Hot springs near Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge sits in the Blue River valley at the foot of the Tenmile Range, on the White River National Forest's Dillon Ranger District. The thermal springs within reach lie in two directions. To the south, Colorado 9 crosses Hoosier Pass into South Park, where U.S. 285 and U.S. 24 lead over Trout Creek Pass into the upper Arkansas River valley, the northern part of the Rio Grande Rift, below the Sawatch Range and the San Isabel National Forest. To the north, Colorado 9 reaches Interstate 70 at Frisco, and the interstate continues west over Vail Pass and down the Eagle River toward the Colorado River valley.

The Colorado Department of Transportation keeps its traction law in effect on Interstate 70 between Dotsero and Morrison from September 1 through May 31, which covers the Vail Pass section, and it can apply the law to Colorado 9 and other state highways during storms. Two Sawatch Range crossings that link the Arkansas valley with the west side close in winter: Colorado 82 over Independence Pass, which usually reopens the week before Memorial Day weekend, and Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista, typically closed from November to May.