Fall is the annual start of “soaking season” in Pagosa Springs, bringing with it an increase in tourism and helping to sustain the economy in the southwestern Colorado town. But historic flooding this week closed highways and bridges, threatened infrastructure and caused millions of dollars in damage to some downtown homes and businesses.
On Wednesday, though, all three of Pagosa Springs’ established hot springs resorts were open with their pools filled with water from the Mother Spring aquifer, which was unaffected by the floodwaters, according to Jesse Hensle, vice president of marketing for The Springs Resort. The Mother Spring, certified by Guinness World Records as the “world’s deepest,” measures 1,002 feet and is rich in minerals such as sodium, lithium, potassium, and magnesium.
At the height of the flood on Tuesday, a few riverside pools at The Springs Resort, the town’s largest resort with 50 soaking pools, were temporarily closed. Guests were still able to use the higher-elevation pools; some even watched as fallen trees rushed down the river through town, Hensle added. The Springs Resort underwent a major expansion last spring, adding 25 riverfront pools.
“Of our 50 pools, 25 are our Original Pools, which are terraced lower along the river. Ten of these were temporarily submerged during the storm. The remaining pools, either terraced higher or built above ground, were not affected. Our 25 Wellness Pools remained open throughout the storms, allowing guests to enjoy them without interruption,” he explained in an email.
Maintenance crews have since “cleaned, dried, and reopened all areas that were impacted by flooding,” he said, except for two pools, known as The Lobster Pot, which was washed over, and The Crick, a small pool connected to the river. Both are expected to reopen soon, possibly as early as Thursday, once the water recedes and the pools can be refilled with spring water. It will be a few more days before guests can take cold plunges in the river, however, which is still running fast.
“I’m just waiting to throw a drone up in the air and show that all of the pools are open, crystal clear and clean,” Hensle said.
Healing Waters Resort & Spa, which features rustic cabins and mineral pools, as well as Overlook Hot Springs Spa, which has a Victorian-style bathhouse and rooftop soaking pools, were both unaffected by the flood.
It will also take more time before the town’s free “hippie dip” hot springs are ready and safe for soaking. Those are the naturally heated pools along the river that people can use whenever the river is low enough.
Jennifer Green, executive director of Visit Pagosa Springs, said the flooding was an anomaly. Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Storm Raymond, which were both in the Pacific, dropped 526% of the normal October rainfall in the area around southwestern Colorado, according to National Resources Conservation Service data.
“It was a very temporary situation,” Green said.
Before the heavy rain began on Oct. 10, the San Juan River was running at a mild 70 cubic feet per second, she explained. After the second surge on Monday evening, the river was raging at 8,400 cubic feet per second.
Plans for Hot Springs Fest 2025, set for Nov. 7–9 at the town’s three resorts, remain on schedule and were not affected by the flood, Hensle said. Scheduled events include a Robe Parade, “Warrior Plunges” into the chilly San Juan River, wellness events and more.