Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Our first stop in our three-month journey through the Colorado Rockies was the small town of Pagosa Springs, sitting at an elevation of around 7,100 feet and nestled in-between the San Juan and Rio Grand National Forests. Getting to Pagosa Springs from the east takes you over the Wolf Creek Pass which was a good warm up mountain pass for what’s to come over the next few months. We made it up and down the pass and are here to tell you all about it.

Pagosa Springs is a touristy town but not in a tacky way. The town is centered around the San Juan River, where you can regularly see folks drifting along in tubes to cool down and enjoy the sunshine. The other centerpiece to the town is The Springs Resort, a sprawling property along the river with 15 outdoor soaking pools fed by natural hot springs. Being right in town and along the busy river, it’s not quite the tranquil spa experience that you would encounter in other hot springs but does seem to be a very popular activity in town. You can find the typical local shops, restaurants and bars along the main street strip, which makes for a fun little town, although the ongoing road construction did put a little damper on the ambiance.

What the town provided us more than anything was a good central spot to explore the area. Pagosa Pines RV Park, a small RV park with great on-site owners, was the perfect home for the week we spent there. Our adventures mostly involved scenic drives through the mountains and waterfalls hikes. Here’s some details of what we explored.

TIP: Pick up a Pagosa Springs Scenic Drives map in town at one of the shops. We got ours at our RV park. This will provide all the details for the many scenic drives in the area, including the ones mentioned below.

Wolf Creek Pass & Treasure Falls

Yes, we drove it in the coach on the way into town, but it was well worth going back up to the pass in the Jeep to enjoy the scenery better. The pass, at 10,857-foot elevation, sits right on the Continental Divide, so you can literally stand on both sides of the Divide at the same time.

On the way up (or down) the west side of the pass is the trailhead to Treasure Falls, right along Highway 160. Although you can technically see the falls from the parking area, to experience it properly you will need to take the 1-mile round trip trail to the base of the falls. There wasn’t a lot of water flowing from the falls this time of year (July), but it is a very tall 100-foot beautiful waterfall.

Piedra/Fourmile Road Loop & Piedra Falls

To the north of town is a series of backroads that you can make into a big loop. These are gravel roads but an easy drive for most any vehicle. We took Piedra Road in and meandered to Piedra Falls first to get our hike in while it was still cool out. This was a short 1-mile hike along a river to a gorgeous waterfall. The river provided some great stopping points for the dogs to enjoy a swim along the way.

Our drive continued with a stop at Williams Creek Reservoir and many other beautiful sites along the way including a historic one room schoolhouse. Our route back to the main road traversed across Plumtaw and Fourmile Roads to complete a fun and adventurous journey.

Blanco Basin & Opal Lake

This is another beautiful backroad drive south of town of Highway 84. It’s approximately a 40-mile driving tour with great mountain and meadow views along the way. The gravel road is mostly smooth and also traverses through aspen forests so it’s likely even more beautiful in the autumn.

A turnoff along the way on Forest Road 660 takes you to the trailhead for the Opal Lake hike. This trail is a bit longer at 2.3 miles, but some good elevation change makes it a bit more difficult, especially as we were still getting acclimated to the altitude. The hike is very pretty, going through meadows and more aspen forests before it eventually ends at the lake. The lake is a bit stagnant so not good for swimming, but it was a very pretty spot.

East Fork Road (Elwood Pass option) & Silver Falls

To the northeast of town off of Highway 160 is East Fork Road which was one of the prettiest drives we did. The road meanders along the San Juan River and at the 8-mile point is the trailhead for Silver Falls. This is a very short but steep hike with lots of loose rocks. The multi-tiered falls are magnificent and well worth the venture.

There is one creek crossing just before the trailhead, but it shouldn’t be a problem for most vehicles. Continuing further, the road gets rougher with larger rocks and eventually turns into a road requiring high clearance vehicles as it becomes the Elwood Pass OHV Trail. This area is also popular for dispersed camping along the river.

Chimney Rock National Monument

Twenty miles west of Pagosa Springs is Chimney Rock National Monument, a “must see” while in the area. This far exceeded our expectation, as we were expecting to see a cool rock formation but experienced so much more. More so than just a cool rock, the area is a fascinating archaeological and cultural landmark. Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the site from approximately AD 925–1125, and built around 200 structures, with only four currently excavated. The Great House, on the highest elevation point, is the most significant of these structures. From its location, reached by a short uphill hike, you are directly across the two rock formations on the adjoining peak, Chimney Rock and Companion Rock. It’s believed there was a spiritual significance to the site as every 18.6 years the moonrise positions itself perfectly between the rock formations. The grounds are available for guided or self-guided tours daily from May through September.

We didn’t eat out much while in town but did find a couple places we really liked. Specifically, we enjoyed both the Root House Coffee Shop and The Lift Coffee House, both right in town along the river. And a trip to Pagosa Springs is not complete without a stop (or two) at Two Chicks & A Hippie for breakfast or lunch. Thinking back, what made this town enjoyable was the people. Everyone was so friendly, from the restaurant staff, shop owners and the RV park staff. Yes, in the end its people that made the difference.

Check out all of our pictures from the Pagosa Springs area.