Glenwood Springs, Colorado
It's gonna' be winter for a while, so what better way to warm up but to head for Glenwood Springs in Colorado and visit the hot springs there?

People first came here in the late 1800's to take minerals from the earth and build this town. They discovered that some of the water coming from the ground was steamy hot and in 1888 they built this swimming pool to take advantage of the hot water and today the hot springs pool at Glenwood Springs is world renown.

This has been a resort town for a long time and the rich and famous still travel here, but just plain folks can come, too. There are two pools actually...one is warmer than the other...but the water is great.

Charley Berkley was the manager when we were there.

"This is the largest hot springs pool in the United States, the largest hot spring in the state of Colorado. Almost two blocks long, 600 feet total when you consider both pools. The large pool here holds over a million gallons of water."

The water in the main pool is always, year round, kept about 94 degrees and the smaller pool is about ten degrees warmer.

Near the main pool area is where the water comes from the ground. You can't go there without special permission and there's a good reason. The water here is hot enough to poach your eyeballs.

"It's coming out of the ground at about 126-degrees," says Charley. "Which is, if you touch it, very hot. If you fall in there you wouldn't last very long.

It's putting out about three million gallons a day which would roughly fill the main pool about three times a day.

"We've had a lot of folks that have come here for 50, 60 years continuously and have never missed a Memorial Day, Fourth of July for 50, 60 years."

Basically they come here to swim in what amounts to a big warm bathtub. Over the years there have been claims that swimming and floating and hanging around in the water here will cure you of anything that ails you and do wonders for a good complexion. Nowadays the only claim they make is...it just makes you feel good. But there are days, especially cold, winter days, when that's enough.

NOTES:

Glenwood Springs is in the west-central part of Colorado and is a stop for those of you taking vacations in the Colorado Rockies. It is on Interstate 70 between Grand Junction and Denver. Call 970-945-2846 for more information.
You might try staying at Glenwood Spring's premier old hotel, the Hotel Colorado. Wonderful place with charming, early 1900's atmosphere.