Pagosa Springs

Pagosa Springs sits high in the San Juan Basin, where the high desert plateau to the west meets the Rocky Mountains, and adjacent to the 3-million-acre San Juan National Forest to the north and east. Native Americans, including the Diné Bikéyah (Navajo), Pueblos, and Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) peoples, who inhabited this area long before white settlers arrived were drawn to the warm, bubbling waters of the geothermal hot springs along the San Juan River. The name Pagosa comes from the Ute word meaning “smelly water” or “healing water.”

When gold was discovered in the surrounding San Juan mountains in 1860, prospectors and settlers flooded in. By 1878, Fort Lewis was established at the springs in order to protect settlers from tribes in the area. The construction of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1881, which passed 30 miles to the south, spurred settlements further afield. The town of Pagosa Springs, buffeted by the nearby railroad construction, grew around Fort Lewis and was incorporated in 1891, after Fort Lewis was moved west. Word spread far and wide amongst settlers about the hot springs, and visitors began to arrive around this time, but logging and ranching were the primary industries here. Both received a major boost when the Railroad constructed an extension reaching all the way to Pagosa Springs in 1990. By the 1920s, however, most of the easily accessible timber had been logged, and the subsequent Great Depression drove many out of the area to larger towns in search of work. It became a relatively sleepy town until the 1970s, when land developers began touting the scenery and hot springs to newcomers. Today, it primarily caters to tourists, popular both with outdoor recreationists and springs-seekers.

Pagosa Springs combines a relaxed, small-town atmosphere with abundant outdoor recreation, plenty of services, excellent soaking. and fantastic scenery for a unique experience on any CDT adventure.

Information courtesy of Archuleta County and the Pagosa Springs Visitor Center.