Year-Round Activities

Fly Fishing

With 6,000 miles of streams and more than 1,300 lakes and reservoir​s, fishing in Colorado gives you the opportunity to catch fish among 35 speci​es of warm-water and cold-water fish. Here in Pagosa Springs, the trout of the San Juan River are waiting for you. Go out on your own for river or lake fishing in Pagosa country, or call and book a fly-fishing tour guided by Wilderness Journeys Outfitters or Wolf Creek Anglers.

Chaco Culture National Park

Egypt has its pyramids. Peru is home to Machu Picchu. And in the United States, we have the towering multi-storey apartment-like buildings of the Ancestral Puebloan people. Showcasing feats of engineering not seen anywhere else in the American Southwest, Chaco Canyon was a major center for thousands of people between 850 and 1250 A.D., including an ancient urban ceremonial center. Explore this extraordinary site through guided tours, hiking & biking trails, evening campfire talks, and night sky programs.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

Follow the migration journey to the distant past of the Ancestral Pueblo people. Walk the half-mile trail through Aztec Ruins, explore a 900-year old ancestral Pueblo “Great House” of more than 400 masonry rooms and the reconstructed Great Kiva (a circular ceremonial chamber), and see how these ancient peoples built their homes in the desert. In use for more than 200 years by these remarkable people, the ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Mesa Verde National Park

Join Wilderness Journeys for a trip back in time to the ancient Native American cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here for more than 700 years and built entire villages in the sides of the cliffs. Meaning “green table” in Spanish, Mesa Verde protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings (some of the best preserved in the country), including the Cliff Palace, an architectural masterpiece by any standard. A breathtaking archaeological treasure hidden in grand desert cliffs.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

An authentic steam-operated railroad and National Historic Landmark, the Cumbres & Toltec is a remnant of the spirit that won the West. Built in 1880, when coal-fired steam engines traveling at 12 miles per hour were the state-of-the-art fastest way to travel, as part of the San Juan Extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Its path through steep mountain canyons, high desert, and deep gorges are rare Western scenery which can only be viewed from the train’s unique route. And at 10,015 feet, Cumbres Pass is the highest mountain pass reached by rail in the United States. This is the stuff of adventure novels, an engineering feat of its time.

Wildlife Viewing

Wildlife viewing opportunities are abundant in the Pagosa Springs area and almost guaranteed if you venture off the beaten path, whether on a hike or during a scenic drive into the surrounding national forest.

Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

A coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive adventure that follows the tracks of miners, cowboys and settlers of the Old West from more than a hundred years ago. Operating out of its original 1882 depot in Durango, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad winds its way through spectacular scenery and breathtaking canyons in the remote wilderness of the two-million-acre San Juan National Forest. Embark on a tour through the best Colorado has to offer, including an incredible winter journey to Cascade Canyon.

Thingamajig Theater Company

Take in a Thingamajig Theatre Company show at Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts. Presenting professional theater featuring artists from across the country, in musicals, comedies, dramas and new works year-round, Thingamajig also puts on free summer concerts series.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, home to Thingamajig Theatre Company, is currently closed to the public and their most recent theatre seasons have been cancelled.

Craft Microbreweries

With three breweries and a locally owned taphouse, Pagosa Springs has a drink to match your thirst. If you are visiting and in the mood for craft beverages, brewed locally, Pagosa Springs has you covered- be sure to check out America’s first Geothermal Powered beer too.