![]() This is the mountains, however, so the beer garden is less popular in winter. “Relaxing” only partly describes the experience of enjoying one of the eight or more beers on tap while sitting in the Colorado sun, or enjoying a spot in the shade, while the San Juans jut into the clouds in the distance. on the west side of town offers perhaps the finest beer garden in Colorado. Have a beerįor many hikers and athletes, nothing puts the cap on a day of exertion like a cold beer. ![]() If you want to add a little history to your hike, stop by the ancient American Indian site of Chimney Rock, 20 miles west of town, where you can take a guided tour of the mesa that 1,000 years ago was an important spiritual site for the Anasazi people. Or visit a much more remote waterfall, Fourmile Falls. Or take a shorter, more kid-friendly stroll to Treasure Falls, the 105-foot waterfall along Wolf Creek Pass. Or go farther and link up with the Continental Divide Trail, which runs along the spine of the continent. You can explore the rugged San Juans for a few hours, a few weeks or a lifetime.įrom the West Fork trailhead near Wolf Creek Pass, take a long day or short backpack trip 4 miles each way to Rainbow Hot Springs, where natural warm pools wait along the west fork of the San Juan River. The Weminuche Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in Colorado, is just a few miles’ drive down the many forest roads accessed by U.S. To call Pagosa a “hiker’s paradise” is an understatement. The crowds are gone in winter and the air is so cold that steam shrouds the pools. Wrap up your day of skiing with a soak in the hot springs. Its steep runs that require short hikes are legendary, and for those who love to ski the trees, two-thirds of the mountain is trackless forest that will give you a feeling of backcountry solitude.Īnd did we mention the lift tickets are among the cheapest in Colorado, $54 for an adult last season? In the 2011-12 season it received twice the snowfall of most other Colorado ski areas. Wolf Creek Ski Area, about 20 miles away, boasts that it gets the most snow in Colorado, and that’s usually right. And if you ski or snowboard, that’s the best time. You’ll find a very different Pagosa Springs experience if you visit in winter. The downside to staying near the hot springs is there is not much to eat or do within easy walking distance, as the development that has occurred outside of town has yet to spawn much urban renewal in the downtown itself. You can stay in the resort, which includes bath robes and 24-hour access to the pools, or save a little money and stay at one of the many hotels within walking distance. ![]() VIP upgrades are available, which give you access to a handful of more secluded pools. You can soak for $22, or for a little more get a pass that lets you come and go throughout the day. The Mother Spring is in The Guinness Book of World Records as the deepest hot spring aquifer, 1,002 feet. Landscaping gives many pools a natural, rocky setting. It’s distributed to pools ranging from pleasantly tepid to downright scorching. ![]() The 23 pools are fed by the Mother Spring, which gushes water to the surface at 120 to 140 degrees. The most popular destination is The Springs Resort & Spa in the heart of the few square blocks that constitutes downtown Pagosa Springs. You can relax along the San Juan River in the Pagosa Hot Springs, Photo Credit: Kirk Speer, Special to The Gazette Hot Springs ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |