Pagosa Springs

Pagosa Springs sits in southwest Colorado in the upper San Juan Basin. The San Juan River runs through the middle of town and broad national forest and wilderness lands rise in every direction. The town is named for its sulfur springs, anchored by the Mother Spring, which feeds the town’s mineral soaking pools and riverside hot spring spots.

The springs are widely recognized as the world’s deepest known geothermal hot spring system, a defining feature that has shaped local life and tourism for generations. Long before modern settlement, Indigenous peoples including the Ute and other Native communities used these healing waters and regarded the area as sacred ground. As newcomers arrived, the hot springs became a hub for health seekers and travelers, and the riverside setting supported ranching, logging, and small scale commerce rather than a mining boom. Over time the community formed into a home rule town and county seat, retaining a small mountain character centered on downtown, the river corridor, and the surrounding San Juan National Forest and nearby wilderness areas.

The landscape blends high elevation valley floors with forested slopes and alpine terrain toward the Continental Divide. Local ecosystems shift quickly with elevation, from river cottonwoods and willows in town to ponderosa pine, aspen, spruce, and fir in nearby hills, with open meadows and wetland pockets that support various wildlife. Mule deer, elk, black bear, and a wide range of raptors and songbirds are common in the region, and the river itself draws anglers and paddlers from all over. The climate brings four distinct seasons and plentiful sunshine, making outdoor recreation and year round soaking part of everyday life.