Hot springs and big rivers exhilarate a Rockies town

January 11, 2009|Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent

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We heated up after hiking the steep hill in town to Linwood Cemetery, where it's believed gambler and gunslinger Doc Holliday (1851-87) is buried. He came to Glenwood Springs hoping the mineral pool would treat his tuberculosis, and six months later died here. Visitors by the thousands make the trek to the worn and eroded cemetery to see a monument to Holliday, even though the location of his remains is a mystery.

We had one final hot stop: the Yampah Spa Vapor Caves, which also draws from the Yampah Spring.

The caves, discovered by the Ute and said to be the only natural vapor caves in North America, are a series of small rooms with stone benches where mineral waters flow at 125 degrees. (There's a B-grade full-service spa above them.) Within a minute my dry skin was dripping with sweat and my heart was thumping. The subterranean setup, with rooms divided by white plastic shower curtains, felt a bit creepy.

As we drove back out of the canyon the next day, I pointed out hot springs along the river, and admired the closed cut in my finger.

Diane Daniel can be reached at diane@bydianedaniel.com.