Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado, USA

Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado is a nineteenth-century mining town turned luxury resort, deep in the San Juan Mountains at the end of a dirt road. Dunton was founded in 1885, abandoned by around 1918, and left to crumble for decades. Today it has been lovingly restored, cabin by cabin, into one of the most original hotels in North America: a ghost town with hand-hewn log cabins, a saloon, a dance hall, and natural hot springs bubbling out of the ground.

Location: Colorado, USA

Dunton sits at around 8,600 feet (2,600 metres) beside the West Fork of the Dolores River, in a high alpine valley surrounded by aspen forests and the jagged peaks of the San Juans. It lies roughly halfway between the ski town of Telluride and the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park.

This is genuinely remote country. Telluride Regional Airport is about an hour away in summer and longer in winter, Cortez is around an hour, and Durango about two hours. The last nine miles of road are unpaved, which only adds to the sense of arriving somewhere apart from the modern world. Most guests rent a car, though the hotel can arrange transfers.

Rooms and suites at Dunton

There are around 13 to 14 cabins, plus tented accommodation at the separate Dunton River Camp nearby. Many cabins are original to the town, built by miners in the 1800s, while others have been moved here from elsewhere in the region and rebuilt log by log. All are arranged around the central saloon and dance hall, just a few steps from the bathhouse.

Each cabin is unique, combining rustic charm with real comfort: heated slate floors, handpicked antiques, Western textiles, wood-burning stoves and luxurious beds. Highlights include the Dolores cabin, an original 1800s cabin beside the river, ideal for romantic seclusion, and the Well House, the only cabin built around its own small hot spring, so you can soak in mineral water without leaving your room. There is even a teepee with its own spring.

Facilities at Dunton

The Saloon is the social heart of Dunton. Meals are served at its long communal tables, and the bar is said to bear a name carved by Butch Cassidy, who legend says stopped here after robbing his first bank in Telluride. The food is excellent, built around fresh, local and often home-grown ingredients, and the hotel even produces wine from its own vineyard. Stays are typically all-inclusive.

The hot springs can be enjoyed in several ways: in the restored nineteenth-century bathhouse, in an outdoor pool, at the source of the springs under the stars, by the river at Christoph's Spring and in the Well House cabin. Water temperatures range from about 85°F to 106°F (29°C to 41°C), and the iron-rich, mineral-laden water is said to be good for circulation and skin.

The old Pony Express stop houses the spa, with massages, yoga and other treatments, and there is a library and gym. Activities change with the seasons: horse riding, fly-fishing on a private stretch of the Dolores River, hiking, mountain biking and climbing in summer; snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice climbing and even heli-skiing in winter. For downhill skiing, Telluride is around two hours away, where Dunton also operates the Dunton Town House, steps from the lift.

The mountain moment

The defining experience is soaking in the hot springs at the source, under a sky crowded with stars, with snow piled around you and the dark outlines of the San Juans rising above the valley. The silence is total, broken only by the river and the occasional crackle of a fire.

On a summer evening, the equivalent is sitting outside the Saloon with a cocktail as the sun sets behind the peaks and the aspens glow gold, before heading in to dinner at the long table with fellow guests.

Why Dunton is one of the best mountain hotels

Dunton earns its place because there is simply nowhere else like it. It combines authentic Old West history, a stunning mountain setting, natural hot springs and genuine luxury in a way that feels effortless rather than themed. The small number of cabins means it is intimate and exclusive, and the all-inclusive approach and communal dining create a warm, house-party atmosphere.

It is not for those who want a big resort, a large spa or slope-side skiing. It is for those who want to feel truly far from everything, in a beautiful wilderness, with great food, hot water and a sense of history all around.

When to go to Dunton

Summer and early autumn are the most popular seasons, with wildflowers in the high meadows, warm days for riding and fly-fishing, and the aspens turning brilliant gold in late September. Winter is magical for soaking at the springs under snow and stars, and for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and heli-skiing, though the remote roads mean you should allow extra travel time. Spring is the quietest season, as snow melts in the high country. With so few cabins, peak dates sell out well ahead, so plan early, especially for September.