Around Crestone, before and after your retreat
Many guests arrive a day early or stay on afterwards. Hot springs, the dunes, walks, and the stupas and temples of the Baca are all within reach.
None of this is part of the retreat or included in your rate. Drive times are approximate and measured from Crestone town; add 10 to 15 minutes from Chamma Ling. Hours and access change, so check each place before you go. Season notes are for our spring retreats, mid-March to mid-April.
Hot springs
The three closest are the ones we point guests to first. A soak is a gentle way to arrive, or to ease back into the world afterwards.
Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa
Three outdoor soaking pools at 98°, 104° and 108°F, with a spa and lodging. Open in all seasons, day guests welcome.
Valley View Hot Springs
Natural ponds and pools on a nonprofit land trust at 8,700 feet. Clothing is optional across the whole property. Reservation only: visitors who are not members can book 24 hours ahead at 719-256-4315.
Sand Dunes Recreation, the Hooper pool
A large geothermal outdoor swimming pool, plus the Greenhouse, an indoor soaking area for adults 21 and over. Closed every Thursday, and closed for about ten days starting the first Thursday in April.
Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center
City-run indoor hot-spring pools: a lap pool, a warm leisure pool and private soaking pools you can reserve. Over Poncha Pass.
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort
Historic bath house, soaking pools, and hot springs that rise in the bed of Chalk Creek. Open year-round; day passes are sold on site.
Cottonwood Hot Springs
Rustic gravity-fed soaking pools beside a creek. Walk-ins welcome, open late.
Splashland in Alamosa, a large geothermal swimming pool, opens for summer only and is closed during our spring retreats.
Dunes, falls and gators
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
The tallest dunes in North America, against the Sangre de Cristo range. Open 24 hours, all year; $25 per vehicle for seven days (2026). Spring is a good time to climb: the sand is cool, though afternoons can be windy. Medano Creek usually only begins to reach the dunes in April. The park is a certified International Dark Sky Park.
Sand sledding and sandboarding
The park does not rent boards. The Park Service lists rental shops in Mosca, Hooper, Blanca and Alamosa. Some are closed in early spring or when the sand is wet or frozen, so call first.
Zapata Falls
A half-mile rocky walk, then a wade up a slot canyon to the falls. In March and April the creek and falls are usually frozen: bring traction for your shoes, and expect a rough, unplowed gravel access road.
Colorado Gators Reptile Park
The alligator park. A geothermal reptile rescue with hundreds of alligators, plus crocodiles, caimans, tortoises and turtles. You can hold a small gator. Open daily, 9 to 5 in spring.
Sandhill cranes at Monte Vista
Around 20,000 sandhill cranes stop in the valley each spring, peaking in early March, just before our first retreat. Viewing from the refuge's wildlife drive is free. The Monte Vista Crane Festival is March 5 to 7, 2027.
UFO Watchtower
A roadside viewing platform, gift dome and garden of objects left by visitors, on Highway 17. A San Luis Valley original.
Penitente Canyon
Sculpted volcanic rock with hiking and biking trails and hundreds of climbing routes. Lower and drier than the mountains, so it is often a good choice in spring.
Crestone itself
A very small town with a few cafés, galleries and a natural food market. Crestone is a certified International Dark Sky Community: on a clear night, look up. The Saturday market runs from late April to mid-October.
Stupas, the Ziggurat and spiritual centers
The Baca holds an unusual number of spiritual centers from many traditions. These welcome visitors. Please dress modestly, keep quiet, and treat each place as someone's place of practice.
Crestone Ziggurat
An ochre spiral tower on a sandy hill. A short uphill walk, then a ramp to the top, with views of the valley, the dunes and the Crestone peaks. Also one of the town's recommended stargazing spots.
Padmasambhava Stupa
Described by its caretakers as the first stupa built in Colorado, in 1982. It was moved in 2024 to the bottom of Cordial Way, so you can visit both in one stop.
Tashi Gomang Stupa
A 42-foot stupa on 200 acres, honoring the 16th Karmapa. Park at the water tower and walk about 20 minutes, or drive the narrow, rocky last stretch to the upper lot.
Haidakhandi Universal Ashram
A Hindu ashram with a temple to the Divine Mother. Visitors can join aarati at 7 am or 6 pm, sit in the temple, or visit the Maha Lakshmi shop from 10 to 4. A call ahead is appreciated: 719-256-4108.
Shumei International Institute
A short film, then a walk through the buildings, grounds and gardens. The 8:00 am and 6:00 pm Sampai services are open to the public.
Vajra Vidya Retreat Center
A public morning meditation in the shrine room. All are welcome. For anything else, call first: 719-256-5539.
Sri Aurobindo Learning Center
Visitors are welcome by arrangement to see the meditation dome and library: 206-963-0989.
Other retreat centers
Crestone Mountain Zen Center, Yeshe Khorlo and several others are working retreat centers. Some host booked stays or public events, but please contact them before visiting rather than dropping in.
Trails
After days of stillness in the dark, most people want something gentle. In March and April the high trails are still under snow, so the easy walks are also the realistic ones.
Easy, and usually clear in spring
Baca Nature and Heritage Trail
Grassland and wetland with the whole Sangre de Cristo range in view. Starts at the Baca National Wildlife Refuge office on County Road T, just west of town.
The Ziggurat and Tashi Gomang Stupa
Both are short walks on low, sunny ground, with somewhere quiet to sit at the end. See above.
Liberty Road from Liberty Gate
An old stage road, closed to vehicles, that enters the national park from the south end of the Baca. Open grassland, elk and views of the peaks. Stay on public roads through the Baca to reach it.
Montville Nature Trail
A shaded creekside loop that the Park Service calls the easiest hike in the park, with views of the dunes.
Bigger days
High Dune, Great Sand Dunes
No marked trail: cross the creek bed and follow the ridgelines up. About two hours, and hard work in soft sand at 8,200 feet.
Willow Lake Trail
The classic Crestone hike, to an alpine lake with a waterfall below Challenger Point. From Galena Avenue, follow the gravel road 1.5 miles to the trailhead. In spring, the meadows at Willow Park, about a third of the way up, make a good turnaround; above that expect snow.
South Crestone Lake Trail
Same trailhead as Willow Lake. A steep climb through canyon, aspen and fir. The lake can hold ice into June.
North Crestone Trail
A long, steady climb beside North Crestone Creek, starting 1.3 miles north of town on Alder Street. The road is gated until mid-May; the first mile or two along the creek is a pleasant short walk.
These mountain trails enter the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. Dogs must be leashed or under voice control, and camps and fires must be 300 feet from lakes and 100 feet from streams. Rio Grande National Forest, Saguache Ranger District: 719-655-2547.
Low-cost camping nearby
For the nights before or after your retreat. Prices are those published in 2026. Nights in March and April are cold at this elevation.
Open during our spring retreats
Baca Grande Campground
Sixteen tent and RV sites with water and power, a bathhouse with showers, laundry and Wi-Fi. Tent sites about $37 a night. Run by the property owners association; contact the host to book: 719-405-0169.
Dispersed camping on the Willow Lake road
Roadside sites along the gravel road past the end of Galena Avenue. No water and no services; pack everything out. 14-day limit. Can be snowy or muddy in early spring.
Valley View Hot Springs
$40 per person per night including the springs, and tent camping carries no extra charge from October through April. Clothing optional.
Sand Dunes Recreation
Tent and dry RV sites at $30, water-and-electric RV sites at $40, with showers, laundry and half-price pool entry.
Joyful Journey yurts
Not cheap, but heated yurts are available all year and include soaking, breakfast and dinner. Tent sites and tipis open in April.
Penitente Canyon Campground
$11 a night, open all year, reservable on recreation.gov. Drinking water runs only from May to October.
Opens later in the season
North Crestone Creek Campground
Thirteen first-come Forest Service sites beside the creek, with vault toilets and bear lockers but no drinking water. Open May 15 to mid-November.
Piñon Flats Campground
The national park campground, open April through October, by reservation only on recreation.gov.
Zapata Falls Campground
Open all year on paper, with wide views over the dunes, but at 9,000 feet on an unplowed road with no water. Better from May onward.
Bears are active around Crestone. Use bear lockers where they are provided, and don't leave food out or in your vehicle.