Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort

We had an incredible experience at Mt Princeton. My cousin who lives in Vail, CO even called it the «true Colorado experience». We stayed in a cabin and the construction and furnishings were beautiful and elegant. The surroundings were pristine. We enjoyed hot springs, the river running through the whole resort, and meeting some wonderful fascinating people during our visit. Enjoy the complimentary quality mountain bike rentals and maps, delicious food, incredible guest service (I had a problem with my reservation which may have been my error and they took care of me with great respect). Take in the beautiful natural vistas, classes, spa, general store and other amenities. Take a trip up the mountain to the St Elmo ghost town or down the road for horseback riding. Make this a key part of your Colorado journey.

Stayed here over the weekend for a friend’s wedding.
The location is beautiful with a great view of the mountains and a great wedding venue by the creek and reception in the pavilion.
The hot springs are in traditional pool and hot tub settings.
We stayed in a large cabin and they are very nice. Full kitchen (no oven) and plenty of space to hang out in the living room.
The staff was all very considerate and helpful.
We had some major issues with check in because of miscommunication and our cabin wasn’t ready for almost 4 hrs after our check in. The staff was wonderful in accommodating us and went all out to make up for the inconvenience.
They normally have a small store, but it looks like they were renovating it. It would have been nice to be able to get some food and snacks, since you have very limited options

I just spent 2 nights at this «resort» and left feeling a bit disappointed. I visited the Mt. Princeton some years back when all they had was a ratty, old bathhouse and 2 pools and catered mostly to people with small children. I saw no reason to return until they advertised their «new and improved» resort/​spa. The first time I went (2 years ago), I was impressed. Compared to my first experience, this was extreme luxury. However, I had just gone up for a day trip and was only there for a few hours.
This time, I stayed 2 nights in a cliff side room and spent nearly $ 400 on what I would consider a mediocre room. Granted, 2 adults got into the hot springs each day as part of that $ 400, so the actual value of the room was probably more like $ 250 for 2 nights. However, just know their rooms are rather basic (coffee maker/​microwave/​fridge is bonus). The room itself is on par with a Best Western (styrofoam coffee cups/​powdered ‘creamer’). And the walls are pretty thin (we listened to a number of conversations between people on either side of us).
The food served in their restaraunt was actually quite good, even if the portions weren’t terribly generous. Dinner was very expensive, while breakfast was more reasonable (around $ 30 for 2 people).
The thing that was most troubling was the lack of friendly faces/​customer service. The place wasn’t packed, but we waited for everything. We waited to check in, waited to get seated for dinner, waited each morning to be seated for breakfast, waited to get a towel (an average of 10 minutes). And it wasn’t because they were busy!
And with the exception of one of the female servers at breakfast my last morning, people were not generally friendly. At other hot springs/​spas I’ve visited (Ojo Caliente), people are happy and friendly and go out of their way to be nice/​helpful/​friendly. Everyone seems to have a smile on their face. Not here. Perhaps it is their location (tho Ojo Caliente is pretty remote), but employees at this establishment do not seem to love their work.
Finally, I noted that there shiny new spa area is beginning to look a little ragged. Shower stalls aren’t as clean/​shiny and carpets are not as clean and looking a bit worn. The swim suit spinner was broken when we arrived, but was repaired by day 2.
Not planning to rush back anytime soon…

We had a family reunion at this property. There is much there to do and we all had fun! However, we were disappointed in the lack of attention to detail. There were many little issues. First, one of our family cabins was found to have animal feces and urine in one bedroom requiring a family be moved to another cabin at 9pm at night!
The same cabin was found to have a refrigerator that didn’t work properly and all the food needed to be moved to another cabin. Luckily we had more than one cabin and the food didn’t spoil.
There were not enough towels to supply each person in the cabin with one towel.
There was no internet service in any of the cabins our family had– we rented 5-​despite the website stating there was «wifi in many of the cabins.» Wifi is available in the main lodge. Also there was no cell phone service for Verizon customers, and poor cell phone service for other carriers. It would have been nice to have a land line in the cabin in this case to be able to call the front desk with concerns or questions or supplies, or in case of emergency. We had to drive to the lodge instead to report our issues.
The lifeguard at the pool was not always attentive and left their post to attend to patrons needing towels etc…
One cabin had soap that was already used when the family moved into it. We ran out of toilet paper and had to go to the lodge to get it because of poor cell service.
One member of our family sat in the lodge to use the wifi for work and heard many other patrons complain, so it was a common theme.
On checkout, one member found her bill was overcharged. She is still waiting several days later for it to be credited.
It is a potentially a first class resort but the management is very poor.

This hot springs resort is a natural wonderland, but the resort is poorly run! The cabins are poorly stocked and in disrepair. Missing screens, patio door shades, windows that do not stay open, appliances broken– what a nightmare! We stayed in the cabins 23, 24, and 25. No phone, no cell phone service, so each time we needed towels, garbage bags, toilet paper, we needed to drive to the front desk. The employees were pleasant, but I felt like my week of vacation was ruined.

Pulling back the covers for the first time, and the bed looked slept in AND WORSE — hairs on TWO pillows AND bottom sheet in the middle of the bed. Front desk was very polite and asked if I only needed one set. I said I wasn’t sure, and the man followed me to go look at the second bed — which — surprise! — also had hair! GROSS!
He brought new sheets (which I changed) and also a long lint roller. I started opening the sheets while the man was trying to unwrap his roller and lo and behold, the NEW set ALSO had hair. Ughhh! What to do? He picked up the hair with his roller and said he would notify management. :-/​
I wouldn’t have stayed here had I seen the other «dirty review» and if I’d seen the hairs earlier, would’ve considered leaving. We didn’t see anything until after 10 when we pulled covers back, too late to drive home (with a sleepy kiddo).
Very polite customer service, poor attention to housekeeping details.
After reading reviews just now (a bit late since we’re already staying here) I noticed several by one reviewer pointing out dirty areas in her room. I didn’t notice anything other than hairy sheets, but also wasn’t looking for dirt and dust either.
The soaking pools are nice, and MUCH nicer on the spa side for overnight guests (fluffy white towels on that side, frayed thin towels on the historic bath house side).
It would be nice if there was a just a little park area for kids to run around after a long car ride, and also a more little-​kid friendly pool (though my toddler did love the two family pools). We were told only big kids at the slide area.
Views are amazing. Room is in the main lodge, and close to main pool area. Surprisingly quiet (it’s a Sunday night).
I wanted to love this place and expected it to be a place I always sent out of town guests (from Colorado Springs) but am very disappointed in the details of hotel room experience.

We stayed at the Cliffside room #1, it was perfect and very spacious! Awesome stay and do much fun, love the views!

I booked it because of the creekside pools… get there and they’re closed. Place was packed with day time people who drive in for $ 20 for the day and use all the facilities. You get no advantage over them by being a guest, it was very crowded while the pools were open. Rooms were typical comfort inn, nothing special (we were in the hillside row, it’s like any other motel room.) Everything was closed until 9am, and if you need to find someone to help you before 8 in the morning good luck with that!
The spa is a joke, they don’t post the prices– $ 90 for a 30 minute massage. The spa staff knew absolutely nothing about what the benefits of the different services were, we asked about different menu items at different times and both days the people behind the desk were clueless. While I was standing there a man came up to check in for his massage– the girl handed him 2 towels and told him to go change. For $ 90 and up there should be a damn robe involved there somewhere!
There is a public road that cuts this place in half, it always has traffic on it, WATCH YOUR CHILDREN while going from the lodging to the lower portion!

This review is for the regular hot springs side, which costs $ 22 for entry (steep!).
I wouldn’t go here if it were free because of the following issues, mostly a gross facility.
–The entrance is difficult to find — no signs. No staff around.
–Towels cost extra, but they ran out a few hours before close. This doesn’t work for out of towners.
–The women’s locker room smells like mildew
–The women’s restroom smelled awful and was dirty
–No private changing facilities OR enough benches to put your stuff on so it doesn’t sit on the wet floor
–There is standing water you HAVE to walk through to get to the pool. Even with flip flops as protection, your feet are going to get in the cold water/​foot scum of every other guest
–The only stairs into the pool are not near the pool deck. You have to drop your things on the deck, walk through the gross puddle described above, then use stairs to get into the pool
–The «hot» pool is a little on the cool side
–The «medium» pool is barely luke warm
–There is a lot of loose hair (yes, loose hair) floating around the pool. Several people in my party noticed it.
–No benches in the pool. The only place to sit and relax is on the small staircase EVERYONE uses to get in and out of the pool.

We drove from Co Springs for a day trip to the hot springs. Having been to Pagosa Springs and Glenwood Springs, we were expecting similar experiences, however, Mt Princeton’s facility was pretty disappointing. The women’s locker room had two bathroom stalls, one had a toilet with a broken toilet tank on top of it (?) and the other had a clogged toilet which wouldn’t flush. In the showers, a sign was posted stating that they didn’t have cold water. The shower water was scalding hot.
It was the first nice weather weekend in a while, so it was quite crowded (understandably). The creek «tubs» were lovely but hard to claim due to crowds. The pools were clean and warm.
For a day tripper, I don’t believe the cost ($ 22pp) is worth the experience.

Mt. Princeton is one of the best hot spring resorts in Colorado. Excellent pools, unique creek-​side springs, great lodging, and a top-​notch bathhouse make this an all-​around wonderful place to relax.
I’ve been coming to Mt. Princeton for weekend getaways for years. This is my favorite Hot Springs Resort for a number of reasons:
1.) I am a sucker for a good locker-​room. I know this sounds weird, but changing my clothes in a dingy, damp, nasty place is a serious buzz-​kill. Luckily, Mt. Princeton has done it right. The locker-​rooms are clean, well-​maintained, and provide excellent amenities. They seriously feel like locker-​rooms you would find in an expensive health club.
2.) The creek-​side springs are tons of fun. There’s something magical about sitting in the side of an ice-​cold river in the middle of winter and being totally warm. If you come here, this is a must-​try.
3.) The views are unbeatable. The facility is nestled at the base of Mt. Princeton, with Mt. Antero just southwest. The view of these peaks is incredible. If you come here in the fall, the colors are breathtaking. If views are important to you, try staying in the cliff-​side rooms. They have the best views.
4.) Lodging is great. Most of the rooms have been renovated since 2008. The cabins are an excellent option for larger parties; we’ve enjoyed staying in these the most. You receive access to the hot springs on the day of check-​in as well as the day of check-​out if you stay here. That makes the price of the rooms seem a lot better.
5.) They have a great website and online booking of rooms is super easy.
6.) The town of Salida is close by if you want additional food options. There are some great restaurants in downtown. I’m a fan of the pizza at Amicas Pizza & Microbrewery.
If you’re looking for an excellent place to get away for the weekend, look no further than Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort. Just make sure you book a room a few weeks in advance – they tend to fill up quickly.

Our girls weekend trip to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs was awesome. I went with 3 other women who had all been there several times. They raved about the experience so I was prepared for a nice time but my expectations were exceeded. The grounds are beautiful, the facilities are very nice and mostly newer, the pools are devine and the river soak was fantastic. This was a 1 night stay, but before departing we booked a 2 night stay in the fall!
Sent from my iPad

We visited from Cali for the week and I was looking for a natural hot spring close to Colorado Springs we drove 2 hours through beautiful scenery all the way up. When we arrived we were greeted by the friendly staff who informed us of the different pools and some tips on the natural creek water.
We paid the extra $ to be on the adults only side but here’s a tip its only worth it if your going to use the lobby area plus adults only reg. pool since I was only interested in the creek (not the pools I could be in anywhere else) paying extra was not worth it…
Otherwise the place is beautiful and definitely a great first time experience for hot springs.

Tip: pay the extra $ 13 and go to the more quiet, kidless side. There are two sections to the resort. Plus, you get your yoga class for FREE if you pay for the more secluded side.
Cons:
I think they put chorine, bromites or other in the water as my skin (and my wife’s) were totally dried out from a day in the tubs. Normally, this never happens. You might turn into a prune at times but never dried out! Not sure what they are doing. For that reason alone, I might not return.
Not enough tubs for the number of visitors on the weekends.
Parking is a little bit of a walk when it’s cold.
Guests can be loud and don’t always get that hot springs are for quiet relaxation (which can be the case in general at hot springs — found the same to be true at Cottonwood right up the road). No signage to that effect. Which can also be a Pro. I hate all those signs telling us what we can and can’t do. There are few signs here at all.
Pros:
Some say it’s over developed. I don’t share that opinion. It’s darn nice. Definitely in the higher echelon of hot springs.
Good temps in the pools and tubs.
Great that they don’t hassle you about drinking near and even in the pools. Some people took advantage and pushed it too far but most were respectful and kept drinks by the side of the pool. Would have been really thoughtful for people to pick up their trash when they were done.
Pretty free feeling. Nobody was watching over you.
Locker rooms are killer on the more expensive side.
Full bar and food service for pool.
Areas to picnic near the tubs and even outside of the resort.
Big pool is good temp at 102. Usually the larger pools are luke warm, not hot. This one was actually hot.
Lots of AirBNB rentals just a mile away at Bunny Hill Lane cabins. Jeff, the owner, is awesome!

Visited here for the weekend for the first time. I reserved the cliff side room and when we arrived we were already upgraded to a cabin which was exciting. We were greeted by an excellent staff and our cabin was very clean.
Boyfriend and I recently went to Glenwood Springs and we both agree that we enjoy this resort much more. The adult area is awesome, there isn’t a lifeguard hanging over you and drinking is allowed at the pools. The 3 tear pool is precious and the little pods a long the creek are amazing, they’re much hotter than the pools and it was just an all around great experience. Best rustic romantic getaway!

This is the second time I’ve stayed here. The previous time was ten years ago. I like the renovations they’ve made. Our room was clean and renovated not that long ago. In the morning the clubhouse pools and the creekside pools are amazing and peaceful. The clubhouse locker room was amazing. They provide you with everything you might need. It’s a short distance to Buena Vista for food should you not wish to eat in the restaurant on site. And St. Elmo is just a drive up the mountain.
There are a few things I unfortunately have to address though. If you are looking for a quiet peaceful escape, you have from about 9am to noon. Parking is a nightmare, so get there when they open or you’ll have to hike to the springs. As the sun starts to go down you see more and more people flock to the clubhouse area. It gets LOUD. They serve alcohol to the guests, so everyone is drunk and rude. They allow ages sixteen and up on the clubhouse side, so be prepared to get splashed by the children playing games. The staff didn’t check to see if we were guests or not, so I’m guessing most of the people on the clubhouse side weren’t actual guests. The way the cliffside rooms are set up is horrible. They have the beds up against the same wall. We realized soon enough that we were in a room next to a honeymooning couple. I gave the guy a solid 6 for performance.

Nestled in Chalk Creek canyon, Mt. Princeton boasts spectacular scenery and relative privacy from any main roads. The peaceful setting provides quiet (especially in the 16+ areas), lovely vistas during the day, and amazing stargazing at night. Several lodging choices are available here, in either the main lodge, cabins, cabin condos, cliffside rooms, or hillside rooms. As a result, the complex is pretty spread out and not necessarily walkable in all types of weather.
We stayed here during a rare snow-​stormy and freezing cold Thanksgiving weekend. We would definitely return but now we know what we would do differently next time to make our visit even more pleasant. We stayed in one of the cliffside rooms, which were furthest away from the hot springs pools and restaurant. They are motel style, where you park the car right in front of your room and the ice machine is all the way at the end of the building. Since they are uphill (on an icy road while we were there), we had to drive to get everywhere. This is one reason we would not stay in these rooms again. Other reasons included:
— paper thin walls; you will really, really get to know your neighbors, if you know what I mean;
— the patio is just one big shared area with no privacy;
— only one small towel rack in the bathroom, no drying rack, hooks, or other place to hang towels and wet bathing suits (this is a huge pet peeve of mine, especially at a hot springs; a little bit of convenience goes a long way);
— WiFi was available but you had to really hit it at the right time to use it and even then it was spotty at best.
Otherwise, here are the things we liked about the cliffside rooms:
— they were clean;
— they were spacious, with vaulted, wood beam ceilings;
— there was ample storage in drawers and the closet area;
— there was a coffee bar with a full size microwave and mini fridge;
— the views from the patio were gorgeous.
The restaurant was just meh. Some of the food we had was fine, other things were disappointing. The service, though friendly, needs fine-​tuning (e.g., tell me immediately when you hand me a menu that you are out of certain items and don’t make me ask you to refill my water glass). Buena Vista is about 12 miles away and it’s definitely worth the drive there for dinner.
As with lodging, Mt. Princeton has a variety of soaking options to choose from. There is a separate area reserved for resort guests 16 years and older and guests have full access to all of the pools, while day use visitors are relegated to only one pool and the creek (as well as the «historic» bathhouse, which could be more accurately described as «primitive»). The relaxation pool (basically a heated swimming pool) and Japanese soaking pools are in the reserved area. The best spot of all is the creek! The hot spring water is piped into the creek, making it possible to sit and soak there year-​round. Several spots are spaced along the creek to create your own private oasis and you can rearrange the rocks to adjust the temperature of your little pool. Space is limited, so you have to keep an eye out and make your move at just the right time.
In addition to a relaxing, childfree environment, the VIP area has very nice, spa-​like locker rooms, complete with complimentary lockers. Complimentary towels are supposed to be available also but, on more than one occasion during our stay, there weren’t any clean towels to be had. I was told by a regular guest that it’s not unusual for them to run out of towels, so definitely bring your own. The lobby area has plush leather seating, a cozy fireplace, and a juice bar that serves fresh squeezed juices, cocktails, beers, paninis, and salads. The juice I had was yummy but we didn’t sample anything else.
Next time we plan to stay in a cabin or cabin condo so we can walk to the pools and restaurant. We also plan to bring more food and snacks so we don’t have to depend on the resort’s food offerings. Otherwise, Mt. Princeton is a wonderful weekend getaway option and an easy drive from Denver.

My wife and I just got married here this past Sunday. Let me just say that Mt. Princeton is the ideal place to get married. From the incredible views to the comfortable accommodations to the professional service by Zelma and her staff we had the best wedding experience anyone could ask for. Our friends and family also had a great time soaking in the hot springs and exploring the ghost town of St. Elmo the next day. Zelma was even able to save a keg of our favorite beer from Elevation brewery for our wedding. The hotel staff was able to reserve us a cabin for early check-​in (around 1pm) for my groomsmen and I to change in. The food and reception hall were both perfect for our event.
Overall great experience and we will look forward to coming back here for years to come!

I love that there is an adult area on one side of the river with kids and families on the other. Adults may venture into both but we could hear the young tikes across the river and it we were relieved that we were not next to them. Drinks and food bar open until 10pm on the weekend – pools open til 11pm on Saturday!
If a sunny afternoon, consider asking to bring in your own lounge chair. Lockers fill up quickly in adult locker rooms. May want to leave expensive items or «stealable» items in the car or keep on your person as you can carry a small bag, backpack around with you at the pools.
Towels sometimes all end up drying or being washed so your own towel might be handy. Lastly, we took our nice bath robes. Everyone was envious, worked like a charm and I never even needed a towel.
The place was well kept and the locker rooms were very clean. Nice customer service and accommodating as can be. Especially the bar. The staff manning the bar was closing up and we asked if we could buy coffee (requested a new pot) at 15 minutes until closing time – totally hooked us up.
These pools remind me more of Glendwood Springs rather than Strawberry Springs in Steamboat springs. Enjoy!

I love to come to Mt. Princeton and relax…
We have been two times now and both time stayed in the cabins …
The cabins are beautiful, spotless, and very comfortable !!
The beds are comfy and the bedding is soft .
They have a lot of pools to hangout in and you can go down to the creek and make your own little hot tubs by setting up rocks around your group and the hot water comes up through the ground …
It’s very relaxing up here and I love to come and get away from the busy city life!!!
Pools are open late for night soaking… so keep that in mind …
I’ll definitely be back and l love hanging out up in mt Princeton !
Come up for a fun weekend with your family !!!