Ah, hot springs… There’s really nothing quite like it. Especially after a long day of travelling or hiking, or heck even if you didn’t do anything all day! It’s still a great way to relax and rejuvenate.
While there are tons of hot spring pools that you can visit in Pagosa Springs, these are definitely not your options, as there’s a number of “primitive” hot springs also around the town.
Primitive hot springs, if you’re not familiar with the term, basically just means that area of hot springs haven’t been commercialized yet, and is accessible to the public out in nature, usually via a short hike.
The Piedra River Hot Springs is a popular primitive hot spring, just a little west of Pagosa Springs and east of Durango, with the closest little town being Piedra. It features amazing views of the Piedra River and surrounding mountains with the Rocky Mountain Range like Baldy Mountain, Horse Mountain and Devil Mountain. The pools itself sit adjacent to the freezing cold Piedra River, which makes these pools so much more fascinating!
How to Get to Piedra River Hot Springs
The small town of Piedra, which is the closest town to these springs, is about a 45 minute drive west of Pagosa Springs. Once you get to the town of Piedra via US-160, turn off onto Usfs 622 onto what will become a 30-45 minute ride on a fairly narrow and bumpy road. The hot springs are accessible via the Sheep Creek Trailhead, which will be just off the left/west side of Usfs 622.
Depending on what type of vehicle you have, this can be considered “off-roading,” as the roads were quite bumpy and uneven at times, so if you’re a low-clearance vehicle, just be mindful of that. it can also get a little narrow, so there may be times where you’ll have to pull off to the side for oncoming traffic/vehicles. With that being said, we made it through with a campervan just fine. We just had to take out time with – it’s all a part of the journey!
As you approach the trailhead, if you’re looking for a big sign that says Piedra River Hot Springs, you won’t find it. But if you take a look at the guest log at the beginning of Sheep Creek Trail, you’ll see that a lot of people have written this hot springs as their “reason/purpose of trip.” So this is one way to double-check if you’re in the right place!
When we were there, there were only 2 other vehicles in the parking area itself. On a busier day, it can probably fit about 8-10 vehicles.
About the Hike
The hike starts off with a fairly steep descent into the creek towards the river. Once you hit the river, you’ll want to turn right and continue on the path along the river. There is a path that also goes left along the river towards Sheep Creek, but if you’re looking for hot springs specifically, make sure to turn right.
You’ll want to keep going about another 0.5 mile (0.8km) until you see a clearing of trees, where there should be several small rock pools down below in the river. This might take a little bit of trial and error, but the water should be steaming and HOT when you get there.
Most places you read about this hike say that the pools are about 1.5 miles (2.4km) into the hike, however according to our Fitbit, it was more like 2 miles (3.2km) to get to the actual pools. So if you’ve gone past the 1.5 mile mark and still don’t see the springs, know that you might have to go a little further.
This was definitely us — very confused at the 1.5 mile mark and not seeing or feeling a warm body of water anywhere.
The way back will be the same one as you came down in, except this time everything will be uphill. Be sure to give yourself some time to get back to your vehicle before the sun goes down.
About the Pools
The hot springs are made up of various little rock pools, some that will be big enough for you to get into and others just deep enough for you to dip your feet in. When we went, the temperatures were slightly varied among the pools – most likely due to the adjacent river. We went in the middle of September and found a pool that went all the way to about 105º F/40º C, so SUPER HOT.
Because these are primitive hot springs, they will likely change over time and may be different each time you go. What’s cool about this is that you have the flexibility to move around these rock pools so that you find the right depth, temperature, etc. that’s perfect for you!
Don’t be afraid to dip your hands/feet in a few of them, and play around until you get one that’s just right for you.
Once you find/create the right one, kick back, relax, and open up that beverage of choice! It’s an amazing feeling to just soak in and take in the gorgeous backdrop of magnificent forest and mountains around you. It never ceases to amaze how beautiful nature is.
Overall – this was a great alternative activity to do near Pagosa Springs, and ended up being one of our favourite days on our Colorado/Utah trip. I’ve heard multiple people say that when they went, they were the only ones there (just like we were), so that’s also definitely a bonus!
Have you gone to a natural hot spring before? How about a primitive one? How was the experience, and would you do it again? I’d love to know below!
-Ev
