Glenwood Springs is a perfect place to take a dip at one of its natural hot springs. An unassuming town of 7,620 people, Glenwood Springs has a backyard of hiking trails and great whitewater rafting at nearby Glenwood Canyon.

The handsome Hotel Colorado was the foremost spa resort for railroad barons as well as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was a frequent guest. In its heyday, the hotel’s 10-acre grounds boasted a polo field and a 600-foot-long swimming pool, as well as a railway track.

Another attraction is “Doc” Halliday’s gravesite at the Glenwood Springs Cemetery. The gunslinger who found fame at the O.K. Corral with Wyatt Earp, moved to town to convalesce from tuberculosis until he died in 1887.

With a solid selection of budget hotels, the town is a great alternative to Aspen’s high rates if you are traveling on a budget.

There are buses and trains to Denver and bus service to Aspen.