There are several National Forest Campgrounds along Chalk Creek in the Mt. Princeton Area (near Buena Vista, CO).  A few years ago these campgrounds were pretty rough and not developed at all but now they are very nice with level sites and plenty of space.  We were lucky and found an empty site right along the fast flowing creek that also has numerous little waterfalls as it is dropping in elevation on it’s way to the Arkansas River not far away.

What is so nice about this area is that the ghost town of St. Elmo is only about 4 miles away and was where we accessed the road to Tincup Pass (previous post).

The Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Pools and Resort are perhaps 4 miles from the campground but in the opposite direction from St. Elmo.  The pools and lodge used to be pretty rustic but have now been completely redone.  There are at least 4 pools, rental cabins, a lodge, and a spa.  The pools have differing temperatures and they receive their hot water from Chalk Creek.

Looking closely, there is a woman sitting on the edge of the creek.  We have sat in this same area as there are little hot jets coming out of the creek.  It’s like being in a jacuzzi except that the rest of the water is cold.