![]() ![]() Please respect the outdoors!Īs your relaxing in the Piedra River Hot Springs, keep in mind how much downhill there was to get here. So please abide by the principle of pack it in and pack it out! Keep this area clean and in it’s natural state. I saw towels, old swimsuits and of course beer cans and candy wrappers. The one unfortunate aspect to this area is the trash. You can even see to the bottom of many of these pools. Lots of rocks and overall clearer water, not as much mulch and mud. These springs are cleaner than the ones at Rainbow Hot Springs. And of course, you can always cool off in the Piedra River. Which after sitting in the warmer pools, feels quite nice. ![]() Closer to the river and it quickly drops down into the 80’s and even 70’s. When sitting in the pools, you’ll definitely hit some hot spots where the rocks and mud underneath are very, very hot.īut overall, the pools furtherest from the river are easily in the low 100’s. The temperatures are very comfortable and even too hot at times. ![]() But you can easily lay down in them and be completely covered by the hot water. Now the pools at Piedra River Hot Springs are not deep. And from here, you’ll have your choice of many pools whose temperature is regulated by how much of the river is flowing into the pools. Off to your left by the river are the Piedra River Hot Springs. You’ll come upon a short little climb and then enter an open area surrounded by huge pines. But to get to the hot springs, you’ll again divert to the right instead of this little campfire area.įrom here, you’ll parallel the Piedra River for another half mile. This is where Sheep’s Creek Trail continues on for another five miles or so. If you go straight, you’ll end up at a nice little spot for a campfire. You’ll hit some steep switchbacks over the next quarter mile where you’ll come out into a meadow near the river. But look for the cairns and sticks placed on the ground that divert you to the right. About halfway in, you’ll hit a point where it seems like you’ll want to go straight. There’s a couple of spots that can lead you astray if you’re not careful. The trail is a part of the Sheep Creek Trail until you reach the river. You can reach the springs in under 45 minutes easy. You start off at nearly 7,500 ft and end up at 6,880 where the springs are located. This is a deceiving hike because it’s nothing but downhill for the first mile. The hike itself starts off at the trailhead. There’s lots of available parking here and a couple dispersed campsites nearby. About 7 miles down the road, you’ll see a sign for the Sheep Creek Trailhead. Be sure to slow down and take it easy on these parts. While the dirt road is in relatively good shape, there are some blind corners with exposure. You’ll turn north on First Fork Road or FS 622, which parallels the Piedra River. To get to the trailhead from downtown Pagosa, you’ll head west on Highway 160 for about 20 miles. But even if there are others around, there’s plenty of pools along the river to help spread folks out. If you go during the week during the off season, chances are you may have the Piedra River Hot Springs to yourself. ![]() It’s perfect for a quick afternoon get-a-way with enough distance from downtown Pagosa Springs that it’s usually not super crowded. Piedra River Hot Springs or Sheep Creek Hot Springs as some call it, is probably one of the easier primitive hot springs that you can find here in the beautiful state of Colorado. ![]()
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