Geyser Spring Colorado Hike Guide
Geyser Spring is a gentle out and back hike with Colorado’s only geyser as the final destination. Located in a remote part of southern Colorado, this hike is family friendly, dog friendly and suitable for hikers of all levels. Trail conditions range from packed dirt to gravel on the way up to the geyser.
Geyser Spring Quick Facts
Geyser Spring Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)
Distance: 2.6 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 8,600 ft
Highest Point: 9,200 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 600 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 1-2 Hours RT
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: May – October (Road may be restricted outside of these periods)
Directions to Geyser Spring
Trailhead: Geyser Spring
Getting Here: From Telluride, head up to Lizard Pass on Highway 145 and continue past the summit for about 5 miles. Take Forest Road 535 on your right and continue up the switchbacks for about 3 miles. Continue straight at a road junction and drive until you reach the small “town” of Dunton (about 11 miles from highway 145). Continue for another 1.5 miles or so to reach the signed Geyser Spring parking lot on the left. You can enter Geyser Spring into your favorite navigational device.
Fees: None
Parking: There is a small lot at the well marked trailhead, it will hardly get busy. There are no bathrooms at the parking area.
Summary
Camping: Although you can’t camp at Geyser Spring, there are numerous dispersed campsites along FR 535.
Dogs: Geyser Spring is a dog friendly trail, just don’t let them go in the water at the Geyser.
Make it a Loop: Geyser Spring is an out and back hike. If you are looking to do some other hiking in the area, you can hike up to nearby Navajo Lake.
Trail X Factors: Only Geyser in Colorado
The hike up geyser spring trail brings you to the only geyser in the state of Colorado. We have lots of hot springs all over the state, but only one true natural geyser. Apparently, the difference between the two is that hot springs allow boiling water to surface freely whereas a geyser keeps its boiling water underground.
Hike Tip(s): Apparently, the geyser on the Geyser Spring hike is supposed to erupt every 30 minutes. I have been here twice and outside of some small bubbles, haven’t seen anything crazy. However, it may be worth your time to hang around the geyser to see what happens. Let me know if you see a big eruption, I would love to see it!
Best Views: The best views along Geyser Spring hike are at the geyser itself. In the fall, there are some lovely views of the aspens turning yellow as well. Although views are spectacular, it is a serene hike which will often lead to views of wildlife.
Geyser Spring Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
My Trip to Geyser Spring: May 2018
Mother nature is difficult to work with. She can be unpredictable, have a high temper and have little empathy towards others. After she forced me to change my plans for the weekend, I was now working with two extra days to hike in the Lizard Head Wilderness. Luckily, I knew just the hike to hill some time!
When Jackie and I first moved to Colorado, we made a road trip around the state stopping in Telluride, Grand Junction, Aspen and Geyser Springs was one of the hikes we had done many years ago. It’s funny how little nature changes over the years because even though I didn’t have directions on how to get to Geyser Spring, I recognized the area enough to be able to know how to get there. After a hike down from nearby Navajo Lake, I found a campsite and made the short drive over to Geyser Spring trailhead. Even for Memorial Day weekend, there were only 2-3 other cars in the lot. This wasn’t terribly surprising because Geyser Spring is a fairly secluded hike.
After miles of intense hiking just hours early, it felt refreshing to hit the trail with just my camera and car keys. I crossed the small creek on the recently constructed bridge (as of 5-6 years ago) and started the mellow hike up to Geyser Spring. I passed through several shady fields covered with dandelions surrounded by aspens with bright green leaves. I had only been hiking for about 15 minutes when I passed a group of 4-5 women, all holding 2-3 dogs. Looked like from this point out, I would have the trail for myself.
The trail slowly worked up the hill and back into the valley. Although the hiking was not intense, it did consistently gain elevation. It was so weird, I remembered this hike so vividly even though my last visit was over 4 years ago. I began to pick up scents of sulfur and knew that I was approaching the final stretch. On our previous visit, we had noticed signs of the geyser way before the actual pool, but this time, it seemed to be much drier or less active, I was not sure.
Near the top, I passed by several aspen trees with carvings in them dating back to the 60s and 70s. Although I hated that people would do that to trees, it was sort of cool to view the history of hiking in the area. Minutes later, I reached the bright blue geyser. It was approximately the size of a large hot tub and was bubbling softly when I arrived. I enjoyed the views for several minutes until finally heading back towards the parking lot.
I wouldn’t consider Geyser Spring a destination hike, but certainly one that I would recommend for anyone visiting the area.
