Pagosa Springs, Colorado: Winter Wonderland
We packed up the van and headed to Pagosa Springs for Christmas. My main goal for this trip was to see SNOW and play around in it with Olive as much as possible. My partner’s only goal was to snowboard - which I had never done. I have to say that we both accomplished our goal this trip and it was just as magical as I had hoped.
Pagosa Springs is about a 13 hour drive from Austin, which was a great because we could make it in one day and focus on spending as much time as possible there. We stayed at Motel SOCO. They are pet friendly, with great rooms, and even better staff. Everyone was so friendly and helpful during Christmas week with the restaurant closures and quickly plowing the parking lot.
The Ski lodge is about 45 minutes outside of town. Wolf Creek is known for its large snow falls each year and we were lucky enough to be in Pagosa Springs right before a snow storm. There was about 33 inches of fresh snow!
Treasure Falls is on the way to Wolf Creek. The hike to the fall is about 0.5 miles and relatively easy hike- minus the slipping around on the snow/ice. Seeing the waterfall frozen was very worth it though.
There are lots of different shops around town to rent snowshoes and cross country skis for a day of hiking if you want a break from skiing. There are a few trails that we looked into for snowshoeing, which were all within a short drive from town.
Since we had just gotten 30 inches of snow the day before, we decided to head towards Wolf Creek Ski Area. The trailhead is about 30 minutes from Pagosa Springs and the trail goes up to Raven’s Nest, which was where we got a slice of Pizza and warm coffee! It was really windy as we got higher elevation so we decided to head back down after our slice of pizza.
Frozen Lakes!!
There are lots of frozen lakes around Pagosa in December. There were a few options for ice skating if that’s what you’re interested in. Since we wanted to do more activities with Olive, we decided to find a more secluded lake to walk around on. About 15 minutes outside of town, we found this frozen lake that seemed to be ideal for ice fishing. We met a group of people that had lots of success while we were there. Just a heads up that if you do want to go fishing, you need a permit. Olive had so much fun running around on the lake.
Our Christmas day treat after a day of skiing was hanging out at the hot springs. The Springs Resort & Spa offers day passes so you can enjoy 24 hot springs at different temperatures. Your pass comes with a robe, lockers, and showers. They also have food and drinks on site so you can enjoy a refreshing drink and snacks while you’re in the springs. AAANNND if you really into cold plunge, you can jump into the river right from the springs for a very cold/refreshing change of temperature from the 90+ degree hot springs.
Where to Eat
Food Options are pretty limited specially during Christmas week but we still found lots of amazing options in town.
Thai Pagosa- I wanted to eat here every day. It’s a bit pricey but so worth it! surprisingly one of the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Order from the duck section! you won’t be disappointed.
Pagosa Brewing & Grill
ROOT House Coffee
We stopped here every morning for coffee. They have the cutest store with lots of great souvenirs and great coffee.
Kip’s Grill
Lots of options for Tacos! We sat at the bar and enjoyed conversation with the locals (and got lots of good tips for skiing and hiking around)
