The Orient Land Trust, a.k.a. “Valley View Hot Springs.“
info@olt.org, olt.org * PO Box 65, Villa Grove, CO 81155-0065 * 719.256.4315 * 9 am – 10 pm. Open to the public 7 days a week – closed December 1st – 28th. Rating 5 stars out of 5.
This fantastic Land Trust is dedicated to preserving natural resources, wildlife habitat, open space, and historic and geologic features of the northern San Luis Valley for the enjoyment of current and future generations. The OLT protects a humongous bat colony, hot springs, and alternative energy use, and is well known for its high altitude dark skies for astronomy, exposed active geological fault, limestone caves, numerous trails, historic buildings, town sites at an abandoned iron mine, and a working ranch. The OLT is a naturist community (clothing optional) with 24-hour access to the hot springs when camping or renting their rustic lodging cabins.
They limit the number of visitors based on space availability and environmental impact. For current pictures and views, visit their website linked above. The entire grounds are clothing optional – while most guests tend to swim and soak without swimsuits, there is no pressure either way. The OLT welcomes a diverse clientele of couples, singles, and families from all walks of life – children are always welcome, though they require supervision. They offer camping and cabins, and their indoor lodging has heat and electricity, though there are no telephones, clocks, radios, or TVs in any of the rooms.
All of the ponds and pools are outdoors—there are no private pools or hot tubs. There are four natural ponds with temperatures ranging in the 90s, an 80-foot-long spring-fed swimming pool (no chlorine) in the high 80s, and a heated hot pool around 105 degrees. This review visit to this fantastic resort was over the weekend of 11/10-11/2011. It is a must-visit for any hot springs or naturalist enthusiast. Rating 5 stars out of 5. Additional Visits: 1/24-1/25/09. 2/16/17-2/18/17. Excellent visits. Most recent visit 10/13/24-10/14/24.
