Top 5 Tips for Visiting Pagosa's Hot Springs!

I recently had the fortune of traveling again through Pagosa Springs this summer, and I decided to make good on a promise I made to myself in December…I would not leave Pagosa again without relaxing in the hot springs!

Pagosa Springs is definitely one of our favorite travel destinations. It’s worth a stop all on its own, but it’s also a good one-night-stop as you travel on to other equally awesome spots in the area! If you are coming from the south, the drive from Chama, NM to Pagosa is hard to beat…I pretty much get angry every time I see it! There’s so many things to do in the area and in the Western Slope in general! Click the links below if you want to check out other awesome things to do in the area!

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But anyway, back to the Hot Springs!

My sister-in-law, aka my PIC (partner in crime) for the day!

The Springs Resort & Spa is the featured picture, and it’s also the springs that my sister-in-law and I chose for our adventure. There are other businesses in the area where you can soak in hot springs, but The Springs is the best known and undeniably has the best location. All of their pools are located along the banks of the San Juan, which is kind of hard to beat!

When the river isn’t so high, the area I’m standing in is actually another pool!

The Spring’s website has a lot of very interesting information about the hot springs, including things like its history and even the water’s mineral content. (For those of you who get your rocks off reading about things like me, the website is here. It’ll tell you all the information about prices, hours, etc.) Out of all the minerals present in the water, sulfur is by far the largest percentage…so be prepared for the smell of rotten eggs! I washed the clothes I wore the next day and it still smelled like sulfur!

Directions:

If you were able to find your way to Pagosa Springs, then you cannot miss The Springs Resort & Spa. You come into town from the east or west on HWY 160 which takes you through downtown. The Springs is located directly across from the downtown strip. Cross the bridge on the east side and it is hardly a block from the bridge. In the winter the billows of steam will be a dead giveaway!

Top Tips for your visit:

If you are enjoying the springs in the summer, I would definitely wait to make your visit until the sun is just starting to set. It’s too hot in the middle of the day to actually enjoy sitting in boiling hot water. We went at about 4:30 in the afternoon, and I think we still could have easily waited another hour. The Springs Resort is open to the public’s use of the pools until 12:00 am in the summer, so there’s really no rush.
Make sure you bring something that you will keep on you that has your money. You’re gonna get thirsty real quick, and those overpriced drinks at the canteen will start to sound more and more reasonable!
Don’t worry about missing out on the 5 pools that are only included with a hotel stay. They are gated off and actually looked more crowded than most of the pools we lounged in!
Prepare yourself for the strong smell of sulfur! It really didn’t bother me personally…in fact, I was used to it pretty quick! But I have heard others say that it bothered them. You don’t want to spend $30 to complain about the smell the whole time, so go ahead and accept that it’s gonna happen!
Don’t be afraid to try the really hot pools! Life is all about experiences! (That being said, the hottest pool there was absolutely unbearable…but I did get my feet in there!) You’ll recognize the hottest pools from afar because everyone will be sitting around it with their feet in – not in it!

Just testing the waters before jumping in!

Being the frugal people that we are, my sister-in-law and I opted for the Silver Pass. $30 includes an unlimited time of soaking (with no re-entry) and a towel and locker rental. If you bring your own towel and carry your stuff in a bag with you, you could gain entry for $26, which is your bottom of the barrel cheapest option. I would for sure get the locker for an extra $2 because you don’t want to lug your stuff from pool to pool while you’re trying to relax!

In the center of the pools is a canteen, which serves drinks of all kinds! You’ll find that you are very thirsty after….well…not long at all, actually, so plan on bringing your money with you to the pools!

Each pool has its own name, and workers went around periodically taking the temperature of the water. The pools all have their own source of water from the hot spring, and they all have a channel for overflow to go out into the San Juan river. This ensures that the water is always being circulated and doesn’t become stagnant, which was a definite plus for me!