Pagosa Springs, Colorado
- bradleighmartin
- Oct 7, 2020
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2020
My boyfriend and I spent a week in Colorado. We started out in Pagosa Springs and ended the trip in Denver. Continue reading to find out about all of the amazing restaurants to eat at and fun activities to do in several different cities in Colorado!
Well, this is our second time in a matter of months traveling to Colorado. My boyfriend and I love this state so much there is always something to do or somewhere to explore or somewhere new to find! We drove 9.5 hours from Canton, Oklahoma to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The drive is not that bad and always seems to go by so fast. His parents rented an Airbnb for four nights in Pagosa Springs. I have never been to this city before so it was fun to explore a new place! This town is home to the hot springs and is located in southwest Colorado, only an hour from Durango. In this town you can hike, bike, float the San Juan River, soak in the hot springs, or visit a brewery. This town was pretty quiet during the week, but on weekends the crowds show up. Pagosa Springs is very family-friendly with so many different activities to choose from.
We started the trip by heading to the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park which was located 15 minutes from Pagosa Springs. We decided to go on the feeding tour to watch them talk about the animals while also giving them snacks. The tour cost $10 a person and lasted around an hour long. This tour is a walking tour so come prepared for the gravel road and weather! The tour was very informational and the group was engaging and asked lots of questions. Below are just a few pictures of the many animals that were there! Some of their animals were rescues who came from people who had them as pets and some came from other zoos or facilities due to overcrowding or shutdown.
Our Airbnb was located in a wonderful quiet neighborhood. We went on walks every morning and it was very close to the Pagosa Springs Golf Course. We bought fishing poles and bait when we arrived because we were excited to go trout fishing! The San Juan River located directly into town was the perfect spot. This river is often crowded with tourists, but if you are willing to drive around or walk you can find a good spot. This river is also used for floating. A lot of families during the summer rent tubes
across the street and spend a whole day on the water. At the bottom, I have listed a link to Pagosa Springs where you can find out about all the activities to do while in town! FYI if you notice Lake Pagosa on a map and think you can fish there you indeed cannot. It is a private lake in the neighborhood. There are several breweries located here and we decided to try the Riff Raff Brewing Company. The food was so good we went twice!! On the first visit, I ordered the green chili bacon cheese fries and a sangria. This sangria was different from one I had ever had. It was made with brown sugar and cinnamon!! Something I would make during the holidays it was that delicious! So if you are a red sangria kind of person I would make sure to give this a try! Also on the menu is a burger called The Big Lambowski made with lamb, a cucumber feta relish, and a lemon oregano aioli. It was so good and such a different burger to order! If you like lamb and cucumbers I would give this a try! I also tried the chicken salad sandwich which was amazing. I honestly do not have anything negative to say about this restaurant!!
During the trip, we fished every single day. We went online to buy a three-day fishing pass! It was around $25. We tried different spots along the river, but only caught a few fish then released them back. It was fun to try because we never trout fish unless in Colorado! We decided to take off and try to find a hiking trail in South Fork, Colorado which was located 16 miles from Pagosa Springs. We decided to go to Treasure Falls which I had found using the app, All Trails. I always use this app when in Colorado! You can find any trails ranked from easy to difficult. I always try to find a hike that is only a couple of miles, but with awesome views! Treasure Falls is located off Highway 160 where you will find a small parking lot. I would try to get here early or else you will end up parking along the side of the highway. You can either get out and hike or observe the waterfall from the observation site in the parking lot. The waterfall is 105 feet high and flows into Falls Creek which is apart of the San Juan River. The hiking trail is a dirt road that is about 1/4 of a mile long. This trip can take around 30-45 minutes. Once you have arrived at the waterfall it is beautiful. The water was not flowing as much as I thought it would, but I think if you came here to visit after a good rain it would be amazing. Below are some pictures I took during the hike! It is a view of the waterfall! I think this hike was definitely worth the trip!
We found The Lost Cajun located right on the main strip of Pagosa Springs. This restaurant hit the spot! Each person at our table ordered something different. The portion sizes were huge and did not disappoint. We shared the red beans and rice and the crawfish etouffee. It was really good red beans and rice! I also tried the very buttery lobster bisque. We ordered beignets to go for dessert and they were splendid! I had never tried one before! Next on our list was the famous Malt Shoppe located along the San Juan River downtown. They serve anything from hamburgers and sandwiches to chili and ice cream. They are famous for their malt ice cream so I would recommend arriving early because the line does form outside the window and down the parking lot!
After checking out of the Airbnb we decided to stay another day so we booked a room at Motel Soco. This is a modern retro lodge that has live music and food trucks. The hotel sits on four acres and includes a fire pit, axe throwing, a café, and food trailers! We booked a king size room for around $115 plus tax. The room was nicely done and decorated, not like your typical motel! The rooms do not have air conditioning so being the middle of July we did sleep with the windows open. We decided to go to the bar on property and order tacos from the food truck. It was great because you can just walk from your room to the bar and food. They have plenty of tables for guests to sit outside and enjoy! I would stay here again! Next door to the motel was a small restaurant called MEE Hmong Cuisine. The dishes are blends of different dishes found in hosting countries of Hmong migration. So regions around China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. We ordered the spring rolls as the appetizer, I ordered the sushi bowl, and my boyfriend ordered the ribs. The restaurant was fairly priced but did cost us around $40-$50 to eat. This was by far my favorite sushi bowl I had tried in a long time! It was huge!
We decided to head off to Denver that day, a 5-hour drive, 277 miles. We stayed in a friend's guesthouse for a few days and got to explore around Denver and Estes Park! It was about a 10-minute drive from the guesthouse to downtown Denver. It was not very busy so parking was easy. We decided to take a look around the arts district, RiNO. This community is vibrant and creative with galleries, studios, and graffiti on walls. While walking the streets of Denver we stopped by a German brewery called, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, where we sat outside on their beautifully turfed outdoor patio and ordered drinks. They had an array of German food and drinks, I ended up ordering a beermosa. We did not go inside the brewery, but I think this would be a great place to hang out with friends and play games!
The next stop was a restaurant called The Grateful Gnome, a sandwich shop and brewery. This shop had an extensive menu with any sandwich you could think of along with a create your own section. They also offered flights of beer to try as well. I ordered a grilled cheese with bacon and a Caprese salad, I am a sucker for a good grilled cheese! We had so much fun exploring Denver for a few days now it was time for our next stop! We packed up the next morning to head to Estes Park, located 65 miles from Denver. The drive took us about an hour and a half with scenic views along the way.
When I was younger we would take trips to Estes Park for family reunions so I was excited to be back! I was thrilled to be going to the Rocky Mountain National Forest, where I had planned to hike all day and take stunning pictures, but little did I know you needed a reservation to visit and it was sold out for the day. Ugh, the one time I do not research a place before visiting! Once into town we drove around and decided to stop at a little Mexican restaurant. We were able to be seated at the bar right away where we ordered avocado margaritas. They were to DIE for! I had never tried one before and they said it was a favorite on their menu. If you like sherbet or key lime pie THIS is the drink for you! Tasted like dessert! We ordered the bison tacos and the steak street tacos to share and they were so good! It was a ton of food because it also came with rice and beans! This place was perfect and I would recommend visiting when in town! They even offer curbside takeout with a pickup window where I saw a lot of avocado margaritas being taken to go!
Since we could not visit the Rocky Mountain National Park the bartender suggested we checkout the Roosevelt National Forest. A scenic drive that would take you back down the mountain and out of town. We spent hours driving around and stopping along the way to take pictures and check out the scenery. As we drove out of the cities we stopped in Boulder just to check it out before heading back to Oklahoma. We walked around for about an hour and explored the shops that they had in town, bought some souvenirs, and went on our way. I will never forget this trip and I am so glad we added on an extra few days to explore and see places we have never seen before! I know this post is a long read, but I did not want to leave anything out! All the websites are linked at the bottom including our Airbnb and restaurants.
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