Although Hot Sulphur Springs is one of Colorado’s oldest ski and spa resorts, it has no chamber of commerce, no grocery store and no schools. Children are bused 10 miles to school in Granby. The Lions Club has four members, downtown Pioneer Park is a state wildlife area, and the only latte around is served with deli and diesel at the Phillips 66 Station. The town is minutes from spectacular skiing, cross-country, snowshoe and snowmobile trailheads and the stunning Arapaho National Forest. So, while the town’s 530 residents relish their legacy as the site of the state’s first ski competition and early Ute watering hole, they worry about becoming a bedroom community for Winter Park, 30 miles southeast.
Getting there: 97 miles and two hours northwest of Denver on I-70 to U.S. 40 north.
