Penny Hot Springs

If you're passing

Is it plungeworthy?

—temperature

A natural thermal spring.

Scale30/60

Documentation11/20

Character10/20

The details

Soak: Temperature unrecorded
Area: Leadville
Coordinates: 39.227, -107.224

Get directions →

About Penny Hot Springs

Penny Hot Springs is a natural hot spring in Colorado.

At that temperature it's temperature unrecorded — check current conditions and always test the water before getting in.

Plungeworthy rates Penny Hot Springs 5.1/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Free rock pools on the bank of the Crystal River below the Elk Mountains, where scalding spring water and snowmelt river water negotiate a different temperature every visit. Marble-country scenery, zero development, and the redstone cliffs of its namesake town three miles south.

Getting there

Trailhead: Large pullout on Highway 133 near mile marker 55, north of Redstone
Parking: Roadside lot with a porta-potty — that's the entire infrastructure
Road: Paved
Hike: 0.1 mi round trip, 20 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: Short scramble down the bank; footing varies with river level.

When to go

Summer, fall, and winter. Spring runoff (May–June) drowns the pools entirely — the river simply takes them back, and volunteers re-stack the rocks each summer.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None — free
Dogs: Leashed on the bank; out of the pools
Hours: Day use in practice
Camping: None on site — day use only
Warnings: Pool temps swing from scalding at the spring inflow to cold at the river seam — test as you go.

Researched from Uncover Colorado — Penny Hot Springs · Carbondale — Penny Hot Springs. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Penny Hot Springs recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Planning a visit? We want your photo.

Penny Hot Springs doesn't have a photo yet. If you make the trip, send one to hello@plungeworthy.com and we'll publish it here with credit to you.

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.