North of Durango · US-550 · Roadside mineral hot spring
Pinkerton Hot Springs
A rust-orange mound of mineral rock that steams beside US-550 north of Durango. Pull off, feel the warm water run over the terraces and read the story of the Pinkerton family’s 1870s bath house.
Free to visit and open around the clock. There’s no official website, so we link CDOT’s history marker and Durango Herald reporting below.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Roadside hot spring
Mineral mound and history marker on US-550
Admission
Free
No fee, permit or ticket needed
Hours
Open 24 hours
Unstaffed roadside pullout; daylight shows the colors best
Time needed
5–15 min
Most Tripadvisor reviewers make it a quick stop
Parking
Dirt highway pullout
East side of US-550, beside the mound
Water temp
95–110°F
Library of Congress record; too shallow to soak
What you’ll see
Color, steam and a little history
This is a look-and-touch stop, not a soaking pool: a stepped mound of mineral rock, warm runoff and a roadside marker that tells the Pinkerton story.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith on Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Start here
The steaming mineral mound
Warm spring water spills from the top of a rock cairn and runs down its ledges, painting them orange, cream and green. A Fort Lewis College geologist told the Durango Herald the water carries calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and bicarbonate, and the orange comes from iron hydroxide and oxide.
RV tip: the rock is very slippery and a CDOT sign says not to climb the springs. Stay on the ground, touch the runoff at the base, and keep kids and pets from drinking the water.
More to see
- The history markerA CDOT San Juan Skyway sign beside the mound shows Judge James Harvey and Ann Eliza Pinkerton, an 1881 painting of their ranch and the 1920s Pinkerton-in-the-Pines resort.
- Steam on cold morningsVisitors note the mound steams most on cold or rainy days, so an early fall or winter stop gives the best show.
- A rock pile with a purposeIn 2001, CDOT built a drainage system to carry the spring water, which was damaging the road base, to the east side of the highway. The stacked rock from that work became today’s cairn.
- More springs in the valleyThe Animas Valley has at least four hot springs, including the one that feeds Durango Hot Springs Resort on Trimble Lane, if you want a real soak after.
Why go
A quick, colorful stop on the San Juan Skyway
Judge James Harvey Pinkerton and his wife, Ann Eliza, settled this stretch of the upper Animas Valley in the 1870s. In 1878 The Silver World reported warm mineral springs on the ranch and an extensive bath house, by 1892 the soda water was bottled for Durango tables, and in the 1920s Pinkerton-in-the-Pines offered swimming, music and dancing.
The resort is long gone, and the site was abandoned around the 1930s. What you see today dates from 2001, when CDOT piped the spring water, which was undermining the highway, to the east side of the road; the rocks stacked around the outlet have since been stained in bands of color.
For RVers it is an easy add-on to any drive north toward Purgatory or Silverton: free, open any time and right beside the highway. It is open year-round. In late October the morning chill makes the mound steam, and in winter it is worth checking US-550 conditions before you go.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith on Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Why it made our list
- Free and open around the clock
- Right beside US-550, with a dirt pullout
- Colorful mineral terraces and warm runoff
- A CDOT marker with 1870s ranch history
- Steams on cold fall and winter mornings
For RVers
Stopping with an RV at Pinkerton
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Pull off on the east side
The springs and pullout are on the east side of US-550, on your right as you drive north from Durango. Coming south from Silverton or Purgatory, you have to turn left across the highway, so slow early and wait for a clear gap.
Big rigs and the pullout
Reviewers describe a dirt pullout with room for several cars and RV parking along the highway, but no agency posts size limits. If the pullout is full, keep going rather than stopping on the shoulder of a busy highway.
Pets, kids and the water
Leashed dogs can stretch their legs at the pullout, but keep them and the kids from drinking the water: a Fort Lewis College geologist told the Durango Herald it may carry bacteria from people and animals.
Watch your step
The wet rock is very slippery, and a CDOT sign posted in 2020 reads “Danger: do not climb hot springs.” Wear shoes with grip, stay at the base of the mound and keep an eye on traffic when you walk back to the rig.
What visitors say about Pinkerton Hot Springs
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 24, 2026.
Fine, warm mineral springs, particularly soda.
The Silver World, September 14, 1878, quoted on CDOT’s marker · hmdb.org
What visitors often mention
Recurring points in Wanderlog’s review summary
Stunning colorsQuick roadside stopNot for soaking
Wanderlog’s summary of reviews highlights the colors, how easy it is to walk up to the formation, the noise of the nearby highway and that it is runoff rather than a soaking pool. No counts are published. Checked October 24, 2026.
The Pinkerton timeline
Dates from CDOT’s marker and the Durango Herald (January 31, 2022). The Library of Congress record dates the rock work to around 2000.
Good to know
AdmissionFree no fee or permit
Water temperature95–110°F other guides say 95–105°F
SoakingNot really shallow runoff; feet at most
Good forPhotosHistoryA leg stretch
Free entry per Islands.com and FindingHotSprings; temperatures from the Library of Congress photo record and Islands.com. Don’t drink the water, and don’t climb the mound.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Pinkerton Hot Springs
- Address35554 US-550, Durango, CO 81301
- HoursOpen 24 hours
Unstaffed roadside pullout; daylight shows the colors best - CostFree
- Official infoNo official website; see CDOT’s marker record
- Getting thereFrom downtown Durango, follow Main Avenue north onto US-550. The springs are on the right (east) side of the highway, about 14 miles north of town by RoadsideAmerica’s and Greg Disch’s directions.
- ParkingDirt pullout on the east side of US-550, beside the mound and the history marker. No posted size limits.
The site is unstaffed and open around the clock. US-550 is a busy two-lane mountain highway in places, so watch traffic when you pull in and out, and check CDOT’s COtrip road conditions in winter.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Pinkerton Hot Springs
These Durango-area parks we have written up sit north of town on the US-550 side, the closest of our parks to the springs.
JW Durango Riverside Resort
Riverfront full-hookup sites on the Animas, about 14 miles north of downtown on County Road 250 and handy for Purgatory.
Westerly RV Park
A small, year-round full-hookup park beside Durango Hot Springs Resort, about 8 miles north of downtown.
Alpen Rose RV Park
100 grassy full-hookup sites with a pool, right on US-550 about 6 miles north of downtown.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Free · open 24 hours
Make it your first stop on the San Juan Skyway
Pull off northbound, give it ten minutes for the colors and the marker, then keep heading up US-550 toward Purgatory and Silverton.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: Carol M. Highsmith (Pinkerton Hot Springs, 2015; Gates Frontiers Fund Colorado Collection, Library of Congress; public domain), Jeffrey Beall (Hermosa Creek; CC BY 4.0), cogdogblog (Baker’s Bridge; CC0) and the USGS (Animas Valley, 1903; public domain), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: Daytrippen on YouTube. Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Pinkerton Hot Springs unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including CDOT’s historical marker, Durango Herald reporting, Library of Congress records and other publicly available sources. Pinkerton Hot Springs is an unstaffed roadside site, and access, conditions and signage may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please check current US-550 road conditions with CDOT. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
We will always do our best to keep this page up to date. Thank you to everyone who contributes; we truly appreciate your help and support.