(It is easy going down and takes about 45 minutes, but you’ll also need to come back up the trail, so give yourself extra time to climb back up the hill as it’s slower than going down.) Sheep Creek trail 599 signĪt the bottom of the hill, you will enter a clearing and see the Piedra River ahead. When you start the trail, you’ll go downhill for about a mile along a series of switchbacks. The trail is rated as moderate by the US Forest Service. The trail is a pretty trail through the forest and is mostly shaded by trees. The trailhead is well marked with signs so you won’t miss it. It is 1.8 miles from the Sheep Creek Trailhead to the hot springs along the river. At the trailhead, there is not any water or restroom facilities, so please plan accordingly. The Sheep Creek Trailhead has a parking area for vehicles and is well marked. To get to the hot springs, you will hike along the Sheep Creek Trail (trail number 599 on Forest Service maps) in the San Juan National Forest. First Fork Road There are a few passing areas along FR 622 where cars can pull over to pass one another pass the dispersed camping areas Forest Road 622 becomes more narrow once you pass the dispersed camping areas Sheep Creek Trail Instead you’ll want an alternative vehicle to travel up past the dispersed camping areas on FR 622 to make it to the trailhead. The road can be a bit narrow with steep drop-offs once you get past the dispersed camping areas, so it is not recommended to take an RV past the boondocking areas along the river. First Fork Forest Service Sign First Fork travel map and sign with details about camping up to 14 days You will see this sign below with additional details about camping and recreating in the First Fork area. (More on the dispersed camping areas below.) You will pass several dispersed camping areas along the Piedra River to your left about a mile in from highway 160. Turn north on First Fork Road and you will drive approximately 6.7 miles to the Sheep Creek Trailhead. The road is not accessible in the winter months due to the snow.įR622 details from the US Forest Service Interactive Map FR 622 gravel road This is a gravel forest service road that is open to all vehicles, including regular passenger cars and RVs, from May 15 th to November 30 th each year. To get to the hot springs, you will travel approximately 20 miles west of Pagosa Springs on highway 160 to First Fork Road, also known as Forest Road (FR) 622. All you have to do is know where to go and take a short 1.8 mile hike to get to them. These are non-commercialized, free, natural hot springs for your enjoyment. These are sometimes also called the Sheep Creek Hot Springs, depending on where you get your information, but they are the same primitive hot springs. The hot springs are located in the Piedra River and are known as the Piedra River Hot Springs. Map of the location of the Piedra River Hot Springs near Pagosa Springs in Colorado Piedra River Hot Springs Piedra River hot springsĪll of this is located in the San Juan National Forest in between Durango and Pagosa Springs in southwestern Colorado along Highway 160 and easy to get to from the main road. See below for details on where to camp and how to get to the primitive hot springs. You can either boondock along the forest road, camp at a forest service campground, or if you need full hookups, stay at one of the RV parks just up the street. Have you ever wanted to camp in your RV near natural hot springs in a mountain river? The hot springs are a hike in from a national forest road, but they are easy to get to using an established trail.
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