Salida Hot Springs

Salida Hot springs is an Indoor Hot Spring facility. It is located nearby the City of Salida in the State of Colorado. This indoor facility is fed by two hot springs known as north and south springs. This facility is placed high in the mountains. The Salida Hot Springs facility is highly known for its pools. A Larger one is often used for swimming, diving, and other exercises.  A medium-sized one is often used for relaxing and water soaking, and a smaller one for children. Apart from these pools, many pools are used for the Private Soaking experiences for the visitors.

This Hot Spring Facility is popularly known as Salida Aquatic Training center. This is because it provides training for people in swimming, diving, and other aquatic sports. The Aquatic Training center was made for the WPA project under the Federal Government of Colorado in 1937. Under this project, a lot of work has been done to construct a pipeline and storage tanks to feed the water from the top of the Rocky Mountains. Later in 1941, the indoor hot spring facility has been constructed indicating the completion of the WPA project, but if an outdoor Hot Springs is more your speed, you should take a look at conundrum hot springs, it has a view that you can escape into.

How Big is Salida Hot Springs?

Moreover, the Salida Hot Springs facility is said to be the biggest facility that has the Salida hot springs built indoors in all the United States of America. As a result, the facility attracts a lot of visitors from all over the country, all year long. As the facility has two separate pools it is ideal for people to visit even on crowded weekdays as it is a popular Indoor Hot Spring Facility in the country. The Hot Spring Facility Open hours are from 10 am to 5: 30 pm on Saturday and Sunday, 6: 00 am to 7:30 pm on other weekdays.

Although, due to the current pandemic situation the facility is closed for almost a year. We must hope it will open soon enough as the federal government is making progress in vaccinating at least half of the country’s population within 2 or 3 months. However, the owners are not quite sure that the facility can be opened soon as there is a new threat of Delta + variant of COVID-19 as it is the primary cause of rising cases in the United States with several areas having almost 100% infection rate with this variant.

Activities to do in Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center

The people visiting Salida Hot Springs have a choice of spending time in various activities that the Aquatic center offers. Some of these activities are –

• Salida Swimming Pool
• Scuba Diving
• Private Soaking experience etc.

Swimming

It is one of the popular activities here in this facility. Visitors often like to spend a lot of time in this Salida swimming pool in this steamy Salida hot springs aquatic Centre. Moreover, a 75 m long pool in this facility is ideal for swimming. And if you are not good at swimming, this facility offers training for all visitors at a small price.

Scuba Diving

This is one of the best training facilities in all of Colorado if you want to learn Scuba Diving from Qualified Scuba Experts. The experts often train people with various techniques such as being a confident diver, How to assemble and use Scuba gear, How to manage their buoyancy and How to dive for a long time underwater without oxygen etc. Moreover, to learn diving in the Hot Spring facility is a unique experience you have ever witnessed.

Private Soaking Experience

This activity is one of the most popular activities here in this facility. People often come from long distances to experience soaking in a Private Pool in the Hot Spring Facility. Although this activity might be a little expensive compared to others, it’s worth it.

Also, the Salida Hot Spring facility’s Aquatic Training Center offers Fitness classes that are highly recommended by the people visiting this facility. This facility offers Fitness classes for various forms of aquatic training such as-

• Arthritis
• Aquacise
• Cardio splash
• Lap swim
• Adult Coached Swim Workouts
• Water Volleyball
• Aqua Yoga

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Tourist Attractions near Salida Colorado

Apart from the Popular Salida Hot Springs facility in the City of  Salida, there are many other popular tourists attractions such as Hiking Trails, Arkansas River, Salida’s Whitewater Park,  and the Monarch Mountain which is popular for winter sports.

Some of these popular destinations are : 

City of Salida

Salida is one of the popular cities in the State of Colorado. The city is famous for its Famous Hot Spring Facility, due to which It has become a popular tourist destination. There is another popular hot spring facility nearby to the Salida city known as Bueno Vista Hot Spring Facility further towards the north of the city. The city is located in Chafee County in the middle of the Rockies. The city has beautiful views of various mountain ranges surrounding it in different directions such as the Sawatch range running from North To South, Methodist Mountain range in the south, and Sangre de Cristo in the north. As a result, the City is surrounded by Hiking Trails snaking through the mountain ranges offering majestic views of the surrounding scenery. 

Old Monarch Pass Loop Trail

This trail is one of the most popular hiking trails in the State of Colorado. This trail is almost 5.1 km long and is recommended for all types of people with or without hiking experience. Hiking through these long trails will show you such sights and some of the best scenery as you ascend through Thick green forests, Open Grasslands, and the Rocky Mountains.

Most importantly, it is much more accessible to the people as it is close to the Monarch Pass here in Colorado. Also, this trail consists of a medium-sized parking lot and a gift shop at the beginning of the Trail. As its name suggests this trail is in the form of a loop making its way up to 3 km into the Forests and looping back towards the start. I highly recommend you to visit this trail as it has one of the best views in all of Colorado.

Salida Mountain Hiking Trail

This hiking trail is located in the surrounding mountains of Salida City, offering great views of the City below. Although it is not a popular hiking trail in the surrounding area, it is an ideal location for hiking without leaving Salida. And due to its rugged and exposed path, it is often used by mountain bikers as they zip through the trail at higher speeds.

Shirley Site Hiking Trail

This trail is one of the unique trails in all of Colorado as it offers views of the ghost town of Shirley as you trek through the pathway. The trails will take you on a journey of the mountain landscapes and the peaceful water streams flowing in between. During the Summer and Spring seasons, this trail is often used by (OHV)off-highway vehicles and so it is not the ideal time to visit this location.

Monarch Mountain

It is one of the tallest mountains near Salida City, and it is 50+ hiking trails passing through the mountain further into the surrounding forests. It is located at a distance of 20 miles from the City of Salida. This mountain is a popular ski and snowboarding location in Colorado. During Winter, this place is often crowded with tourists offering alluring views of the snow-covered forests below. There is a Ski Resort located on top of the mountain which offers training and rental. And, I highly recommend you to visit this beautiful location during Winter.

Arkansas River

This river is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Colorado as It transverses through the State. It is an ideal location for boating and fishing. Speaking of fishing, this river is one of the prime fishing habitats with various types of species such as Blue catfish, Channel catfish, Sauger, Hybrid striped bass, White bass, stripped sunfish, and many more. If you are into fishing, this might be one of the ideal places for you to catch a fish. The river is surrounded by beautiful mountain views, alluring forests, and wide River banks. And, I also think this is one of the best places to go camping.

Waterdogs Lake Trail

This Hiking Trail is a moderate-level trail that is almost 5.1 km long. This trail ascends through the Thick green forests as it crosses the river below multiple times as it leads to the lakes on the Mountainous terrain. There are two lakes on the top – a bigger lake feeding a smaller one through a small waterfall. This trail has one of the best views as it ascends into the mountains leading to the beautiful waterfall and lakes.

Beginner Tips for Hikers in Salida

As the city of Salida is covered by mountain ranges in all directions. There are hundreds of hiking trails in these Mountain landscapes and so it has become a popular destination for hikers from all over the Country. 

And So, I have decided to share some useful tips for all the visitors planning on hiking in this Mountainous terrain.

Choose a Beginner Hiking Trail

If you are new to hiking, it is ideal for you to choose the easiest trails for you to experience and understand the process. Instead of directly jumping into the hardest trails which often end with troublesome experiences.

Carry a Detailed Geographical Map of the Trail

Usually, people often don’t carry maps and highly depend on the Smartphone GPS. However, due to the mountainous terrain, the signal strength in this region is poor. As a result, you might get lost in the woods. And So, I highly recommend you to carry your map.

Hiking Gear

It is often ideal for you to wear proper hiking gear when you trek through these Hiking Trails. Full hand shirts, Long pants, hiking shoes, and a backup containing med kit, compass, lighter, flashlights, water, and snacks are some of the most essential items when you are planning to Trek through these Trails.

Checking Weather Beforehand

It is one of the most important tasks you need to do before going on a hiking trip. As the weather in these Rocky Mountains often changes within minutes. So, it is always recommended to check the weather through proper channels before the trip.

Bring Someone Along (for beginners)

If you are new to hiking, it is highly suggested for you to make this journey along with someone as hiking through this terrain can be dangerous if you are not experienced. Once you gather enough experience, start your journey through these hikes alone.

Maintain steady pace

It is often recommended to, maintain a steady and slow pace while trekking through these trails as there is a chance of you getting exhausted if you maintain a fast and unsteady pace.

Benefits of Hot Springs

Soaking in the Salida Hot Springs may have many benefits for our bodies. Such as –

Improves Blood Circulation

Usually, these Hot Springs are rich in minerals such as Sodium Bi-Carbonate and Calcium which help in increasing the blood flow through over body. This improved blood circulation reduces blood pressure. Therefore, reducing the risks of heart attacks and makes us healthier.

Body Relaxation

Soaking in these hot springs helps to reduce stress by relaxing muscles, which in turn helps you to fall into a deep relaxing sleep.

Reduces Body Pain

Generally, hot springs are said to reduce the pain in various muscles by blocking off the Nerve receptors effectively reducing pain. People often suffering from serious body aches use Hot Springs as a therapy to reduce pain.

Healing Skin problems

The Hot Springs usually contain high amounts of sulfur. This mineral is very useful for skin as it helps to treat skin from Infections, Allergies, and Rashes.

Boost Immunity

Hot Springs also help to boost the immunity of our body as it contains high amounts of iron in it. These minerals help our body to gain strength to fight infections.

Location of Salida Hot Springs

410 W, Rainbow Blvd

Salida Hot Springs is located in Chafee county in the State of Colorado. The Salida Hot Springs facility is constructed in the City of Salida. You can reach this place by following through the US-50 national highway that passes by the city through the Gunnison National Forest.

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Conclusion

The Salida Hot Springs Facility and Aquatic Center is the ideal place for soaking in private pools. It has three different pools which can accommodate numerous people. The Aquatic Center offers classes for various types of Aquatic exercises. Activities like such as swimming, Scuba Diving, Cardio splash, Lap swim, and many more. I highly recommend people to visit this place and enjoy one-of-a-kind experiences. Especially in the Private pools, or to learn various forms of aquatic fitness exercises.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)