Two popular questions I see are
- Which train ride should we do?
- Which hot spring is the best?
Instead of typing out my answers all the time, I have created a blog post.
First lets talk the train rides. There are three within 2 hours of our area. There are some more in Colorado, but further away.
Leadville
It will take you about 45 minutes to drive to Leadville (on a good day). The ride on the train is out and back. It is about 2 hours long. My biggest con for Leadville is for young kids. My son was about 3 when we rode it the first time. He was in love with trains and we were camping near by. The first hour was great for him. But I’d say the way back he was pretty done. Honestly its a long ride with little kids. But your the parent and know your kids the best. Just something to think about.
If your doing this in the summer, I totally suggest driving down to Twin Lakes. Its beautiful! Big lake with huge mountain views. There is a trail that goes around the lake, if you want to take a little hike.
Georgetown
Georgetown is also about a 45 minute drive (one a good day). My guess is it fills up quicker, cause its more accessible from Denver. I’ve done this several times with our kids and I think they have enjoyed it more than Leadville. Most likely cause the ride is 1 hour, which always seemed good for their little kid attention spans. They never got bored, or asked how much longer.
If you are doing this in the summer, you can combine the train ride with a mine tour.
http://www.georgetownlooprr.com
Royal Gorge
Now this one is very different from the other two. Yes it is a further drive. It’s about a 2 hour drive. Why is it different… cause it travels through the bottom of the royal gorge canyon. So I wouldn’t choose this for night time train, as the purpose of driving this far would be to see the scenery.
Doing this in the summer, you can combine it with a visit to royal gorge itself.
Cripple Creek
This is what I would consider a lesser known train ride in Colorado. It is only open in the summer. This is about a 2 hour drive from Breck. I wouldn’t do this just for the train ride, but you could go see the other Colorado Troll while you are there.
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Another long drive to get to this one. Its a good option to get to the top of a 14er without hiking or driving. This one goes to the top of Pikes Peak. Make sure you have good weather, if you want to have visibility to see the view from the top.
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Now lets talk Hot Springs!!!
None of the Hot Springs in Colorado are that close to Summit County. They are all 1-2 hours away.
Mt Princeton Hot Springs
I would say Mt Princeton’s claim to fame is the pools along the creek. These are only open at certain times of year due to the flow of the river. Check their website and they will let you know.
From Memorial day to Labor day there is a waterslide and an infinity pool. The waterslide is another neat feature but keep in mind it is NOT open in the winter.
Glenwood Hot Springs
Glenwood is known for its huge pool! There is a diving board at the end, which is a lot of fun with the older kids. Glenwood did add in a few pools of different tempertures, which is a nice add to align more with Iron Mountain.
They have an area known for the lazy river, etc…. but it is important to know that this is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day with some weekend hours in the fall and spring. Don’t go in the winter expecting that to be open.
The other thing to note with Glenwood is the pass is all day. Some other places its 2 hours, but honestly I’ve never needed longer than 2 hours.
https://www.hotspringspool.com
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
I personally love Iron Mountain, cause it reminds me of hot springs I visited in Costa Rica. There is a swimming pool, although not nearly as big as the one at Glenwood. What I like about the pool is there is a hot tub above the pool. So If you don’t need to right with your kids, you can hang out there while they swim.
Then there are a bunch of small pools of various temperatures. My kids actually enjoy “Pool Hoping”. A few of them are overlooking the Colorado River and our kids like to watch for trains going by.
Our kids were 9 and 11 the last time we went. I got them a kids drink from the bar and I think they felt a little more grown up but still had their fun swimming.
Iron Mountain does have an adult area as well, if you are traveling without kids.
There pass is for 2 hours. This was a change they made during COVID and they kept it in place.
Strawberry Park
Strawberry Park is pretty famous for its natural pools. You will not find a large swimming pool here.
In the winter you will need AWD/4WD, chains, etc… to access Strawberry. Or you can have a shuttle take you in.
Kids are not allowed after dark.
There are 5 different pools here with Sandy Bottoms.
Steamboat Old Town Hot Springs
The town hot springs is also a rec center, so there is a climbing wall, etc…. The nice thing about the town hot springs, is the two waterslides! The waterslides are open year round. They don’t close like other places. The stairs to the top are enclosed and this is a big hit with kids.
Old town hot springs is located right in the town of Steamboat.
They have a bigger soaking pool, and then a couple of smaller pools at different temperatures.
They have a lap pool too, but its been under construction. So check their website.
