Dunton Hot Springs used to be a zealously guarded secret among the alternative- lifestyle crowd in and around Telluride.
The springs bubbled up in the middle of a ghost town, and the hippies would come to soak amid the ruins and contemplate the transitory nature of life in the mountains.
The place started as a mining camp in the 19th century. The Utes showed up to take the waters for centuries before that.
Now you can spend a summer night in a tepee for $300 per person, or rent a cabin with its own hot spring for $450. In the winter, the heli- skiing chopper will land right there in the high meadow and, for $1,145, whisk you off to enjoy a thigh-burning day of deep powder in the San Juans.
Transitory nature, indeed.
Dunton was renovated into a deluxe retreat that manages to be super-luxurious and rustic-funky in the same moment. Old ghost town buildings were restored into cabins full of antiques and art. The utilities were placed underground to preserve the illusion that it’s 1890, before the silver crash.
Meals are included in the cost of a night at Dunton, and that’s a big deal. Organic and local products and wines from nearby Sutcliffe Vineyards go into meals served family style at long tables.
They say that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid spent a winter in the saloon. One can imagine doing likewise.
A dash of lithium
You also can spend the day in one of the four hot springs pools if that’s what floats your boat. They’re calcium bicarbonate springs “with a little dash of lithium,” to ease your tired bones, improve circulation to your extremities and ease the mood swings inherent in modern life.
It’s an hour south of Telluride and an hour north of Cortez, so there’s lots of stuff to do, but apparently most people just hang out.
Dunton offers spa and yoga retreats, equestrian and fly- fishing adventures, and the whole town can be rented ($12,000 a day) for your wedding or corporate getaway.
Among the amenities: yoga, Pilates and massage; fly-fishing right there on the 800-acre property; lunch and wine tasting at Sutcliffe Vineyards in McElmo Canyon; hiking, four-wheeling and rafting during the summer; cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.
There’s also a new boxing gym so you can take out your frustration at having to leave on the heavy bag.
If you’re in the area, they offer a set of “Day at Dunton” packages that include activities and a meal, starting at $65 for a soak and lunch.
But if I win the lottery, a week of hanging out in solitude eating great meals – and maybe, just maybe, a day of helicopter skiing – that would be my dream.
Telluride Helitrax, the only such outfitter in Colorado, handles all the details of your powder day.
You get whisked away to the high country, where, they tell me, there’s plenty of intermediate terrain along with the scary expert stuff. At the end of the day, the chopper drops you off in front of the saloon, which you are going to need, along with a good long hot soak.
Helitrax has been in business since 1983 and they know their stuff, even sending explosives into the area you’re going to ski to test for avalanches before sending you off into the snow.
Your own personal avalanche control! How nouveau-Colorado is that?
Lisa Everitt is a freelance writer who lives in Arvada. Contact her at lisaeveritt@comcast.net.
The details
Dunton Hot Springs is north of Dolores on Colorado 145 (970-882-4800, duntonhotsprings.com). Overnight lodging is $300-$450 per person, per night and includes meals, cocktails and full use of the hot springs. Children under 12 in the same cabin stay half price. Pets are permitted in certain cabins.
Telluride Helitrax offers heli-skiing packages that include lodging and meals at Dunton Hot Springs, a heli-ski guide, avalanche control, snowmobile use, Rossignol fat-ski rental, all safety equipment and six guaranteed runs or 12,000 guaranteed vertical feet per day. The three-day package starts at $3,985. A day of heli-skiing added to a Dunton stay is $1,145 per person, based on a group of four. Visit helitrax.net or call 866-435-4754 or 970-728-8377.
