Rainbow Hot Springs

Category: Hot Springs-soakable

GPS GeoCoords: 37.508483,-106.947490

Weather Forecast

East of Durango and Pagosa Springs in the Weminuche Wilderness Area, the Rainbow Trail leads to scenic hot springs pool. There are two man-made, sandy-bottom pools in the rock beside the river perfect for soaking in. While this strenuous 4 mile trek in through scenic wilderness, it is very popular and can be quite crowded on the weekends. Matter of fact, expect plenty of campers near the springs.

To reach the trailhead from Pagosa Springs, head northeast on US160 for about 16 miles. Watch for sign to West Fork Campground on the left (west) side. Turn left heading west on CR648 towards West Fork Campground and Borns Lake to the trailhead parking.

Start hiking up the trail past the Borns Lake community. This is a 4 mile one-way hike with about 1,000' of vertical. It is a difficult route combining old forest roads and very narrow ledge trails with a loose scree tread. The last mile can be the most difficult.
Keep in mind that the springs are not marked. Watch for the remanants of the fire rings about a half mile or so past the fork in the trail.

While most of the river crossings are bridged, the hot springs are submerged during the spring run-off.

Detailed Route:
Access off Hwy 160 at Wolf Creek Campground (37.435505, -106886148),
Drive up thru WC Campground and past West Fork Campground (1.9 mi @ 37.447667, -106.905489),
At 2.2 mi (37.449444, -106911548) take right onto unimproved FS road anc continue up to trailhead at 3.35 mi (37.460748, -106.921424). Park a little further up in the Born Lake Community.

Trail:
The trail is straight-firward, crossing several streams and creeks (most bridged). At 3.6 mi in (37.503813, -106939903) is the junction to a spur trail on the right going up to the CDT. Continue straight and arrive at the springs at around 4.2 miles. Look for the firerings and you will find them.