Hot springs near Denver, CO

Denver sits on the High Plains at the foot of the Front Range, and the nearest thermal springs all lie to the west and southwest, inside the mountains. Interstate 70 climbs west through Clear Creek Canyon and the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel to Summit County, then continues down the Eagle River and through Glenwood Canyon to the Colorado River valley, crossing the Arapaho and White River national forests. U.S. 285 runs southwest over Kenosha Pass into South Park, then over Trout Creek Pass into the upper Arkansas River valley, the northern end of the Rio Grande Rift, where the San Isabel National Forest covers the Sawatch Range.

Winter rules apply on both routes. The Colorado Department of Transportation keeps the traction law in effect on Interstate 70 between Dotsero and Morrison from September 1 through May 31, and it can apply the same law to any state highway, including U.S. 285, during storms. A stricter chain law is the last step before a road closes. Colorado 82 over Independence Pass, a summer link between the Arkansas valley and Aspen, closes each fall and usually reopens the week before Memorial Day weekend.