PaGosaLodge.com
Title
Pagosa Lodge, Pagosa Springs Premier Accommodations
Description
Located in the midst of the San Juan Mountains, the Weminuche wilderness, and at the edge of the Continental Divide at an altitude of 7,052 feet, Pagosa Springs is a unique and unspoiled mountain community which combines history, spectacular scenery, and old fashioned hospitality and the congeniality of country living. Pagosa grew to be a town through trading and ranching, and later was a center for mining and timber. Located in the center of town is a remarkable hot springs, the source of which is called Pagosa (Pag-O-sah) in one of the original Native American languages, the largest and hottest of all the mineral hot springs in North America. Visitors have come to the area just to experience and enjoy the therapeutic qualities of the remarkable waters of this springs. The town extends along the San Juan River, which has its source at the foot of Wolf Creek Pass. The original town has now grown to the West to include the Pagosa Lakes area, and is the center for all of Archuleta County which contains many working ranches, farms, as well as thriving local businesses of all kinds including many fine restaurants, art galleries, shops which carry local and regional crafts, and merchandise of all kinds.
The region is renowned for some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado, steep mountain passes, high alpine meadows, pine and fir forests, lakes, rivers, and streams which are filled with gold medal trout, and wilderness that extends for hundreds of miles on every side. Trails, Forest Service and private campgrounds, and stocked lakes and streams, and the vast stretches of unspoiled natural beauty provide unparalleled wilderness recreation year round. In the summer cultural and historic events in Pagosa and the area provide many attractions for visitors including the annual Fiesta, the Four Corners Folk Festival, the Fourth of July Carnival and Arts and Crafts Festival and ColorFest and WinterFest, two annual town celebrations that include mass ascensions of a fleet of colorful hot air balloons. In the winter, the Wolf Creek Ski area at the top of Wolf Creek Pass offers some of the best skiing in all of Colorado, and has the most snow of any ski area, 465 natural inches. Located at an elevation of 10,300 feet with a summit elevation of 11, 904 feet, the ski area has 1600 skiable acres and a vertical drop of 1,604 feet, and a comfortable crowd capacity of 4,200 skiers, and a lift capacity of 8,280. OF the 50 ski trails, 45% are Expert/Advanced, 35% are Intermediate and 20% are Beginner, with 5 lifts including the new Alberta Lift. The fantastic skiing at Wolf Creek brings eager visitors to Pagosa Springs all winter long, and many return year after year after experiencing the friendly welcome of our town and the great skiing in the unspoiled and natural beauty of Wolf Creek.
For those who enjoy exploring history and culture heritage sites, Pagosa is surrounded by ancient native American, Anasazi, early Spanish, Pioneer and mining history. The remarkable ruins of early Puebloean culture at Chimney Rock, Mesa Verde, and other regional centers show the thousands of years of civilized heritage in our area. Ghost towns, mine buildings and sites are located at Summitville, Creede, north in Silverton and Ouray, in Durango and elsewhere nearby. There are two of the few remaining historic narrow gauge steam railroads still operating within easy drive of Pagosa: the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad which travels between Chama and Antonito. Both operate in the summer and visitors can enjoy the combined enjoyment of riding the historic trains and also seeing unspoiled and spectacular scenery. Local outfitters can take you on jeep tours, or by horseback into the wilderness to visit these historic sites, or you can enjoy a self-guided adventure of your own design and making.
