On brisk winter days and cool mornings and evenings in summer and fall, low-lying clouds of white steam emanate from the fenced-in turquoise blue pool to the east of Glenwood Hot Springs Pool’s bathhouse. This is where the Yampah source spring is found, producing 3.5 million gallons (approximately 132 million liters) of water per day at a steady temperature of 122°F (51°C). The resort cools the water down to temperatures between 93°F (34°C) and 104°F (40°C) for ideal swimming and soaking conditions.
While the warm mineral water does a fine job of making guests feel fantastic, it also excels at keeping Glenwood Hot Springs a sustainable Colorado resort destination. Next time you visit Glenwood Hot Springs Pool on a classic Colorado winter day—one of the most enjoyable times to soak by the way—notice the snow-free deck and sidewalks and the cozy warmth of the lobby, bathhouse and Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge, demonstrating how hot springs serve as a natural source for sustainable travel.
With a few exceptions like parking lots, you’ll rarely see maintenance personnel at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort shoveling snow. The process to clear decks and sidewalks is normally fuel, equipment and human intensive in most places, but Glenwood Hot Springs Resort puts its surplus Rocky Mountain geothermal heat to good use for guests, employees and the environment.
During the winter months, hot spring water flows through a simple gravity-fed system installed beneath the pool deck and heats up the concrete surface enough to keep it snow-free and less chilly for feet belonging to soakers, swimmers and lifeguards. A similar in-floor system also efficiently warms the indoor spaces of the bathhouse, pool lobby and retail shop.
Tapping Mother Nature’s gift is nothing new for the resort. When Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge opened in 1986, it was the first hotel in Colorado to be entirely heated by clean, renewable geothermal sources. The resort also employs geothermal systems to conserve energy in other areas, such as pre-heating domestic water supplies by warming incoming city water from 50°F (10°C) to approximately 105°F (41°C) for use in the on-site laundry facility and Athletic Club.
In another effort to support thoughtful travel practices, Glenwood Hot Springs Resort has four electric vehicle charging stations in Lot W, located west of the pool under Grand Avenue Bridge, so guests can reduce their carbon footprint and possibly even check out four nearby scenic byways, which are part of a system of 26 scenic byways in Colorado that are becoming increasingly electrified to encourage exploring in electric vehicles.
Also, Glenwood Springs became only the second city in Colorado and the seventh in the U.S. to rely on 100 percent renewable electricity, making the destination as a whole more environmentally friendly starting in 2019.
Why do we care? Glenwood Hot Springs Resort will continue demonstrating how hot springs serve as a natural source for sustainable travel and helping take care of community resources for all to enjoy. We love our waterways, trails, ski slopes, mountains and forests and hope our guests will feel the same way when enjoying everything the outdoors offer.