Orient Land Trust/Valley View Hot Springs

Have only RV camped and the sites are terrific. Just stunning Colorado mountainside natural beauty. So close to the Milky Way at night it feels like you could touch it. Multiple hot springs with natural rock lined pools. Spring fed swimming pool with zero chlorine. Bottom line: our favorite place on Earth.

once again, we had a wonderful experience.|At the Hot Springs, great people and you can't beat the back to nature vibe. With fireflies at night, a full moon on the main pool, and serenity and quiet we soaked in the magic that has been created there. this a place that's been created with such love and reverence for all of life, the natural pools are healing and available to every age range when the clothes are not, it made no difference it's all were respected in their choices. The staff is amazing helpful, conscientious and caring and they do a beautiful job to keep this conscious natural vibe going. Always a good idea to have a couple camp chairs for the main pool as it's the busiest. Many things to enjoy the bats, the fireflies and now a new telescope is being installed to see the beautiful dark skies of colorado in the san luis valley, truly a magical place for all to come to rest and to retreat.

We tent camped for three nights - walk up sites, so you have to haul your gear to it (not a bad trek by any means). It is an absolute Eden. The lengths that the team has gone to protect and preserve this little mountain oasis is amazing. Welcoming, kind, and respectful atmosphere! The serenity it offers makes unplugging and leaving your electronics behind so easy. Will be returning for sure!!

Worth the trek up a dirt road and their scheduling system. If you can get a reservation, you’ll feel happy they keep the numbers low—it’s nice that they’re not over crowded, and plenty of pools spread out throughout the grounds that keeps people spread out. (Also, becoming a member is pretty cheap, so if calling the day ahead doesn’t work for you, just pay the membership and then you can schedule within the month of the time you want.) Overall the springs just aren’t that hot and are pretty shallow and small. But the top pools and the meadow pool are work the trip alone! Gorgeous views and such chill vibes. I love the no phone rule for a lot of reasons, even just simply to keep the all natural, all natural.

We love Valley View. Yes you do need to become a member and make reservations. The staff is wonderful. They helped us change a tire on our camper trailer. We love the zen of the place. Where else can you soak with fireflies and deer.

This is one of the best hot springs in Colorado. I love that they keep the amount of people limited. It’s a natural, calm feel as you are allowed to be nude the whole time. The top ponds are the best for sunset and the waterfall pond is the best in the morning. It feels like a big happy family at OLT. I will be back!

A Magical Escape We arrived at Valley View Hot Springs just 5–10 minutes after the gates closed for the evening—cutting it closer than we intended. Kyle, who had been trying to reach me all day to confirm our arrival, was understandably a bit frustrated—as cell service in the San Luis Valley is notoriously spotty, and I hadn’t been able to get his messages. Despite this hiccup, Kyle took the time to stay an extra 30 minutes to go over the rules and orientation for our group—some of whom were visiting Valley View for the very first time. Even though things started off tense, he quickly turned the moment around, apologized for the initial frustration, and showed a warm, welcoming spirit that we genuinely appreciated. Kyle ended up being incredibly kind, patient, and accommodating. And the hot springs? Absolutely magical. Soaking under the stars, surrounded by natural beauty, fire flies and the soft silence of the valley, it was an experience we’ll never forget. We're deeply thankful for Kyle and the effort he made to make our stay possible. We left feeling recharged, connected, and full of gratitude. Valley View is a treasure—and the people who care for it, like Kyle, make it even more special.

I will start at the beginning. We arrive at the valley view hot springs front office about an hour after our check in time (4pm) they said anytime before 9pm is fine because they close their front gates at 9pm. Go into the office to get checked in… reservation is under my grandfathers name due to it being a gift for my family. He is not with us during check in. Front desk lady is immediately rude and lets us know someone cannot make a reservation for someone else especially if they are not there for check-in. That’s totally fine, misunderstanding okay. Got that figured out they said they will let it slide this one time (cool) Next, same lady at front desk asked who all will be in the cabin I let her know it was 4 of us. She says it was not on reservation ( it was) then proceeded I charge my grandfathers card on file another $160 for whatever reason she said. Since this was all pre paid with the correct number of occupants we talked to a manager and got the money refunded. THEN finally we get to the cabin that we had a reservation for and there’s someone inside….. we went back the the front office let them know what was going on, they say they are right behind us (took like 35 mins) standing, waiting for this lady to remove her things and then let a cleaning lady go in after her. So before you go be okay with doors that don’t lock Overall spot is really nice , just a weird first experience.

Sad to hear that Thomas no longer enjoys this place but everyone I've spoken to (all long times 10/20 year members) are lifers. The ethos behind this place is respect & preservation. "Naturalism" (aka nudism) was one of the founders aims & it's common to see folks not only speaking, but hiking up the trails au natural. And the trails are amazing, as are the views, the springs, the Astronomy pad, the very kind staff, & the wildlife viewing. Along with the keeping it natural vibe, is the dedication to keeping it affordable & family friendly. Cabins & bunk house with shared no frills bathrooms & showers, a well equipped camper kitchen & VERY affordable rates are all part of this effort. Personally, I appreciate the rules & the emphasis on everyone being responsible for making this a comfortable, safe & welcome space for all. Anytime I'm in the neighborhood, I'll be back. Check the website for details on accommodation, fees, pets, etc...

Our next stop was Orient Land Trust (a 2000 acre land preserve) which contains Valley View Hot Springs/camp ground. It is not AANR affiliated but it boasts the same values. It is clothing optional. While there (on a Tuesday/Wednesday) we saw very few people with even cover-ups on. There were people of all ages. It's very rustic, you have to bring in all of your food & supplies. I'm from Idaho (the impetus for the trip is my high school reunion in Boise) so I knew how careful you have to be storing & disposing of food in mountainous areas with bears, mountain lions, and other wildlife. The posted rules & special bear-resistant trash cans are a necessity! It was a new experience for my husband. Luckily we didn't see any bears, but we saw lots of deer. To get to OLT, you take a long dirt road up into the foothills. Along the way, a mile or so of fence posts had shoes & boots placed on them from years of visitors to OLT carrying on the tradition of olden days when the tops of posts were coated in tar or oil, or old boots, to protect them from weathering so fast, so we found out. Bring an old pair to add to the fun practice! Any kind will do. Staff was super friendly. Bathrooms were super clean. The community pavilion was a large covered round structure with a fire pit in the middle, a functional community kitchen, and lots of tables. We brought s'mores to share over the fire. There is a bunk house (shared sleeping area like a hostel) and cabins to rent. We chose to tent. It got down to 49 degrees at night (in late July) but not a problem with lots of blankets. Some campsites offered a view of the valley while others are nestled into the wooded hillside. Be prepared to hike up & down almost never flat roads and trails to get to anything. Speaking of hikes, we chose to take the (almost nightly) guided hike to see the thousands of bats that emerge from the deserted mine right after sunset. I'm not going to lie! It was a grueling 2 miles up steep terrain but worth the views on the way up. There was a full moon so seeing the mountains across the valley & viewing the bats' flight would have been better but for the haze from a nearby forest fire, but still breathtaking. The sight (and smell, I'll leave that for you to discover on your own) of thousands of bats flying out of the mine cave was worth the trip, though I wasn't really sure about that until the next day. It was a really hard hike up and back down & I'm not in the best shape. Everyone was huffing & puffing at some point but my muscles were screaming. The guide & a few others really helped with all their encouragement. They have a yurt (used to be a tee pee) where they offer massages, body work, reflexology and such, but we didn't have time, though we sure could have used it. Now about the pool & hot springs! There are lots of hot springs of varying shapes, sizes, & temperatures. Some are nearby the central areas and others are a hike up the mountain. They have built the cutest handrails and bridges from natural materials at each of them. These are natural springs so there are uneven grassy or rocky edges and the bottoms are rocky, pebbley, & slippery...water shoes or sandals can be helpful (but also need to be good for walking up & down inclines so not flip flops). I can't even put into words how beautiful the views are from the different hot springs. At every one, we found people soaking and reading a book. Or sitting on benches around the springs reading. It's a very peaceful place and they enforce noise & nuisance rules (especially from the posted "extra quiet" hours between 10 pm and 8 am). They close the gates each night & no one can come in or out. The pool is a traditional cement pool but filled from the springs. No chlorine. They drain it every Wednesday & power wash it. There are lounge chairs & pool noodles for use & a convenient bathroom/shower & sauna connected to it. We highly recommend this place!! It's a true naturist experience. We can't wait to return & stay longer! They only allow so many day passes and overnight stays per day to preserve the land & resources so call ahead! It's about 3 hours south of Denver. We recommend stopping in Fairplay, CO on the way down. Great little lunch places & last place with a decent grocery store before you get there.

I loved this place when I first visited 15 years ago. It had an awesome vibe and the people were great. Now not as much. I'm into hot springs and have been to many in the west. One of the things I loved about Valley View was that here I never had to worry about wearing a stitch of clothing. I've been to all the ponds on the property. When you go to a place like this you should not feel uncomfortable if you are wearing anything. That has changed. This time I almost felt weird being nude. There were as many people wearing clothing in the springs as there were naturists. There were many young people (20s) visiting wearing swim suits. And then I had to contend with a group wearing shorts and T-Shirts staring at those of us that were naked. Hopefully this is a one off. I'll return the next time I travel through Colorado, but if half the people are wearing clothing in the pools again it will be my last.

We had an amazing time! From making reservations to arriving and setting up was easy! This was our first experience and it was so amazing! The serenity among these mountains is so peaceful and just brings you to a place of completeness. I truly recommend you escape the world we live in. Be free!

This place is so fun and so pretty! The views are soooo fun. The cleanliness of the bathroom and every other place was also so great! The water was super clear too and it was definitely a hot spring! 100% approve and recommend to try!

I've been to Valley View Orient Land Trust probably 120 times over the past 22 years. Used to be a nice peaceful place. The experience has really gone down hill since 2021 when the owner Neil died and now the new manager Doug is just on a rampage to discourage anyone from visiting. Their main agenda has nothing to do with the hot springs anymore and the experience is just hostile and creepy. The rest of the staff follow Doug's lead in making guests feel unwelcome. If you do go don't go in the water if you have any underlying health issues, the blue-green algae in the water will make you sicker.

Hidden hot spring. Nudity option available. Great place to soak for the day or rent a spot to camp for the night. My fiancé frequent here a lot and always meet new exciting people and just enjoy the Colorado lifestyle!