Entry No. 18 — the Durango file — filed under: soak

Pinkerton Hot Springs

James Pinkerton ranched dairy cows here in 1875, and by the 1890s this water was bottled and sold as a cure-all — local legend even puts Marilyn Monroe in the old resort pool. In 2001, CDOT piped the spring under US 550 and let it drain over a stack of rocks. The minerals did the rest: a six-foot cone striped rust, orange, and white, trickling 105-degree water on the shoulder while traffic blows past at 65.

The move: Stop on a cold morning en route to Silverton, hold your hands together under the warm trickle, and watch the whole cone steam.

📍 Before you go A big dirt pullout sits on the east side of US 550 just north of Academy Drive; the cone is steps from your car, no walking required. This is not a soaking spring — there is no pool, just warm water trickling over the mound, and the ground around it is marshy with algae-slick rocks, so do not climb it. It flows year-round and looks best steaming on a cold morning. Pair it with Haviland Lake or the drive up the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton.

• 📍 Durango
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 35554 US Hwy 550 (east-side pullout ~13 mi north of Durango), Durango, CO 81301

Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3

last checked: 2026-06-11