Pinkerton Hot Springs

What to expect

Pinkerton Hot Springs is a roadside curiosity, not a place to soak. If you are planning a trip around this listing, read that line twice. There is no pool, no tub and nowhere to sit in hot water. What you get is a mound of rocks beside US 550, streaked orange, rust and yellow, with warm water seeping out of the top and trickling down its sides. On a cold morning it steams like a small volcano.

The spring is real. The mound is not natural. According to the local accounts we found, the Colorado Department of Transportation built a drainage system around 2000 to carry the spring water across the highway, and the outlet pipe was surrounded with a pile of rocks. One source dates the work to 2001. Since then, minerals in the water have coated and stained the stones, which is why the pile looks like a travertine formation that has been there for centuries. Sources describe the water as carrying calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate and iron. The iron is behind the orange color.

Reported temperatures vary. One local account says the water emerges at about 95-110°F35-43°C, and a 2026 travel article gives about 95-105°F35-41°C. Either way, it cools fast as it spreads thinly over the rocks. You can dip a hand or toes into the runoff. That is as far as it goes.

It is worth a stop if you are driving between Durango and Silverton anyway. Most people spend five or ten minutes, take a photo of the steam, and drive on.

Getting there

The spring is on US Highway 550 north of Durango, in La Plata County. Sources put it at about 13, 14 or 15 miles from Durango. The listed address is 35554 US-550.

• From Durango: Drive north on US 550 (Main Avenue becomes the highway as you leave town) past the Animas Valley and the turnoff for the Durango Hot Springs area. Keep going north. The mound and a small dirt pull-off are on the right (east) side of the highway as you head toward Silverton. There is no advance highway sign, but the steaming orange mound is easy to see.
• From Silverton or Purgatory: Head south on US 550. The pull-off will be on your left, so watch for oncoming traffic before you turn across.

The pull-off is small, with room for a few cars and an information sign. US 550 is a fast, busy two-lane highway here. Slow down well before the turn, pull fully off the road, and watch children and dogs near the traffic.

One travel guide places the mound on the west side of the highway. The other sources we checked, and the map point on this page, put it on the east side.

When to go

The pull-off is open around the clock, every day of the year.

Cold mornings in fall and winter are the best time to see it. The air is cold enough that the warm water steams heavily, and the colors stand out against snow. In summer the steam is faint and the mound can look like a wet rock pile.

Daylight matters more than season. The pull-off is right on the highway, and stopping there after dark is not a good idea.

Rules and etiquette

There is no fee, no gate and no staff.

• Do not climb the mound. The rocks are slick with mineral deposits, and climbing damages the formation that makes the site worth seeing.
• Stay at the pull-off. One source notes that the surrounding property is home to the Colorado Timberline Academy, a boarding school. Respect fences and private land.
• Do not drink the water or let pets drink it.
• Pack out trash. There are no bins.

History

The springs are named after James Pinkerton, an early settler in the Animas Valley who is often called Judge Pinkerton. Accounts agree that he developed the hot water as a draw for visitors in the late 1800s, though the details vary. Sources describe a spa with a hotel and pool, a resort known as Pinkerton-in-the-Pines, and spring water bottled for sale and drunk for its supposed health benefits. One source dates his homestead to 1875. Later the hotel burned, and the resort was abandoned. Sources give conflicting dates for the fire and for later attempts to revive the property.

What survives on the highway today is the spring outflow and CDOT’s rock pile, plus an information sign at the pull-off.

Where to stay nearby

There is no camping or lodging at the site.

• Durango, about 13-15 miles south, has the full range of hotels, motels and restaurants.
• Durango Hot Springs Resort + Spa, the rebuilt Trimble Hot Springs, is a few miles south in the Animas Valley. It is the place to go if you actually want to soak.
• Purgatory Resort and the lodges around it are farther north on US 550, toward Coal Bank and Molas passes.
• San Juan National Forest campgrounds are spread along US 550 north of Durango. Check the Forest Service for which are open and whether they take reservations.

Safety notes

• Traffic: The main hazard here is the highway, not the water. Pull fully off the road and keep kids and dogs away from the edge of the pavement.
• Slippery rocks: Wet mineral crust makes the mound slick. Do not climb it.
• Hot water: It can be warm enough to sting where it comes out. Test with a finger first.
• Untested water: Do not drink it, and do not let pets drink it.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs up the Animas Valley alongside much of this stretch of US 550, and you may see the train from the highway. North of Pinkerton, the road climbs past Purgatory toward Coal Bank Pass and on to Silverton. A short stop at Pinkerton fits easily into that drive, followed by a proper soak at Durango Hot Springs on the way back south.