About 30 minutes from Aspen, hugged deep in the mountains with gorgeous views of Mt. Sopris in the background, Avalanche Ranch Hot Springs lures visitors in with sturdy wood cabins, adorable antiques and a hopeful spirited owner who is all smiles. With such a friendly atmosphere, it’s easy to see why people love the hot springs so much and why spending the weekend in one of these cabins surrounded by the dense woods would be so relaxing all year around.
My two children — ages 9 and 11 — are accustomed to adrenaline-charged adventures when we gallivant around the state: riding the Giant Swing at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, snow tubing at Keystone’s Adventure Point, freefalling on the Skycoaster at Royal Gorge.
So when I suggested a more mellow activity for a Sunday afternoon — soaking in the hot springs pools at Redstone’s Avalanche Ranch — their responses were:
“Is there a water slide?”
“What else are we going to do?”
The view from pretty much anywhere on the grounds was gorgeous, and while it was rainy for a good portion of our stay, I was lucky enough to wake up to fluffy snowflakes on our last morning. I snapped some photos, then promptly jumped in the springs for one last soak.
By Geneviève Joëlle Villamizar
Avalanche Ranch creates a slice of paradise
The Crystal River Valley has arrived. At our very first visit to the Avalanche Ranch hot springs, I was jubilant over the latest reason why our valley rocks. The hot springs aren’t just superbly, graciously executed; what the Ogilby/Jacober families have created is a true mountain getaway and a slice of paradise…
