Conundrum Hot Springs is a famous Colorado backpacking trip.  We completed this August 12-13, 2022. It is in the Maroon-Bells Wilderness near Aspen, like the Four Pass Loop we completed last year. We thought the trip was worth the hype. A permit system has been enacted in recent years due to overuse and lots of trash and human waste, and I think it works well. This hike can have a “party” reputation, but we really enjoyed the others we met and did not observe that; ymmv, your mileage may vary.

Total Miles: approximately 18 round trip

Total Elevation Gain: about 3000 feet gain

FAQs and Tips:

• Permits: Permits are required from recreation.gov to camp overnight near the hot springs. Make sure you get online as soon as permits are released to snag them. You may have some luck trying to find last minute cancellations. As with many Colorado high-country trips, the prime time for this trip is mid-July to August since you may encounter snow the rest of the year, and so getting one of these weekends is competitive. Proper bear containers are required (we used the Ursack). Additionally, free wag bags are at the trailhead and you should pack out all your waste (yes, this means poop).
• Campsites: The permits are for specific campsites. As stated, it is competitive and some of the campsites are fairly far (half mile) from the hot springs. Our campsite, number 10, was past the hot springs and up an additional 300 feet elevation. I will describe more in this post, but be ready for some hiking. This site would be great for hiking up Triangle Pass since it is on the way (which we did not end up doing, but wanted to!). To me, the ideal sites seemed closer to the hot springs (like 7 and 8). The sites on the way up to the springs involve a bit of a trek, so you would want to do what we did and go out for soaking sessions rather than plan to go back and forth frequently.
• Where to stay: Aspen is extremely expensive and campsites get booked fast. It is also a long drive from Denver. We stayed in Twin Lakes before and Salida after, which we really enjoyed.
• Parking: There is a small lot and as of now, no parking permits (please add them!) and no alternative to getting to the trailhead, so I recommend getting in early. Do not illegally park, as this is a hazard to emergency vehicles and you can get towed.
• Difficulty: Lots of people do this as a first backpacking trip, which I do not recommend unless you have done some high altitude hiking, as it is not an easy trail. Nine miles and 3000 feet elevation gain is intense. I have a post on beginning backpacking trails, and will always recommend testing out your gear on an easy trip. It is doable as a first trip if you are very fit and have the high altitude experience, but always be mindful of altitude sickness and bring proper nutrition, electrolytes, pack light as possible, and take your time.
• Gear: See my LighterPack. Most gear was typical except for Ursack, required for food storage, and some kind of swimwear. I brought my Tera Kaia top and bottom, which is a cool brand that makes “basewear” that acts as both underwear and swimwear and is very light and compact. I also brought my ultralight travel towel. I always bring Skechers for camp shoes, but you can go in the hot springs barefoot, so it’s not required. I did not use my hammock, but probably could have hung it if I had more time. We wanted to maximize hot springs time, so did not hang out at camp much.

Day 1

Nick and I camped at Twin Lakes (free dispersed camping), as staying anywhere near Aspen is either booked up or very expensive. Sidenote: We later learned that a couple at Conundrum booked a campsite near Aspen with a last-minute cancellation. Lesson of the summer: always check for cancellations. This required a drive over Independence Pass, which is always slightly scary but gorgeous, as you drive right over the Continental Divide.

We arrived at the parking lot before 8 and were able to grab a parking spot in the small lot. We grabbed some free wag bags for number 2 just in case and started hiking. The trail was really nice (especially compared to the rough condition of the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop), and we really enjoyed the greenness and lushness of this trail.

There were still lots of wildflowers hanging out. And with the ferns and undergrowth, it was the most green trail we have seen yet.

There was also water along the whole trail, which was really relaxing. Yes, we trekked uphill, which was slow going at times; but so beautiful.

A few miles from the hot springs, we were in a part of the trail with lots of trees when a giant moose came running down the trail at us. Moose are actually one of the most dangerous animals in Colorado, partly because humans do not understand the danger. I yelled to Nick to duck behind a tree, and we both got off trail behind trees and bushes. This was a tip we got on the Maroon Bells bus last year, since moose won’t necessarily move to avoid you but will not charge through a tree. Luckily, the moose went off the side of the trail.

Unfortunately, I was reminded of a story told to us by our raft guide in Grand Tetons, who met a man that had his tent destroyed by a moose running from a bear. Nick and I started shouting “hey animal” so any animals would be aware of our presence. Four hikers came meandering down the trail, and we realized they likely spooked the moose. These hikers seemed unfazed by our scary moose story and said “oh cool, a moose!” and went off trail to approach it (by the way, this is what you should not do per the video I linked above). We warned several more people on the next section of trail, since this marshy area was prime moose territory with low visibility, being enclosed with lots of bush and tree cover. As a sidenote, both Nick and I have taken Colorado Mountain Club’s hiking safety class, which I highly recommend as they cover every type of animal encounter, among other topics.

After lots more uphill hiking, we finally reached the first campsites, quite tired and hungry. However, we kept going on and on. We saw the hot springs, which are at an elevation of 11,200 feet. But we had to keep going up and up and up to our campsite, number 10, which was an additional 300 feet up a steep trail on the way up to Triangle Pass.

The scenery was incredible, as you can see from this picture near our campsite trying to find water. The water source required a lot of bushwhacking, so we decided to collect water near the hot springs instead for the rest of the trip.

Our site was designated as a two-person site, but barely had space for a tent and a lot of rocks.

The picture above shows the other possible space at the site to set up camp, but it was not very flat and fairly root-y. No one ever came to campsite 9, below us, which looked much flatter; but I would not suggest trying to switch campsites, since we observed several people come in to camp very late (past sunset even).

We decided, given the distance to the hot springs, to eat our dinner first even though it was only around 2 pm when we got to camp, and then really hang out at the hot springs for a good portion of the afternoon.

The campsite area was a gorgeous place to hang out and eat, although there were lots of mosquitos (why are mosquitos hanging out at nearly 1k feet??). We then made the journey down to the springs, around 4:30. At first, we thought we might be in the wrong spot, because no one was there. However, it was a lovely temperature, so we headed in and realized this is definitely it. We did not know how we would ever get out; there were no mosquitos, and it was beautiful.

We had only a deer friend (see below) for around 45 minutes, before another couple joined us.

Soon, it started to rain. But there was no thunder, and so we thought we might as well stay in the springs. It was really nice. We avoided any thunder and lightning, luckily.

Eventually, more and more people joined us in the hot springs, but it was really fun talking to a variety of people about lots of random things. We even met a couple of guys who backpacked over Triangle Pass from Crested Butte and were carrying on toward Aspen, but taking a break at the springs. The hot springs definitely lends itself to socializing. We even filtered more water there.

We stayed for several hours; our campsite did not lend itself to wandering back and forth. We headed back to our camp and headed into the tent. We got some rain throughout the night.

Day 2

We had wanted to try to hike up to Triangle Pass, but felt quite tired and had a long hike out. We decided to pack up our campsite first thing in the morning and hike down to the hot springs for breakfast. Once again, I was surprised that no one was down there. We carefully made our breakfast and coffee while soaking in the hot springs (packing out all trash and food, of course!). It felt luxurious, since it is so cold in the morning backpacking.

Yes, it was very difficult to get out since the sun had not yet hit the hot spring. But we were able to change into our clothes quickly and layer up.

We headed out around 9 am. The hike back always seems longer, especially when you know you can get delicious food in Aspen, Colorado. It’s a beautiful hike, and we eventually got some clouds and light rain which was actually nice in helping keep us cool in the non-shaded areas.

We got to the trailhead around 1:40 pm, and we were ready to be done! The parking lot was overfilled at this point, including people parked in some very tough positions to drive around who hopefully got towed, since they would definitely block emergency vehicles. We were able to get out and had just a short drive to Aspen. One of my favorite places, where the locals took me when I did a consulting job there, is Meat and Cheese. We were able to get in to sit at the bar and have a delicious feast before we had to drive back over Independence Pass to get to Salida, where we had an amazing time staying at Simple Lodge, a fantastic hostel.

Overall, even though this trip takes quite a bit of planning and permitting, it was very fun, and we would like to return and try to do two nights, if possible. We would still like to make it up to Triangle Pass and have even more time to relax at the hot springs.