Dunton Hot Springs is a 19th-century mining camp in a high valley of the San Juan Mountains, restored cabin by cabin into a small mountain retreat. It sits beside the Dolores River, across the mountain from Telluride, with two national forests on every side. Guests sleep in 13 hand-built log cabins, each one different, furnished with antiques and warmed by heated slate floors. One of them, the Well House, has a hot spring of its own. Everyone else soaks in the pool of the old bathhouse or at the source higher up the hill, where the water stays warm when snow lies on the ground. Meals are cooked from local organic produce and served at one long table in the original saloon, and food, drink and the loan of bikes and skis are all included. Summer days go to trail rides, hiking, mountain biking and fly-fishing on a private stretch of the river. Winter brings skiing, snowshoeing and heli-skiing in the peaks around the valley. The whole town can also be taken by one group, which makes it a rare setting for a wedding or a family reunion.
- Nearest airport
- Telluride Airport (TEX), 16 Miles / 25 Kilometres
- Rooms
- 13 cabins
- Taken whole
- The whole town: 13 accommodations, up to 54 guests
Insider tip Look closely at the original bar in the saloon: the names carved into it by passing travellers include Butch Cassidy's.
Why I choose it Few places in the Rockies offer a restored ghost town with its own hot springs, where meals, drinks and equipment are all taken care of. It works equally well for a couple or for a group who want the entire town to themselves.
