From quaint mountain towns to jaw-dropping scenery, Colorado is filled with fascinating places.
You’ve likely heard of Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Royal Gorge, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Mesa Verde National Park, but here are 10 other hidden gems you might be surprised to find in Colorado.
1. Discover the World’s Deepest Geothermal Hot Spring
With a depth of at least 1002 feet, the Mother Spring in Pagosa Springs is certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s deepest geothermal hot spring. One of the best springs in Colorado, the best way to experience its therapeutic water is by staying at The Springs Resort and Spa. The resort is a pioneer in hydrotherapy and water-based wellness. Overnight guests get 24-hour soaking privileges, but day guests are also welcome to soak in the 25 natural mineral hot spring pools. The resort is expanding to 157 rooms and 51 soaking pools in spring 2025. Soaking your weary muscles after an adventurous day or long travel day is heavenly but participating in their aqua sound bathing or aqua yoga is Zen time on a whole other level. While Pagosa Springs is a lovely destination year-round, it’s a superb ski and soak getaway with Wolf Creek Ski Area just 30 minutes away. For an unusual hike near Pagosa Springs, hit the trail to Piedra Falls Ice Caves. The 50-70-foot-deep fissures on Piedra Ice Fissures Trail have ice in them year-round. Chimney Rock National Monument, open from mid-May to mid-October, is nearby. Pagosa Springs is one of 23 hot springs featured along the 800-mile Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop.
2. Visit the Second Largest Concentration of Arches in the World
If you want to hike to see arches, but don’t want to deal with the droves of tourists in Arches National Park, Rattlesnake Arches on the Western Slope is for you. Because of its remoteness, it does take some effort to get to see over 35 arches, including 8 major ones, within a mile. You can do a long hike taking either the 13- or 15.5-mile route, or you can do a guided hike.
3. Giddy Up to See Wild Mustangs
Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range near Grand Junction is one of the best places in the country to see wild horses. Your best chance to see some of the more than 100 of them roaming the rugged canyons and plateaus is taking the Main Canyon Trail from Coal Canyon Trailhead. May and June are typically the best months to catch a glimpse of a band or two of wild horses. As summer transitions to fall, they’re typically farther into the canyon. Road access to Canyon Creek Trailhead is closed December 1st to May 1st but hiking and mountain biking is allowed year-round. The best way to see the wild horses is on horseback.
4. Most Archaeological Sites in America
Colorado’s corner of the Four Corners Region is filled with ancient sites. With 150 rooms and 23 kivas, Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park is the largest known cliff dwelling in North America. Nearby Canyons of the Ancients National Monument has the highest density of archaeological sites in the United States. Covering 176,000 acres, Canyons of the Ancients is massive and offers a variety of terrain and over 6,000 known ancient sights. A great place to start is the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum in Dolores, near Cortez. Lowry Pueblo is ones of the easiest sites to see. You can wander in and out of 40 rooms and see eight kivas, including a Great Kiva, in the 1,000-year-old Ancestral Puebloan village.Painted Hand Pueblo was a small village with about 20 rooms built in AD 1200s. Look for the pictographs of painted hands along with petroglyphs.
Head into McElmo Canyon to hike or mountain bike from the Sand Canyon Trailhead. Keep an eye out for ancient dwellings as the many ruins along the trail are not marked. What’s left of Sand Canyon Pueblo is impressive. By AD 1275, the pueblo was about three times bigger than Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde. While in McElmo Canyon, if you see a pull-off, there are likely some petroglyphs there. After your hike or ride, try some Colorado wine during a tasting at Sutcliffe Vineyards. Stay at Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch for a luxurious ranch experience.For a stay on a lake, escape to the tranquility of a cabin at Willowtail Springs Nature Preserve and Education Center. Head into Cortez or Mancos to check out their thriving culinary scenes.For more ancient sites, drive to the nearby Hovenweep National Monument. The visitor center is in Utah, but the Holly, Horseshoe, and Hackberry Units and Cutthroat Castle are in Colorado. All have four areas in Colorado have fascinating structures. Because of their remoteness, you won’t encounter crowds.
5. See Colorado’s Only Geyser
Near the 1800s mining town of Dunton between Telluride and Dolores in the San Juan Mountains is Colorado’s only geyser. Unlike the hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park in neighboring Wyoming, this geyser is more like a bubbling cauldron than a shooting tower of steam.Geyser Spring Trail follows the West Dolores River. The trailhead is 2.2 miles south of Dunton Hot Springs Resort. There are a series of hot springs in the Dolores watershed, but this is Colorado’s only natural geyser created about 28 million years ago when water intrusions into geologic faults were exposed to magma deep in the earth’s crust. Expanding carbon dioxide gas driven by magma-heated water causes eruptions about every 30-40 minutes. The boiling action of this geyser typically lasts for about 15 minutes.Follow the oxygen-deficient atmosphere warning sign near the geyser. Swimming in it could kill you, so look, but don’t touch (it also has a rather pungent rotten egg smell).
This is a lovely summer hike, but even better fall hike because of the drive. Dunton Rd/County Road 38/NFSR #535 off Highway 145 takes you through a stunning alpine valley surrounded by aspen groves which turn gold in the fall, typically peaking in late September. There are some harpin turns, washboard sections, and sketchy tight spots on the dirt and graded gravel road.
6. Hike and Soak in Glenwood Canyon
The drive between the sheer canyon walls of Colorado River-carved Glenwood Canyon is jaw-dropping. Hanging Lake’s name comes from its precarious location making it look like it's hanging onto the side of a cliff. Travertine, which is a form of limestone, gives the shallow lake its stunning turquoise color. The hike to this National Natural Landmark is relatively short at just over a mile each way, but be forewarned. It’s steep, rocky and has a tricky section to navigate, even with handrails, near the top. It is a popular trail in summer and fall. For solitude at Hanging Lake, hike it in winter, just make sure you have snowshoes or microspikes and trekking poles. Because of its fragile ecosystem, a permit is required year-round ($12 per person May-October and $10 a person November-April). Glenwood Springs is 10 miles west of Hanging Lake Rest Area.
After your hike, head to Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves for a massage and therapeutic steam in one of only a few known vapor caves in North America. The historic caves at mountain-top Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park and ecosystem of Iron Mountain Hot Springs are also a National Natural Landmark.Soak in the WorldSprings area of Iron Mountain Hot Springs. The adult-only area has pools inspired by famous hot springs around the world.Glenwood Hot Springs Resort is home to the world’s largest hot spring pool and is great for families. Yampah Mineral Baths opened at the resort in May 2024.Stay where you soak by booking a room at Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge. For a historic hotel stay, book at Hotel Colorado. Built in 1893, it’s a step back in time. According to legend, the teddy bear was created here when Theodore Roosevelt was gifted a stuffed bear given to him by maids. Book the Molly Brown Suite for the ultimate Hotel Colorado stay.
7. Climb Up Deadman Lookout
Near the laidback village of Red Feather Lakes in northern Colorado is a fire tower you can climb. Part of the fun is the 13-mile drive on a scenic dirt road to get to Deadman Lookout.Its name comes from the old logging term “deadmon,” and not because someone died. The Canyon Lakes Ranger District dubbed it the “visitor center in the sky.” It sits at 10,710 feet in elevation and hasn’t been permanently staffed since 1970. It is staffed by volunteers Thursday through Sunday from mid-July to late September. When a volunteer is there, you can climb up the 55-foot metal tower built in 1963.The original wood tower was built in 1937-1938 and was dismantled in 1962. Gusty winds will likely add a sketchiness to climbing the 55 steps up to the deck and the 14 square foot glass lookout with fire equipment and living quarters inside, as the volunteer to show you how to use the Osborne Fire Finder, a device invented in 1915 by U.S. Forest Service employee William B. Osborne. Give yourself 2 ½ to 3 hours to enjoy the drive and time at Deadman Lookout.Red Feather Lakes is a serene area dotted with lakes, including Dowdy Lake. For an easy hike, take the 2.3-mile trail around the lake. It’s less than an hour drive from Fort Collins to Red Feather Lakes.
Devil’s Head Lookout near Sedalia, south of Denver, is another fire tower you can climb. It’s the last of four original Front Range Fire Lookout towers still in continuous use. It’s open for visitors when staffed typically from late-May to early September.The 2.8-mile round-trip hike has an elevation gain of 865 feet. If you want to stay overnight in a fire tower, you can rent Mestaa’ėhehe (pronounced Mess-taw-HAY) Mountain Fire Lookout near Idaho Springs.
8. Steamboat’s Historic Barns
In Steamboat Springs, and throughout Routt County, historic barns are iconic symbols of the area’s ranching lifestyle. The 4-mile roundtrip hike to Mad Creek Barn takes you to one of the most picturesque.It was built in 1906 by a local rancher James “Harry” Ratliff, who was the first forest supervisor of Routt National Forest. The trail parallels Mad Creek. The steepest part of the climb is near the start and will get your heart pumping right off the bat in the first 10-15 minutes of the hike as you climb high above Mad Creek on what was “Canyon Road” constructed in 1920 for easier access to a dude ranch. At the 2-mile mark, the barn sits in a lovely meadow not far from the creek. It was restored in 2001. You can explore inside to see its stalls and troughs. Climb the wooden ladder to take in the view from the loft window and imagine what it was like in the 1920s and 1930s. This is a great hike to see wildflowers in July and August, golden aspens in late September through early October, or even snowshoe to in the winter. More Barn is easier to see because it is right in town at Barn Park. It’s known as “Steamboat Barn” and is often seen in ads and commercials. It was originally built by the Yock family. In 1903, Lena Yock purchased a 160-acre homestead. Her son built the log barn around 1926. The Yock family sold the land, including the barn, to neighboring rancher Jerry More in 1957. After More sold his land in 2006, a developer deeded 4 acres including More Barn and a cabin to the City of Steamboat Springs. Other historic barns to see are Arnold Barn, Hahn’s Peak Pole Barn, and Carpenter Ranch Barn.
9. Discover a Quirky Castle
Bishop Castle was built by one man. Jim Bishop spent almost 60 years constructing the three-story stone and iron castle. He started in 1969, and this castle in the mountains was entirely built by hand.It’s a roadside attraction sitting at over 9,000 feet near the town of Rye along the Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway in southern Colorado. It’s less than an hour from Pueblo and about 1.5 hours from Colorado Springs. It’s a sight to behold from the ground and a bit of a sketchy experience if you decide to explore it, starting with a daunting flight of metal stairs. This is a “do at your own risk” experience. As you climb higher to the iron dome, tower, and arched bridge signs are warning you not to shake or run because it could collapse. It’s intricate, elaborate and quirky with towers, bridges and interior rooms including a Grand Ballroom, winding stairwells, domes and even a fire-breathing dragon. It’s free to visit, but donations are requested.
10. A Million Dollar Highway
Colorado is known for its million-dollar views and the Million Dollar Highway in Southwest Colorado is considered one of the most spectacular mountain drives in North America.
Legends swirl around the road’s name. Some say it cost a million dollars to build, but another legend says the fill dirt contains a million dollars in gold ore. In the historic mining mecca of the San Juan Mountains, it’s the stretch of U.S. 550 between the two historic towns of Ouray and Silverton. Both are worth spending time in if you’re a history buff or outdoor adventurer.
Start in Ouray, known as the “Switzerland of America,” and drive south on this white-knuckle drive as the road clings to the cliff with no guard rails and a steep drop-off. The drive is about 25 miles long and takes about 45 minutes, longer if you make stops along the way. Lookout Point has a stellar view of Ouray before you start the dramatic drive into the Uncompghre Gorge. Pull off to admire Bear Creek Falls. When the road mellows as you drive through the valley, take two short detours to see mining relics first in Ironton then Red Mountain Town, once the largest mining camp in the area. For the best view of the mineral-rich Iron Mountain, stop at the overlook at Treasure Tunnel trestle. You’ll summit at 11,018 feet on Red Mountain Pass, where gold ore wagons first crossed in 1878. From the summit, you descend into Silverton enjoying breathtaking views along the way as you head into the Victorian mining town dubbed the “mining town that never quit.”The Million Dollar Highway is a beautiful summer drive and a stunning fall one.
Have fun exploring this short list of some of the hidden gems and unique places taking you from Red Feather Lakes in northeast Colorado to Cortez in the southwest corner of the state.