Photo by Kim Hutcherson
Located within the San Juan Forest amid the majestic San Juan Mountains, Pagosa Springs offers visitors a rich geological and cultural history to explore. The soaring cliffs, ragged peaks, magical alpine pools, undisturbed wilderness, cascading rivers, and soothing hot springs reveal a dramatic geological history that invites voyagers, young and old, to venture into the backcountry. As part of the Four Corners region of Southwest Colorado, this mountainous terrain has also attracted a myriad of ancient Indian tribes, Spanish explorers, and fortune seekers throughout the centuries. Each of these cultures left behind historical remnants to educate and entertain us today.
Here are a few facts:
- Pagosa Springs is located in the Colorado Sunbelt, just 35 miles north of the New Mexico border and along the Western slope of the Continental Divide.
- Long touted as the largest and hottest natural mineral outflow in the world, the “Great Pagosah Hot Spring” is often coveted for its healing and restorative qualities. Whether bathers suffer serious ailments, sore muscles or just wish to relax, a hot mineral-water soak may be just what the doctor ordered for weary Pagosa Country travelers, who can now choose between three downtown bathing facilities that offer either indoor or outdoor pools, or both.
- The combination of high desert plateau and Rocky Mountains to the North and East of town creates an unusually mild climate. View weather & climate
- The Town of Pagosa Springs is the county seat of Archuleta County with a town population of 1,591 and county-wide population of 12,386. From 2000 to 2005, Archuleta County was one of the fastest growing counties in the State of Colorado.
- Pagosa Springs is located in the upper San Juan Basin, surrounded by the 3 million acre San Juan Forest and adjacent to the largest contiguous wilderness area in Colorado, the Weminuche Wilderness.
