Clothing-optional hot springs

This is the backcountry soak Colorado hikers save for: a natural pool high in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, about 8.5 miles up the Conundrum Creek valley from a trailhead near Aspen. Day use is free, which makes for a very long day on foot. Sleeping up there takes a Recreation.gov permit year-round, and you camp only in the site you reserved. Snow buries the trail from roughly October to late June, so aim for July through September, as the Forest Service suggests. Leave the dog at home, pack a bear canister and forget the campfire.

About 30 minutes west of Denver, this historic resort dates its baths to 1863 and has the trimmings to match: a mineral-water pool in an atrium planted with banana trees, men's and women's geothermal caves, cedar and outdoor tubs, private baths and a mud bath called Club Mud. The trick is the calendar. On weekdays the caves are swimsuit-optional and open 8:30 am to 9 pm; on weekends the caves and pool run in timed blocks and suits are required. They don't publish a price you can read online, so call before you go.

Ten pools and ponds run from 65 to 112 degrees at this Ridgway hot spring, so test the water before you settle in. Clothing is optional for adults 18 and over; anyone 17 or under keeps a suit on. It's open 9 am to 9 pm every day except posted cleaning dates, which are worth checking before a long drive. There are just six guest rooms, plus tent and RV camping that runs year-round on a limited basis. Day-pass prices aren't on their home page, so call ahead if the cost decides it.

A free, primitive warm pool on the Upper Colorado River near Kremmling, and getting there the right way matters. The old social trail from the Radium Recreation Area is closed to protect wildlife habitat, there's no designated route from the recreation site, and you can't park along narrow Radium Road. Instead, follow Trough Road (County Road 11) to Warm Springs Road, 1.5 miles northeast, where the foot-only Warm Springs Trail begins. BLM doesn't describe the pool's temperature or condition, so keep expectations modest. The BLM campground closes Dec 1 to Mar 31; otherwise single sites are $6 a night.

Natural hot springs fill stone-masonry pools here in Steamboat Springs, near Routt National Forest. Plan around three things. Book first, since two-hour slots open 30 days out and a reservation also guarantees parking. Bring cash, the only payment taken on site ($30 adults, $20 for 17 and under). And mind the road, because from November 1 to May 1 county law requires 4WD with snow tires or chains. Clothing goes optional after dark, so minors aren't admitted after sundown. No pets. Cabins book 90 days out.

A clothing-optional hot springs preserve in the San Luis Valley, owned and run by the nonprofit Orient Land Trust, which calls the property a delicate ecosystem and asks you to treat it that way. Admission is limited, and day passes and overnights are both reserved by phone; walk-ins get in only if space remains, so call ahead. A day pass is $20 (arrive 11 am to 6 pm, stay until 8 pm) and children 15 and under are free. Cabins and camping on site turn a day trip into an easy overnight.

A registered state historic landmark just south of Reno on the Steamboat geothermal field, this is a soak by appointment. Private indoor tub rooms are drained and refilled with untreated geothermal water for each guest, you set the temperature yourself, and behind the locked door clothing is optional. The outdoor tub holds five and needs a swimsuit. A 30-minute private bath is $30, and there are infrared saunas and a cold plunge too. Everything is by reservation, 10am to 8pm daily, and children under 12 aren't served, so this one is for the grown-ups.

Near City of Rocks State Park, between Silver City and Deming, Faywood is a rustic resort with two sets of public pools, one clothing-required and one clothing-optional for naturists, plus private and group pools rented by the hour. It's open 11am to 8pm daily. You can camp, bring an RV or take a cabin, a casita or the guesthouse; standard cabins carry a two-night minimum outside June 20 to September 21. New prices took effect 9/1/2026 and the day rate for the public pools isn't clearly posted, so call ahead. They don't list pool temperatures either. The front desk closes on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.

A worker-owned cooperative has run this off-grid retreat in the forest above Detroit since 1989. You'll find river-rock Meadow Pools (one kept silent), four Spiral Tubs from 100 to 110 F with a cold dip, and a steam sauna built over a capped geyser. You can't just turn up. Every visit needs an advance pass, day passes run $40 on weekdays and $50 at weekends, and they often sell out weeks ahead. Clothing is optional, and the place is substance-free and fragrance-free, so skip the cologne. From November 1 to April 1 the forest road needs chains or traction tires.

Right off Highway 58, about 8 miles east of Oakridge, McCredie is the roadside soak: a short trail from the Salt Creek day-use area leads to the springs. Pay $5 per vehicle (Northwest Forest and Interagency passes work) and come in daylight, since it's day use only, sunrise to sunset, with no camping. The Forest Service doesn't describe the pools or publish temperatures. Parking holds nine cars and one RV, so a weekday morning is your friend. There's a vault toilet but no water and no trash service, so pack out what you bring. Clothing-optional use is customary.

Terwilliger burned in the 2018 fire that shares its name, and the Forest warns of loose rock, debris flows and weakened trees, so watch your footing and don't linger under damaged trees. The reward is four rock-walled pools stepping down a ravine above Cougar Reservoir, 85 F at the bottom and 112 F at the top, so you choose your heat. It's a quarter-mile walk. The fee is $12 per person for 2 hours, paid on site, with no passes accepted. It's closed 10 p.m. to sunrise and Thursday mornings for cleaning, no pets or alcohol. Parking is limited, so come early.

A single travertine tub, about 3 by 5 feet, sits on a rock face 150 feet above the North Umpqua River under an open-air roof, filled by water seeping from a fault at 100 to 115 degrees. It's small and popular, and the Forest Service tells you to expect crowds and nudity. The trail is a steep 0.3 mile, but in winter the road gate usually closes and it becomes a 2.5-mile walk. Pay $5 per vehicle by card or pass; cash and checks aren't accepted. Day use only, sunrise to sunset; Toketee Lake Campground is the nearest place to sleep.

Across the water from Anacortes on the Orcas ferry, Doe Bay's soaking tubs sit on a creek-side deck above Otters Cove, with a sauna, outdoor showers and a garden lawn. They're resort hot tubs, and the resort doesn't claim a natural hot spring, so come for the island setting. Communal sessions ($30 an adult for 3.5 hours) are for lodging guests only. Everyone else can rent the private spa at $150 per 90 minutes for up to 15 people, offered last-minute midweek when there's room. It's clothing optional in every session, and pets stay home.

Goldmyer is the hot spring you plan two months ahead, so learn the system first. A nonprofit, volunteer-managed preserve, it lets in 20 visitors a day through a monthly lottery: enter in January for March dates, and if you win, confirm by phone within one business day. Adults pay $30. The road in needs AWD or 4WD with 8-9 inches of clearance, then it's 4.5 to 5 miles each way on the Dutch Miller Gap trail. Skip the Middle Fork Trail route and its creek crossings. Walk-ins are first come and need exact cash. Some visitors soak nude.

Know this first: the park doesn't test or treat these pools, warns they may carry high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, and leaves bathing at your own risk. They're natural, unmaintained seeps in the Elwha River Valley wilderness, and getting there is a day's outing. Flood damage closed the road to cars at Madison Falls, so you hike or bike about 9 miles to the Boulder Creek trailhead, then walk 1.5 to 2.5 miles more, where bikes aren't allowed. A bike makes the road miles go quickly. The $30 park entrance fee applies, overnight trips need a wilderness permit, and nudity is common.

Two hot sources feed the tubs at Scenic, Lobster at about 118-122 F and Bear Den at about 111-114 F at the source, on private land about two hours from Seattle. Getting in takes a reservation, with no walk-ins and caretakers patrolling daily, plus legs for a 2-mile trail that climbs 1,100 feet. It's $30-35 a person depending on season. Visits run dawn to dusk only, the person booking must be 18 or older, and no children under six. Clothing-optional is the norm in the pools and often on the trail. In winter, pack snow gear and bring 4WD or chains for the drive.