This Colorado Hot Spring Is the Must-Book Activity This Spring

There's nothing quite like a spring visit to a hot spring. Hot springs are lovely all year, of course, but there's something extra special about treating yourself to a revitalizing springtime soak in hot, healing, mineral-rich water as the natural world awakens from its winter slumber. You awaken right along with it!

Colorado is full of fantastic hot springs, but one of the best overall hot springs resorts in the state is Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs. This place has expanded immensely in recent years, and you'll be amazed by all it has to offer its visitors. Read on to learn more about it and get ready to reserve a date and time so that you, too, can enjoy the perfect hot springs getaway this spring.

I love hot springs, and we are so lucky to have so many from which to choose in the great state of Colorado. Although I'd passed through Glenwood Springs many times before, it wasn't until February of 2025 that I finally made it to Iron Mountain Hot Springs. I'm kind of glad that I waited; in semi-recent years, this beautiful hot springs resort has expanded immensely, and I was so impressed by all of it. I visited with a companion who had been to Iron Mountain Hot Springs before but not in quite a while. He was impressed, too! While he had found it quite lovely before, he was amazed that these hot springs had nearly doubled in size since his last visit a decade or so ago.

This is a perfect place for a getaway at any time of the year. Iron Mountain Hot Springs offers 16 naturally shaped geothermal pools in its primary area, and each is heated to a different temperature range from 98 to 108 degrees. Every pool is full of water that contains 14 different minerals, including iron, sulfate, chloride, sodium, calcium, and more, and all have beautiful views of the Colorado River and the surrounding mountains.

What makes this place even better and even more unique is the newer addition of the WorldSprings Pools section. This area is adults-only and contains 11 more pools that replicate the mineral content of various hot springs around the world, including Iceland, France, Japan, Guatemala, Turkey, Mexico, and more.

As you soak in each of these pools, it's like taking a trip around the world—right here in Colorado! Each pool in this area includes signage that tells visitors a bit about the history and mineral content of the pools they aim to replicate. So it's not just fun and relaxing but incredibly interesting, too, especially for a hot springs enthusiast like me.

In the WorldSprings section, visitors can also take a dip in this larger freshwater pool, which is adjacent to a pool inspired by the Dead Sea. If you enjoy the thrill and challenge of contrast bathing, there's also a cold plunge.

Overall, Iron Mountain Hot Springs has 32 mineral pools, and you should try them all! If you're traveling with kids, they'll love the huge, 100,000-gallon family pool heated to 94 degrees. Thanks to a gently sloping ramp, it's also accessible to wheelchair-bound guests.

If you plan on staying all day—and you should—you'll also be happy to know that you can dine at the on-site Sopris Cafe, which offers a variety of healthy options, plus sweets from local bakery Sunshine and Moons. Adult guests soaking in the WorldSprings section can also enjoy the 21+ Sandbar Cafe, serving food and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Iron Mountain Hot Springs is a lovely place to spend an afternoon, evening, or entire day alone or with friends or loved ones. There's something for everyone at these hot springs, and you'll love everything about it. Plan a visit soon, and you'll be glad that you did. And if you're looking for more things to do in the area, I recommend visiting Only In Your State's itinerary planner for nearby suggestions!