Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Pagosa Springs is the pick when hot water is the main event. The Mother Spring at The Springs Resort is the world's deepest measured hot spring: a 1,002-foot plumb line went down without finding the bottom. The resort's soaking pools, more than two dozen of them, sit right in town beside the San Juan River, so a soak is never more than a short walk away. Some of its original pools have been temporarily closed, so check what is open before you book a day pass. For winter, Wolf Creek Ski Area, which bills itself as having the most snow in Colorado, is up the pass to the east. The town itself is more practical than pretty, so treat this as a soak and ski weekend rather than a main street stroll.