Hot springs near Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs sits at the base of Pikes Peak, and the thermal springs within reach lie west of the Front Range, in the upper Arkansas River valley and along the Rio Grande Rift. U.S. 24 climbs west through Ute Pass to Woodland Park and Divide, crosses South Park over Wilkerson Pass, and drops over Trout Creek Pass to Buena Vista on the Arkansas River. Farther south, U.S. 50 runs west through Canon City and the Arkansas River canyon to Salida. The Pike National Forest covers the country west of the city, the San Isabel National Forest covers the Sawatch Range above the Arkansas valley, and the Bureau of Land Management's Royal Gorge Field Office manages much of the lower canyon land.

The Colorado Department of Transportation can apply its passenger vehicle traction law to any state highway during winter storms, including U.S. 24 and U.S. 50, and the chain law is the final step before a closure. Beyond the Arkansas valley, two summer routes over the Sawatch Range close each winter: Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista typically closes from November to May, and Colorado 82 over Independence Pass closes in the fall and usually reopens the week before Memorial Day weekend.