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Big Medicine
Yampa is Ute for big medicine. In 1888, the Yampa hot springs was taken away from the native Americans by the white settlers in the area.
Sadly, this is true about much of what the indigenous people considered to be sacred throughout all of there heritage.
The Hot Springs
Yampa hot springs is a high volume extremely hot water source at 122 degrees with 145,000 gallons per hour and 3.5 million gallons per day.
The hot water from the spring is cooled and then used in the pools at Glenwood Springs resort.
The resort′s main pool,called the big pool is 405 feet long and at it′s widest point, 100 feet wide. The big pool contains 1,071,000 gallons of hot water, kept at about 90-93° F and features a diving area and exercise lap lanes.
The resort′s therapy pool, called the small pool is 100 feet long, which contains 91,000 gallons of water, is kept at 104° F.
The Healing Waters
A new word has come to my attention, that is balneology, or balneotherapy, which I have come to understand is practice of using natural mineral water for the treatment or cure of disease. The word comes from the Latin balneum meaning bath and ology meaning study.
Soaking in highly concentrated mineral water is long believed to have health benefits including: eliminating toxins; increasing body temperature to kill harmful germs and viruses; increasing blood flow and circulation; increasing metabolism; and increasing absorption of essential minerals.
Many have come to the Glenwood Hot Springs to treat their ailments including Doc Holliday, who suffered from tuberculosis and came to Glenwood Springs to ease his symptoms. During World War II, the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool was used as a therapeutic tool by physiotherapists to rehabilitate emotionally and physically disabled sailors and marines.
The Drinking water Pool
This pool is an old time favorite for filling water bottles. The pool is located outside the main resort next to the east parking lot near the Yampa Hot Spring. The temperature of the watr in this pool is 122° F. This is the only hot spring accessible for obtaining water and is the only free pool.
The Yampa Hot Spring is not accessible, but is used only to provide hot water for the Glenwood resort.
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