Long touted as the largest and hottest natural mineral outflow in the world, the spring is often coveted for its healing and restorative qualities. Whether bathers suffer serious ailments, sore muscles or just wish to relax, a hot mineral-water soak may be just what the doctor ordered for weary Pagosa Country travelers.

Pagosa Springs residents and visitors now choose between three downtown bathing facilities that offer either indoor or outdoor pools, or both. Water temperatures vary between hot and … well … really hot, and overnight accommodations house guests at The Springs Resort and Spa Motel. The resort and motel are situated on either side of Hot Springs Boulevard (just south of U.S. 160), while the new Victorian-style Overlook Mineral Springs Spa is on Pagosa Street.

The area’s earliest explorers marveled at the Great Pagosa Hot Spring, renowned even then as a sacred site by the mountain-dwelling Ute Indians. An ancient Ute legend thus describes the origin of the spring:

A dreadful plague once devastated the clan, while obstructing the potions and power of tribal medicine men. Many tribal members were lost. To offer a plea to the gods, the people gathered on the banks of the San Juan River. There, they built a huge fire, prayed and danced to the point of exhaustion. Eventually, all fell fast asleep. In the morning, as they awakened, they discovered a pool of boiling water bubbling from beneath the coals of the ceremonial fire. Seeing this as a sign from the gods, the afflicted bathed in the soothing water and were, at once, cured. From then on, the great spring became known as “Pag-Osah,” a place of peace and healing.

A more recent tale depicts a longstanding confrontation between the Utes and Navajo Indians for ownership of the spring. Well before white settlers entered Pagosa Country — perhaps between 1865 and 1874 — at a time when an unwritten truce recognized the San Juan River as the boundary between nations, the warring tribes clashed over control of the healing waters. Rather than a battle between warriors, though, leaders from each side agreed to select a single individual to represent their respective clans. The skirmish would be a fight to the death, with the winning tribe forever maintaining possession of the Great Pagosa Hot Spring.

The Navajos chose a giant of a man, known for his combat skills. The Utes selected Col. Albert Pfeiffer, an Indian agent, friend of Col. Kit Carson, and an adopted member of the Ute tribe. The combatants stripped to the waist in true frontier fashion and, with a Bowie knife in one hand and the other tied behind the back, promptly confronted one another.

After a preliminary scuffle, the quicker, more agile Pfeiffer suddenly threw his knife at the opposing warrior. The steel blade found a lethal mark and the mortally wounded Navajo collapsed. The Utes claimed victory and ownership of the Great Pagosa Hot Spring. Ultimately, however, as whites gradually settled the area, the federal government claimed ownership of the spring and eventually deeded it to private “citizens.”

To this day, the battle site is honored with a memorial alongside U.S. 160, about four miles west of Pagosa Springs. While the site was identified by Pfeiffer’s granddaughters, the actual duel apparently took place a few hundred yards south of the monument.

Because the waters of the Great Pagosa Hot Spring are roughly 144 degrees Fahrenheit, no one bathes directly in the spring. The Utes took steam baths in natural cavities adjacent to it, or trapped the water in pools and allowed it to cool before taking mud baths. Early pioneers and settlers carried water from the spring to nearby bath houses, where they filled tubs, then waited until the water cooled enough for a soak.

By 1881, Thomas Blair erected Pagosa’s first public bathhouse along the river near the spring, where a ditch carried water from the outflow to the bathhouse. When title to the spring and its surrounding 40 acres was eventually awarded to The Pagosa Springs Company, Blair was forced to move. The company took over the facility and in 1888, modified the bathhouse and added others.

The Great Pagosa Hot Spring has long been an important part of Pagosa Country culture and history. For more information on the spring and its history, read “Pagosa Country: The First Fifty Years, a Pioneer History of Archuleta County,” by John M. Motter. The book is out of print, but available at the Ruby M. Sisson Library in Pagosa Springs.

On the west side of Hot Springs Boulevard, southwest of The Springs office and behind the two-story hotel, you’ll find the Great Pagosa Hot Spring. At 144 degrees, the main spring is too hot for bathing, but its water heats the Springs Resort. In fact, many downtown buildings are heated by privately-owned geothermal wells, or the town’s geothermal heating system fed by a town well.

The Great Pagosa Hot Spring is one of the largest and hottest known geothermal pools in the world. A recent attempt to measure the depth of the Great Pagosa Hot Spring by an engineering firm (during rehabilitation of the site) ended when the sounding plumb dropped to a depth of 1,500 feet, yet failed to touch bottom.

Located across the bridge from the intersection of U.S. 160 and Hot Springs Boulevard, The Springs Resort offers a variety of therapeutic outdoor bathing pools. Water from the Great Pagosa Hot Spring is mixed with water from cooler mineral springs, then pumped continuously to 23 tubs (two of which are jetted) stretching from the bathhouse entryway to the banks of the San Juan River. The facility also offers an outdoor swimming pool. Bathers can choose from among tubs with water temperatures ranging from 90 degrees to approximately 110 degrees. The setting offers pleasant bathing on snowy or sunny days, and is a popular nighttime attraction.

Local legend suggests earlier facilities near the great spring were cursed by Indians. To alleviate concerns, Southern Ute medicine men performed ceremonies, while tribal members danced to remove the curse.

Many drink Pagosa’s mineral water for its therapeutic effect, though the elements and minerals are also absorbed through the skin while bathing.

The Spa Motel offers hot indoor mineral baths and an outdoor mineral-water swimming pool. Built in 1938, the pool is kept at 95 degrees in the winter, and 88 degrees during the summer months. Temperatures are maintained by three wells of varying degrees. The Spa water is 100 percent mineral water, with no municipal water added.

The Spa features separate indoor mineral baths for men and women, as well as a steam bath in each bathhouse. Segregation of the sexes makes nude bathing possible for guests who prefer it. Most bathers visiting The Spa apparently don’t mind the separation, insisting they’re there for a therapeutic experience. An outdoor hot tub adjacent to the swimming pool accommodates couples wishing to soak together.

The Overlook Mineral Springs Spa is Pagosa’s newest bathing facility. Located downtown on Pagosa Street, between Moonlight Books and Gallery and Jackisch Drug Store, the spa boasts Victorian-style natural mineral baths and a delightful rooftop pool with mountain views. Massage services include a soak, while community and private tub rooms are available indoors. Private rooms offer exclusive use at the temperature of your choice, and are drained, cleaned and refilled between parties. This beautifully adorned spa offers reasonable rates, season passes, child and senior rates, and every Wednesday is Locals’ Day, with half-price admission. Private tub room reservations are required.