrees, an outdoor hot tub at 105, and separate indoor men's and women's mineral baths running 108 to 112. The property uses no chemicals at all, including no chlorine. The main pool runs cooler than people expect, so go in knowing that the indoor baths are where the heat is. On site lodging means you can walk from your room to the water, which makes this a strong pick for families watching the budget.
Two important notes on springs you may have read about
Rico Hot Springs is closed. Please do not go.
Rico sits 27 miles south of Telluride on Highway 145, about a 30 minute drive, and for years the two primitive pools on the bank of the Dolores River were a locals' secret. That is over. The springs are now on private property and entering is trespassing. Access is restricted, and visiting requires advance written permission from the owner. Old blog posts and trail guides still give directions. Ignore them. Drive the extra 30 minutes to Orvis instead.
Penny Hot Springs is a road trip stop, not a day trip
Penny Hot Springs sits directly in the Crystal River along Highway 133 outside Redstone, where rocks separate the cold river flow from the warm spring water. It is a genuine Colorado gem and it is also about four hours north of Telluride. Include it only if you are already driving that corridor, not as a destination from town. It is free, undeveloped and has no facilities of any kind.
Winter soaking tips for the 2026/2027 season
- Check the passes before you drive. Dallas Divide on the Ridgway route and Lizard Head Pass on the Durango route both get weather. Check CDOT conditions, and know that the Million Dollar Highway south of Ouray closes in storms. You do not need that stretch to reach any spring on this list from Telluride, but it matters if you are continuing south.
- Reservations are now standard. Durango and The Springs both require them. Wiesbaden runs on timed two hour blocks. Winter weekends and holiday weeks fill.
- Altitude plus heat plus alcohol is a bad combination. You are soaking between 6,700 and 9,000 feet. Hydrate before and during, cap your soaks at 15 to 20 minutes with cool down breaks, and go easy on drinks.
- Do not soak dehydrated after a full ski day. Eat something and drink water first. A hot soak on an empty stomach after six hours on the hill is how people end up lightheaded in a locker room.
- Bring your own towel. Nearly everywhere charges for rentals, and $10 for a towel adds up across a family.
- Take off silver jewelry. Sulfur content in some of these waters will discolor it.
- Confirm cleaning schedules, particularly at Orvis, which drains pools on a rotating basis and posts upcoming dates on its site.
- Pack a swimsuit even for clothing optional properties. Indoor areas at Orvis require them, and it is nice to have the choice.
Frequently asked questions
Are there hot springs in Telluride itself?
No. There are no public hot springs within the town of Telluride or Mountain Village. The closest developed option is Orvis Hot Springs in Ridgway, about 45 minutes away. Many of our Telluride rentals with private hot tubs give you the next best thing without the drive.
What is the closest hot spring to Telluride?
Orvis Hot Springs in Ridgway, roughly 36 miles and 45 minutes over Dallas Divide. The four Ouray properties are about an hour.
Which hot springs near Telluride are best for families with kids?
Ouray Hot Springs Pool is the clear pick, with a shallow section, activity areas and no clothing optional policy. Healing Waters in Pagosa Springs works well for families on a budget. Orvis restricts children under four entirely and is clothing optional, Wiesbaden is adult oriented, and Box Canyon and Dunton are guests only.
Can you visit hot springs near Telluride in winter?
Yes, and winter is the better season for it. Every developed spring on this list operates year round, and soaking in 105 degree water with snow on the canyon walls is the whole point. Only the seasonal summer features, such as the Ouray water slides and activity pools, shut down.
Which hot springs near Telluride are clothing optional?
Orvis Hot Springs outdoor pools are clothing optional for adults 18 and over, with suits required indoors and for anyone 17 and under. The Lorelei private pool at the Wiesbaden is clothing optional and fully screened. Everywhere else on this list requires swimsuits.
How far is Ouray from Telluride?
About 50 miles and one hour by road via Placerville and Ridgway, even though the two towns sit only 10 miles apart as the crow flies. The mountains in between have no road over them.
Where to stay in Telluride
A soak day pairs best with a place you actually want to come home to. Lodging In Telluride manages condos and homes across downtown Telluride, Mountain Village and Ski Ranches, from affordable to fully luxury.
Browse our Telluride vacation rentals, narrow it down to rentals with hot tubs, ski-in ski-out lodging or luxury rentals, or check winter rentals for the 2026/2027 season. While you are planning, our guide to the best winter activities in Telluride and our Telluride ski guide cover the rest of the trip.
Call us at 888-998-6471 or contact our team, and check current specials before you book. We would love to be your Telluride hosts.