Officials remind Penny Hot Springs users: ‘Don’t abuse the area’

After a Jeep ended up in the water at Penny Hot Springs recently, officials are reminding those enjoying the area to maintain respect and stewardship of the increasingly popular place.

According to Pitkin County Sheriff’s Patrol Division Chief Justin Thompson, the department was notified of the incident after a ranger received an email about a Jeep that had gone over the cliff and into the water. The Jeep had no license plates, and after it was pulled out, it was determined that it did not cause notable damage.

This incident is part of a larger collection of violations that some Redstone residents are flagging to Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office and Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, including overnight parking, speeding and substance use — drugs and alcohol — at the hot springs.

“What the residents out there do is what we need them to do — they keep an eye on things,” Thompson said. “Keep encouraging people to let us know when they see those situations that they think need our attention.”

While he confirmed the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office aims to have a patrol officer scheduled to be in the Redstone area, which includes Penny Hot Springs, every day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., it’s ultimately dependent on staffing and call volume in other areas of the county.

“We’ll always respond if something happens,” he said, “and it’s definitely an area that they do keep an eye on.”

Following the ban on roadside camping approved by Pitkin County commissioners earlier this year, however, Thompson confirmed he isn’t aware of any citations that have been issued yet for that out there.

Both Thompson and Gary Tennenbaum, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails director, emphasized to The Aspen Times that their departments are very aware of how many people gather at the Penny Hot Springs area.

“There’s a lot of use,” Tennenbaum stressed. “”Don’t abuse the area … There are people that love the hot springs.”

And while some suggest the hot springs are getting loved to death, he noted that Penny Hot Springs is also in a difficult spot along the highway to manage, which is why making sure that people are parking correctly and being respectful is done in partnership with the Sheriff’s Office and state highway patrol.

He added that the bathroom that was installed has reduced the amount of problems with people going to the bathroom in the springs themselves.

And while Pitkin County Open Space and Trails is looking at ways to improve the parking and the access to the springs, he reiterated that it’s a difficult area to work in.

“There’s no perfect solution to this,” he said. “We’re still looking at options. The elected officials haven’t made any decisions on any of it yet. We just want to make sure that whatever we do doesn’t make it worse — we’ve got to be really careful about not making it more constrained.”