Pagosa Springs
Pagosa Springs sits practically in town, a mile or so from the center of Pagosa Springs in Archuleta County. OpenStreetMap calls this particular source The Mother Spring. The water rises hot, well past soaking temperature at the outlet, so what comes up needs cooling before anyone gets in. Who owns the ground and what access is allowed are not recorded.
Getting there is a short walk, a little over a hundred yards from the closest road. At around seven thousand feet this is mountain town country. Winter snowfall runs close to seven feet and the year is fairly wet. East Fork Campground in the San Juan National Forest is the nearest camp listed, about ten miles out.
The best stretch on record runs from December into February. At the outlet the water is hotter than skin will tolerate for any length of time, so stay out of the source flow. Who runs the place is not written down, and no fee is listed either way. Chemistry here comes from a sample taken in April 1976.
Pah gosah is the Ute name, according to Wikipedia, which also puts these springs inside the San Juan Basin. Deepest geothermal hot springs known anywhere, the town itself claims. The USGS keeps the site under a number of its own, with a water sample taken in the spring of 1976.
Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Pagosa Springs.
Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.
- Setting
- Valley floor
- Gentle slopes rise on both sides.
- Highest ground nearby
- 170 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the east
A slice through the ground from northwest to southeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about 1½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 47% of the springs on this site.
Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.
See every spring on the geothermal heat map →
Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.
The water at Pagosa Springs is slightly acidic (pH 6.5). It is notably rich in calcium (may support bone density and joint health), sodium (supports circulation and skin hydration), and sulfate (traditionally used for skin conditions and inflammation).
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Overview East Fork Campground is located 11 miles northeast of Pagosa Springs, just off U.S. Highway 160, along the East Fork Road. Visitors enjoy the area for its fishing, hiking and scenic opportunities.Recreation The East Fork offers plenty of fishing opportunities upstream from the campground. Trailheads for the Coal Creek Trail and the Quartz Ridge Trail are at Sand Creek, 2-5 miles beyond the campground. Facilities The campground offers several single-family sites, many with views of th...
Pagosa Springs sits at 7,072 feet above sea level, way above the mile-high mark. You may not feel the altitude strongly, but hot water still dehydrates you faster at elevation. UV is about 28% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Pagosa Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. The water runs hot, so extra hydration is key. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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