Pagosa Springs

Pagosa Springs is a town in southwest Colorado, a sparsely populated area nestled between mountains at an elevation of 7,500 feet (2,300 m). The area is home to the world’s deepest hot spring, reaching over 1,000 feet (305 m) deep. The San Juan Stargazers Astronomy Club serves the area and meets regularly at the Pagosa Springs Visitors Center. The town itself enjoys dark night skies around class 3 in the Bortle scale, but surrounding areas reach class 2. A stargazer told EarthSky the following: “Pagosa Springs is a town in southwest Colorado known for its hot springs and dark skies. A small town with lights mainly along HWY 160. Once you get a mile from the highway, you have skies dark enough to see the Milky Way on any clear night.”