MK F.
Yelp
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.
