Pagosa Springs Colorado Outdoor Adventure Guide

Welcome to our Pagosa Springs Colorado Outdoor Adventure Guide! Pagosa Springs is home to the world’s deepest hot spring, a beautiful mountain town located right on 160 in SW Colorado, and features lovely hiking, biking, skiing, rafting, hot springs, restaurants, and friendly community. Living in the American Southwest and visiting my partner’s family in Iowa has made this part of Colorado a regular stopping point and lovely mid way adventure for a day, a week, or more. Come explore and enjoy Pagosa Springs Colorado and its 1,720 residents and its over 1,002 feet deep geothermal hot spring with us!

In this Outdoor Adventure Guide we share everything from our favorite adventures to post nature town grub from our frequent stays and stops in Pagosa Springs Colorado. All in hopes that you can have the outdoor adventure of a lifetime when you visit this amazing town in Southwest Colorado.

Pagosa Springs Colorado Need to Know’s:

1. Situated an hour east of Durango the accessibility if traveling on 160 is tough to beat. It’s located on 160 :).

2. Heavy snow can fall in the winter and winter can go long. Summers lack humidity and bugs and hence the amount of vacation homes and rentals here for skiing and those looking to leave the Midwest/Southwest heat.

3. There are lodging options for all budgets. Nearby National Forest camping, near town motels, and top of the line expensive “mountain mansions”.

4. The hot springs are all natural and can be VERY HOT. Be forewarned and aware if you have a medical condition that would prevent you from getting in.

5. Heavy duty vehicles would be recommended in the winters. You are in the mountains.

6. The town sits at over 7,000 feet. Acclimation might be necessary depending on where you are coming from. Many activities also put you at higher elevations from here.

Pagosa Springs Outdoor Adventure Things To Do:

1. Hikes/Walks
   a. Coyote Hill (Dog Friendly)
   b. Reservoir Hill Park (Dog friendly)
   c. Opal Like
   d. Rainbow Hot Springs (Hot springs aren’t hot until the summer at times)
   e. Fourmile Falls
   f. San Juan Riverwalk
   g. San Juan National Forest has a variety of other trails/activities including biking, camping, and fishing.

2. Ski
   a. Wolf Creek. Where the Colorado snow bunnies head to all winter.
   b. Cross Country Skiing. Coyote Hill for instance is a cross country trail in the winter.

   
   ”A Quick History of Pagosa Springs. The Native Americans discovered the waters of this natural hot mineral spring generations before others found it. The Mother Spring was actually discovered by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. Called the “mountain people,” the Ute people are the original inhabitants of Colorado. he area is rich in beauty and natural resources. Describing the appearance of the bubbling spring, the ancient Utes called it Paqhosa. Modern usage and advertising has changed the orthography to “Pagosa” and the meaning to “healing waters.” The medicinal effects of the waters were studied and confirmed by U.S. Army physicians in the 1860s, concluding, “The waters of Pagosa are without doubt the most wonderful and beneficial in medicinal effects that have ever been discovered.”  The Mother Spring feeds all of the geothermal pools and waterworks in Pagosa Springs and is certified by Guinness World Records as the World's Deepest Geothermal Hot Spring Aquifer at a depth of over 1002 feet (305 meters).” From Visit Pagosa Springs website.
   
   3. Hot Springs
   a. Free Option.
   Located downtown on the riverwalk there are a free hot springs just off the river that are hot. I have been in them in December and June and they are always warm. It’s an accessible option and great that a few are still free in the area.
   b. Budget Option.
   I mainly pay to go to Healing Waters. $20/day pass for soaks. No frills, not fancy, but down to Earth and enjoyable.
   c. Fancy Option.
   My partner who is not as much of a dirtbag as myself enjoys The Springs Resort. Jill G likes this one a lot :)!
   
   4. Rafting/Kayaking
   I am never rafted or kayaked here when. I like my kayaking warm and we never visit in the summer! |
   But the river rafting and kayaking seem to be popular. It’s great to see laughing kids on a raft coming down the San Juan.

Pagosa Springs Colorado Eat and Drink
(There are tons of restaurants, grocery stories, breweries, and shops. I just list our favorites that we go to often.)

1. Root House Coffee + Shop (now on a show on HGTV for their design business.)

2. Chavolo’s Taqueria (True Taqueria Authentic and American Mexican options.)

3. Rosie’s Pizzeria (All pizza here is good pizza.)

4. Thai Pagosa (The Tom Yum Coconut Soup is some of the best I have ever had.)

5. Two Chicks and a Hippie (Anywhere I can get veggie tacos with a chocolate croissant is good by me!)

I also like to include a volunteer/donate line in my guides. I haven’t actually volunteered in town (but I have picked up a LOT of trash on my own.) HOWEVER I did meet several doggos from the Humane Society so check them out!

I love visiting and passing through Pagosa Springs Colorado. The community is friendly, the scenery is beautiful, and the hot springs are world renowned. I have a bit of a tough love relationship with the “Colorado Mountain Towns" and the balance between making them affordable and accessible to both locals and visitors on a budget and becoming fancy and unaffordable for many/most.

In Pagosa I have found affordable restaurants, free hot springs, and non closed off hiking trails from HOA communities. I also buy fancy coffee and Jill G loves one of the hot springs resorts. So not everything we do here is on the cheap.

But speaking from someone who hasn’t lived here but frequented many towns all over Colorado and lived in Grand Junction they seem to have struck a better middle ground than many up on the I-70 strip. Now don’t get me wrong, I can’t afford to buy a house here even if I wanted to let alone start a business with a brick and mortar location and gentrification has and is happening. I CAN afford to stop in for a few days and not feel the wallet completely crunched!

Overall it’s more affordable for a family on a budget than many places I have visited in Colorado! And I’ll leave it at that.

This is just an appetizer for your main courses of what you can do in Pagosa Springs Colorado.

There’s more outdoor adventures, plenty of campgrounds, other excellent restaurants and ways to get involved in the community. Hopefully this gives you a glance to see that Pagosa Springs is much more than just a ski slope or a hot spring.

Pagosa Springs Colorado is one my favorite towns in Colorado to swing in and hang for a few days. I feel right at home when I arrive and I can’t wait to be back in Pagosa again in the near future!

I hope you get to experience it sometime.

Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R