Nathan's Hippy Dip Hot Spring

What to expect

Pagosa Springs is built around a large geothermal hot spring system, and almost all of that water is behind a ticket desk. Nathan’s Hippy Dip is the exception. It is a small group of rock-walled pools on the bank of the San Juan River in the middle of town, filled by warm runoff piped from the geothermal system and cooled by river water seeping in from the other side. You will also hear it called simply the hippie dip.

There is nothing built here. The walls are river cobbles stacked by visitors, the floor is sand and gravel, and the shape of the pools changes from year to year as the river rearranges them. The pool closest to the inflow pipe is the warmest. Visitor guides put it at about 104-105°F40-41°C when conditions are right. Each pool toward the river is cooler, and the river itself is cold, so you can move between hot and cold in a few steps.

The pools are shallow. Most people sit with the water around their waist or chest. Fine sand gets into everything, so wear an old swimsuit. Reviewers also mention green algae around the pipe outlet, which is normal for warm runoff but slippery underfoot.

It is not a quiet wilderness soak. You are next to a public trail and a few minutes from the busy resort strip, with people walking past and tubers floating by in summer. The appeal is that it is free and right in town.

Getting there

Pagosa Springs is on US 160, about 60 miles east of Durango and below Wolf Creek Pass to the northeast. US 160 runs through downtown as Pagosa Street.

From downtown, turn south onto Hot Springs Boulevard, which crosses the San Juan River and runs past the commercial bathhouses. Park in the free public lot by the river, across from the park area, then walk down to the riverbank. The pools sit along the San Juan Riverwalk, the paved trail that follows the river through town. OpenStreetMap marks them close to the resort strip, and the coordinates on this page come from that point.

From the parking area it is a walk of a few minutes, ending with a short scramble down the bank to the water’s edge. The bank can be muddy and the river rocks are uneven, so it is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.

When to go

River level controls everything here. When the San Juan is low, the pools hold their heat and the main pool runs hot. When the river is high, cold water spills over the rock walls and the pools can drop to lukewarm or disappear. A cyclist who soaked here in late May 2019 found the pool at 105°F41°C one night, then at 74°F23°C the next evening after warm weather sent more snowmelt down the river.

• Late summer to winter (roughly August to March) is usually the best window. The river is lower, and cold air makes the warm water feel better.
• Spring runoff (roughly April to June) is the worst time. Plan on a paid bathhouse instead.
• After big floods the pools may be gone entirely until visitors rebuild them. In October 2025, after days of heavy rain, the San Juan in Pagosa Springs reached a reported 55-year peak and flooded the riverside pools at The Springs Resort. Expect the rock pools to look different from older photos.

Time of day matters too. Mornings and afternoons are the calmest. Reviewers report that evenings and weekends get busier, and some say the evening crowd is less family-friendly.

Rules and etiquette

There is no operator and no posted rule board specific to the pools, so the usual public-space common sense applies:

• Wear a swimsuit. This is a town riverbank beside a public trail, not a clothing-optional spring.
• No glass. Broken glass in a sandy pool is a real hazard for bare feet.
• Pack out your trash. There are no bins at the water’s edge.
• No soap or shampoo in the pools.
• Share. The hot pool holds only a handful of people. If others are waiting, move to a cooler pool for a while.
• Leave the walls alone unless you are repairing storm damage. Moving rocks to make your pool hotter usually makes someone else’s colder.
• Keep dogs out of the water. Dogs on the bank are common, but not in a pool people are sitting in.

There are no toilets, changing rooms or showers at the pools. Use the facilities in town before you go.

Where to stay nearby

You can walk from most downtown lodging. Options within a few minutes:

• The Springs Resort & Spa, on Hot Springs Boulevard, has hotel rooms and many terraced soaking pools fed by the Mother Spring. See Pagosa Hot Springs (Mother Spring).
• Healing Waters Resort & Spa, also on Hot Springs Boulevard, is a smaller bathhouse that also offers lodging.
• Overlook Hot Springs Spa on Pagosa Street has rooftop tubs but no lodging.

Campers can head into the San Juan National Forest, which surrounds the town. Many Forest Service campgrounds are along US 160 toward Wolf Creek Pass and on the roads north of town. For a free soak with a hike, Piedra River Hot Springs is west of town.

Safety notes

• Fast water: The San Juan River runs fast and cold during runoff and after storms. Do not wade out of the pools into the main current, and keep children close to the bank.
• Hot inflow: The water from the pipe can be hotter than the pools. Test before you sit near it.
• Water quality: These are untreated, open pools fed by runoff and mixed with river water. After a flood, river water in town can carry mud and sewage, as happened in October 2025. Skip the soak if the pools look murky after high water, and keep your head out of the water.
• Footing: Algae, wet cobbles and a steep bank make slips the most likely injury. Water shoes help.
• Night soaks: People do soak after dark, but bring a light for the bank and do not go alone if you have been drinking.