Penny Hot Springs

What to expect

Penny Hot Springs is about as simple as a hot spring gets. Hot water seeps out of the riverbank at the foot of a set of granite cliffs known as Hell’s Gate, and bathers have piled river stones into a handful of shallow pools right at the edge of the Crystal River. There is no building, no staff and no fee. The highway is just above you.

The source water comes out at about 133°F56°C, far too hot to sit in. What makes Penny work is the river. Each pool is a mix of spring water and cold Crystal River water, and you control the balance by moving rocks: open a gap to let the river in and cool things down, close it to warm up. Pool shapes change from season to season and sometimes week to week. Wikipedia describes about six collecting pools, the largest about 20 feet across and around 2 feet deep, but treat that as a snapshot rather than a promise.

The setting is better than you might expect from a roadside pullout. The Crystal River runs fast and clear past the pools, the cliffs of Hell’s Gate rise beside it, and in winter you can sit in warm water with snow on the boulders around you. Across the river is the Filoha Meadows open space.

There are no changing rooms and no trash cans. Local reporting in 2022 noted that a toilet had been added at the highway pullout.

Getting there

Penny Hot Springs is on Colorado Highway 133, which runs south from Carbondale up the Crystal River valley toward Redstone, Marble and McClure Pass.

• From Carbondale: Head south on Highway 133 along the Crystal River. The springs are on the river side of the road a short way north of Redstone, just past Avalanche Ranch. Watch for cars parked in a pullout on the river side and steam rising off the bank.
• From the south (Paonia or McClure Pass): Come down Highway 133 through Redstone and continue north a short distance.

The highway is paved all the way. Parking is a gravel pullout with about 20 spaces. The parking area and the slope down to the river sit in Colorado Department of Transportation right of way, and Pitkin County manages the spring itself. Pull fully off the road. This stretch has a passing zone and fast traffic, and cars pulling in and out of the lot have been one of the county’s main safety worries.

From the car it is about 20 feet down a steep, eroded bank to the pools. Wear shoes with grip. In winter the path can be icy.

When to go

Late summer, fall and winter are the seasons for Penny. The river is low and the pools are intact. Winter is popular because the contrast between hot water and snow is the whole point, and the county lists the site as open year-round.

Spring runoff is the problem. In late spring and early summer, snowmelt raises the Crystal River over the pools, and the spring is often completely underwater. After the river drops, regular visitors restack the stones and the pools come back. If you are planning a trip in May or June, assume you will find nothing to soak in.

Weekends can be crowded, and with only a handful of small pools, it fills quickly. Early mornings and weekdays are quieter. In March 2020 the county and CDOT closed the site for a period because of crowding during the pandemic, which shows how small it is.

Rules and etiquette

Penny sits on a tiny parcel. Pitkin County bought just 0.1 acre of it in 1991 and added it to its Open Space and Trails program in 1999. A management plan adopted in 2020 set the direction for the site, and local reporting in 2022 listed the rules the county planned to formalize:

• No dogs. Dog waste in small, warm pools is a water quality problem.
• No camping.
• No glass.
• No amplified music and no drones.
• Leave No Trace. Pack out everything, including trash and human waste.

The county’s own page does not list hours or a clothing rule. In practice, wear a swimsuit. The pools are in plain sight of the highway, and nude bathing is the reason the original bathhouse was bulldozed (see below). Use no soap or shampoo in the pools, and if people are waiting, keep your soak reasonable and make room.

History

Ute people likely used the springs long before settlers arrived. The springs take their name from Dan Penny, who ran a hotel, guest house and bathhouse near the Avalanche Creek railroad stop in the late 1800s. A later concrete bathhouse, built by the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, drew nude bathers in the 1960s, and after complaints the county bulldozed it in 1972 at the request of the neighboring landowner. The pools kept coming back, and so did vandalism, including tar dumped in the river and boulders dropped into the pools. Pitkin County acquired the spring parcel from the state highway department in 1991, and the county’s open space program has managed it since.

Where to stay nearby

There is no camping or lodging at the springs.

• Avalanche Ranch Cabins & Hot Springs, a short drive north on Highway 133, has cabins and its own spring-fed pools.
• Redstone, a few minutes south, is a small historic village with an inn and a few lodges.
• Carbondale, farther north, has the widest range of motels, restaurants and groceries in the valley.
• White River National Forest campgrounds are spread along Highway 133 and up the side roads. Check the Forest Service for which are open and whether they take reservations.

For a bigger developed soak, Glenwood Hot Springs Pool is north of Carbondale in Glenwood Springs.

Safety notes

• Hot spots: Water near the source can be close to 133°F56°C. Feel the water with your hand before you sit, especially in pools right up against the bank.
• The river: The Crystal River is cold and fast, especially in spring and early summer. Do not let children play at the edge of the main current, and do not try to soak during high water.
• The bank: The short drop from the pullout is steep and loose. Most falls here happen on the path, not in the pools.
• Traffic: Watch for cars when you get in and out of your vehicle, and do not stand or change on the highway shoulder.
• Water quality: These are small, shallow, warm pools with heavy use and no treatment. Keep your head above water and do not soak with open cuts.
• No signal: Local reporting describes the site as lacking cell reception. Make calls before you leave Carbondale or Redstone.