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Yampah Spa & Vapor Caves

Colorado Attractions Worth a Visit: Yampah Spa & Vapor Caves

If you’re driving west from Denver along I-70, the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves is the first hot springs attraction you’ll notice before you exit the interstate at Glenwood Springs. As you emerge from Glenwood Canyon, look for a structure built into the hillside cliffs. In all of North America, the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves is the only one that is naturally-occurring, all others are manmade excavations.

What makes the Yampah Spa & Vapor Caves so special?

  • The underground caves have been in use since the mid-1880s when Glenwood Springs was a startup pioneer town. However, no one knows how many decades or centuries the native inhabitants used the caves prior to that.
  • The Ute Indians believed the hot mineral water possessed great healing properties. In the Ute language, Yampah means “Big Medicine.”
  • The natural, untreated therapeutic water contains 34 minerals and trace elements.
  • Hot mineral water flows through channels on the cave floors to create natural geothermal steam baths that range in temperature between 110 – 112°F (43-44°C).
  • Visitors can cool off in a variety of settings:  the upstairs solarium, an outside deck or by splashing cold water on their skin via cold water spigots in the caves.
  • The Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves is also a full service salon and spa offering hair and nail services, massage, body treatments and private soaking tubs for individuals and couples.

To find out more about Glenwood’s one-of-a-kind attractions and book lodging reservations, visit visitglenwood.com.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Visit Glenwood Springs

Hanging Lake winter hiking reservations are  available through April 30, 2024. The US Forest Service has scheduled a rebuild of the Hanging Lake Trail that is set to begin this spring and last throughout the summer months. Reservations will be available at the discretion of the US Forest Service, continue to check this page for updates. Visit the Hanging Lake page HERE for more information and the booking portal. 

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