Stinking 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.
Stinking Springs is a warm, mineral-heavy source in Rio Arriba County at the edge of Dulce. The water is on the tepid side, below body heat. The dissolved solids reading is high. Nobody is listed as owner, and access is unrecorded.
A short walk from Navajo River Road, under two hundred yards. Elevation is a little over 7,500 feet. Snow over a winter totals a bit over six feet, with moderate precipitation. Blanco River Group Campground, roughly nine miles away, is the camping the record lists.
The record flags the winter months as best, though the water is tepid, so this is no hot soak in any season. The chemistry on file is dissolved-solids heavy and comes from a 1975 sample; no pH was taken. Confirm ownership and access before going.
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 Stinking Springs.
- Setting
- Gentle slope
- The ground tilts gently up to the southwest.
- Highest ground nearby
- 126 ft above the spring
- Within a quarter mile, to the southwest
A slice through the ground from west to east, about 0.6 miles end to end.
Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.
That's about twice the US average of 65. It's higher than at 66% 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 Stinking Springs contains 899 mg/L total dissolved solids. It is notably rich in calcium (may support bone density and joint health) and sulfate (traditionally used for skin conditions and inflammation).
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Overview Blanco River Group Campground is located four miles off U.S. Highway 84, on Forest Road 656. It is about 15 miles southeast of Pagosa Springs, on the Blanco River. The campground is a convenient stopping point between the towns of Chama, N.M., and Pagosa Springs, Colo. Secluded and quiet, the campgound is an ideal place for family and friends to gather. Recreation The Blanco River can be accessed from the campground, offering good fishing. Anglers cast for stocked trout on the lightl...
Stinking Springs sits at 7,557 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 30% stronger than at sea level, so bring sunscreen and drink more water than you normally would.
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Stinking Springs is road-accessible, so you can bring more gear. Cold air temperatures make a changing robe or warm layers essential.
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