South Canyon Hot Springs

What to expect

South Canyon Hot Springs is the opposite of the big pools in downtown Glenwood Springs. There is no building, no lifeguard and no admission desk. Hot water seeps out of a scrubby hillside above South Canyon Creek, and locals have channelled it into a couple of rough soaking pools lined with dirt, rock and whatever plastic sheeting has survived the last rebuild. Locals call it Hippie Hot Springs, and you will also hear “the hot pots”.

The pools change from season to season. Sometimes there is one decent pool and a smaller, murkier one below it. Sometimes a pool has been dug deeper or patched with new rocks. A 1993 Colorado Geological Survey visit recorded three undeveloped springs here, with the water channelled into two pools dug into the dirt, and that basic picture still holds. Temperatures depend on the flow and on how much cooler water gets in. Visitor guides report pools from about 100°F38°C up into the low 110s, and the survey measured the source water at roughly 115-118°F46-48°C.

The setting is plain. You are a short walk from a county road that carries landfill traffic, with I-70 a mile to the north. The view across the canyon is open and dry, with juniper, sage and red-brown cliffs. Expect trash some days and a tidy site on others, depending on who was there before you.

Who manages it

The springs sit on roughly 3,000 acres of parkland that the City of Glenwood Springs owns west of town. The same canyon holds the city landfill, an archery range, a shooting range, trails and a lot of unmanaged open space. The pools are just below the landfill entrance on South Canyon Road.

The City has never run the springs as a public facility. Local reporting describes several periods of use and small-scale development followed by local governments closing the primitive pools, and the City trying more than once to limit or prevent access. In 2018 a private developer floated plans for the site and then backed away after public pushback. In 2021 city staff described the pool as popular with locals despite poor filtration flow and unhealthy fecal coliform bacteria levels, and listed a cleaner, developed hot springs as one long-term idea for the canyon.

In February 2024 the City Council adopted a South Canyon Management Plan that covers land conservation, recreation, wildfire risk and long-term management, including the hot springs. As of October 2026 we found no closure order and no new facilities at the pools, but the situation can change. Read any signs at the pullout before you walk in.

Getting there

South Canyon is about 4 to 5 miles west of Glenwood Springs.

• From Glenwood Springs: Take I-70 west to Exit 111 (South Canyon). At the stop sign at the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto County Road 134, also signed South Canyon Creek Road. The road bends and crosses the Colorado River. Continue roughly half a mile past the bridge (about 1.2 miles from the exit in total) to a small pullout on the right.
• From Rifle or New Castle: Come east on I-70 to the same exit and turn right toward the canyon.

The pools are not visible from the road. From the pullout, a dirt path drops down the bank, crosses the small creek and climbs a short, steep slope to the pools. Guides put it at about an eighth of a mile, a few minutes on foot. The ground is loose and can be muddy or icy.

Pull fully off the road. Dump trucks and pickups heading to the landfill use it all day, and there is not much room.

When to go

There is no official season, and people soak here year-round. Late spring to fall is easier, because the creek crossing and the slope are dry and the days are long. Winter visits are possible, but the path ices up and the pools can run cooler if snowmelt gets in.

Go in daylight. Visitor reports describe uneasy encounters at the pullout and at the pools after dark, and finding the path back to the car in brush at night is harder than it sounds. Weekday mornings are usually quietest.

Rules and etiquette

There are no posted rules specific to the pools that we could confirm, so the general rules for city parkland and plain common sense apply.

• No camping. The City lists illegal camping and the fires that come with it as a main concern in South Canyon. There is a single road out if a wildfire starts.
• No fires. Parks staff have found illegal fire pits in the canyon. Do not add to them.
• Clothing is optional in practice. Nudity is common. If that bothers you, choose a developed pool in town.
• Pack out everything, including other people’s cans if you can. There are no bins or toilets.
• No soap or shampoo in the pools. The water turns over slowly and already has a bacteria problem.
• Respect the landfill and ranges. Stay out of fenced areas and away from the shooting range.

Where to stay nearby

There is no legal camping at the springs. Glenwood Springs, a 10-minute drive east, has the full range of hotels, motels and restaurants, plus the historic pools. New Castle and Silt, to the west along I-70, have smaller motels and access to campgrounds on White River National Forest and state land. Book ahead in summer and during ski season, when Glenwood fills up.

Safety notes

• Water quality: This is the big one. City documents have noted unhealthy fecal coliform bacteria levels in the pool. Keep your head above water, do not drink it, cover cuts, and shower when you get back.
• Heat: The water near the source can run hotter than 110°F43°C. Test it before you get in and keep soaks short.
• Footing: The path is short but steep and loose, and it crosses a creek. Wear shoes with grip.
• Personal safety: Local news reported a 2021 criminal case in which a man pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl at the hot pots. Visit in daylight, go with someone you trust, and leave if a situation feels wrong.
• Car break-ins: Do not leave valuables in sight at the pullout.

Nearby soaking options

If South Canyon does not appeal, Glenwood Springs has some of the best-run hot spring pools in the state. The Glenwood Hot Springs Pool is the large historic pool beside I-70 in town, and Yampah Hot Springs and Vapor Caves offers underground steam baths a few blocks away. Iron Mountain Hot Springs has a row of small soaking pools along the Colorado River. For another free, rustic spring, Penny Hot Springs sits on the bank of the Crystal River south of Carbondale.