Responsible tourism is firmly on Dunton Hot Spring’s agenda—a philosophy it pursues in a multitude of ways.
The area’s hot springs feed its pool with water already heated to 39°C. The resort is working with a Denver-based engineer to recover a portion of this heat, and has plans to make its summer extension, Dunton River Camp, energy self-sufficient. Biodiversity is a focus too. When Dunton wanted to construct a new 5km cross-country ski route, it commissioned a study into the potential for the route’s open runs to allow Nordic white rabbits to better escape their natural predator, the Lynx. The work took some two years to complete and demonstrated that risks of upsetting the forest’s finely balanced ecosystem were minimal. The resort also encourages guests to visit the Mesa Verda National Park, some 120km southwest, to discover the Pueblo people who occupied its extraordinary cliff-face dwellings. In an area known for its native peoples, the resort aims to see guests depart with a better understanding of Native American culture.