Pinkerton Hot Springs•San Juan National Forest

00:00     Title
00:15     Pinkerton Hot Springs
01:15     Molas Lake Park & Campground
04:40     Little Molas Lake Winter Recreation Area
08:15     Cascade Creek & Flume
12:50     Hermosa Creek Campground
17:10     Junction Creek Campground
19:05     Fin

One of the most popular roadside attractions along the Million Dollar Highway is Pinkerton Hot Springs, which is about 10 miles north of Durango, Colorado. Pinkerton Hot Springs is a strange roadside oddity that looks so out of place, that it is easy to think that it belongs on another planet! All it takes is one glance at the colorful limestone percolator mound to be captivated.

This type of odd looking hot spring is usually only associated with volcanic regions, like Yellowstone National Park. The San Juan Mountains are not volcanically active, so explaining how the Pinkerton Hot Springs came to be is not easy to do. The acidic hot spring water dissolves the limestone and carries the minerals to the surface. Mineralized calcification eventually builds up like a mound and hardens over a long period of time. The minerals are what gives this spring a wide array of bright colors. The Pinkerton Hot Springs literally looks like it was hand painted by an artist, but this signature masterpiece was indeed crafted by Mother Nature herself!