Pagosa Springs, Colorado | Ultimate Summer Travel Guide

When traveling to Pagosa Springs in the summer, there are a few must-see, must-do and must-eat places in town. But just 30-45 minutes outside of downtown, that's where the true hidden gems are found.

Before we get into the details, here's your must-have Pagosa Springs itinerary:

1. Get your groceries and necessary supplies in Pagosa Springs.
2. Stay at Dancing Winds Ranch cabins for at least 3 nights (5 is our preferred minimum).
3. Enjoy downtown Pagosa Springs activities for one day while staying at the cabin.

Don't get me wrong — Pagosa Springs, Colorado does have some fun things to do. But we've traveled all over Colorado every year for an annual road trip tradition, and visited a new place every single time. So to be honest, there are many amazing places in Colorado that we would much rather experience regularly or recommend other than Pagosa Springs...

...until we came across the cabins at Dancing Winds Ranch.

Dancing Winds Ranch

Even though it's bit of a trek driving on a gravel road half an hour outside of town, it is still considered Pagosa Springs. When we drove all the way out there in 2020 to hike Piedre River Trail, we stumbled across three quaint little rustic cabins with the most beautiful mountain views surrounding it. We immediately looked it up online and discovered the prices were very affordable considering the value you get, so we knew we had to stay there the next time we came to Pagosa Springs.

Flash forward one year later for our annual Colorado road trip in 2021, we decided to go back to Pagosa Springs for the sole purpose of staying at these cabins. 

Once we stayed 3 nights here, it became official — it was going to be our new traditional spot to come stay at. We could probably stay there forever, but 5 nights would be an absolute minimum for us next time (if not a full week). 

This remote, zero cell phone signal, occasional spotty wifi was the real unplugging we needed.

Many hours were spent just sitting on the front porch in rustic rocking chairs just enjoying this view. And finding simple entertainment by the several hummingbirds that constantly buzzed by, fighting to become king of the sugar water feeder.

We fed beautiful horses, read a book, worked on a puzzle, and got to know our neighbors — the good ole stuff being totally unplugged.

Just check out some of these views we got to enjoy.

If you plan on staying at these cabins, here's some of the amenities and supplies available, so you don't have to worry about packing your car to the brim or buying a bunch of things before heading to the middle of nowhere:

Cabin Amenities

• silverware
• cooking utensils
• plates, bowls, mugs, wine glasses
• gas stovetop (no convection oven)
• toaster oven (works great to bake small things)
• coffee pot and filters
• skillets and pots with covers
• microwave
• mini fridge
• gas fireplace
• kitchen towels, oven mitts
• cutting knives
• salt & pepper
• small TV
• bath and hand towels
• toilet paper
• kleenex
• paper towels
• blankets
• couch, arm chair, small dining table, dining chairs
• loft with 2 twins (ladder access)

Cabin doesn't have what you need? The likelihood of the pavilion having it is very high. 

Pavilion Amenities

• hot tub
• full-sized propane grill
• full-sized oven with stovetop
• 2 full-sized refrigerators with freezers
• Lots of cooking utensils, pots and pans
• Foil baking pans
• Foil, plastic wrap, ziploc bags
• Coffee filters
• Large dining table
• Wood burning fireplace
• Several rocking chairs
• Laundromat (not supposed to be used by guests, but ask the host!)
• Toaster
• Microwave
• Blender
• Matches/lighters
• Pitchers
• Bottle openers
• Vacuum, broom
• Trash bags
• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• and much more.

If there's something specific you need, just email them to ask and they can let you know if they already have it stocked for your use. 

Hiking in Pagosa Springs

The two hiking trails that we love are Piedra River Trail and Piedra Ice Fissures Trail. Both trailheads start off in the same area and are basically walking distance from Dancing Winds Ranch cabins (but driving is recommended). 

Piedra River Trail is a pretty easy, low elevation trail that has some beautiful scenery the first mile or two out. Apparently this river trail can go for about 12 miles one way, but we have only ever done the first couple miles and turned around. After the first mile, you'll cross a bridge and the rest of the time there's hardly any shade and it's mostly an open field, so not really worth continuing past the first couple miles out. 

Piedra Ice Fissures Trail starts at the same place as Piedra River Trail. This is a much shorter trail that basically goes up at the trailhead (and not really marked), but AllTrails will show this is the Ice Fissures Trail. There is some interesting caves / large and deep cracks along this trail so I don't recommend taking young children or unleashed dogs along this hike. Apparently during the cooler months, these caves are filled with ice, hence the name of the trail. But once you get to the end of the trail, the views are totally worth seeing. You'll see the Piedra River and Piedra River Trail below.

While we haven't been on these hikes yet, here are a few other highly recommended trails that will be next on our list when we visit Pagosa Springs again: Treasure Falls, Pagosa Peak Trail, Conejos River Trail, and others. Check out AllTrails app to determine which trails are best for you.

Downtown Pagosa Springs

On your day of driving back into town, here's a few recommended spots to enjoy your downtown visit.

• Happy Hour at Rosie's Pizzeria. Get a massive slice of cheese pizza and a happy hour drink. 
• Enjoy local brews (& grub) at Pagosa Brewing or Riff Raff Brewing Company.
• Take an unforgettable hot air balloon ride (with great prices) at Rocky Mountain Balloon Adventures. Bucket list item checked off!
• Relax in a hot spring with a day pass at The Springs Resort.

Then get back out to the remote cabin and soak in those views!