PAWSD says “Take a Hike”!

Take a walk, breathe the air,  and learn where your Water comes from.

Here in Pagosa Springs, we are blessed with beautiful weather, breath taking scenery, and crisp, clean water. As reliant consumers of this precious resource, PAWSD would like to encourage everyone to observe the natural beauty that forms our water basin and encourage responsible use of our water supply.

PAWSD receives its water from 2 sources, Four Mile Creek, and the San Juan River. Here are a couple of hikes to get you outside for a walk and to see where the water that eventually makes it to your home actually comes from.

Before heading out, be sure to pack some food, water, an extra warm shirt and rain gear just in case the weather takes a sudden turn, which it often does, and your “short hike” turn into a small adventure.  As with any foray into the wilderness, it’s a good idea to let someone know where you’re going. A map is also a good idea.

Four Mile Creek/Falls – This beautiful and relatively stress free hike takes you into the Weminuche Wilderness via the Four Mile Creek  basin and back to picturesque Four mile falls.  Along the way you’ll pass through towering stands of Ponderosa Pines, Spruce-fir and Aspens, across sub-alpine meadows and rocky run-off stream beds. It is approximately 3 miles to the falls making for an energizing 6 mile round trip. Allow 3 to 5 hours to enjoy this moderately difficult hike. As you skirt the upper edge of the basin, Four Mile creek wanders along in the drainage below on your right. Its churning gurgles become more audible as you near the falls, which eventually drown out the subtle song of the creek as raging water plummets 150 feet, crashing onto a bed of boulders below. In the fall, the surrounding mountainsides are alive with color as the aspen leaves turn vibrant shades of orange, yellow and red.

The waters that form Four Mile creek are generated from the snow melt off of Pagosa Peak. PAWSD draws its water from Four Mile creek because of its reliable, consistent flow. A capture station draws water which flows through the Dutton Pipeline to Hatcher Reservoir. When Hatcher is full, the water is diverted down to Stevens Reservoir. Stevens Reservoir is the largest reservoir in the PAWSD district, holding 1682 acre feet of water. The water from Four mile creek and its reservoirs is used to supply the needs of PAWSD customers in “District 1” which is, essentially, all of the “uptown” area from Putt Hill to Elk Park.

An Acre-Foot, in case you were wondering, is an area of water encompassing 1 acre that is 1 foot deep. An acre is approximately 90 yards by 50 yards; so just 10 yards shy of being a full football field…approximately.

Getting There – To reach the Four Mile Falls trailhead take 160 to downtown; turn onto Lewis St and take an immediate Left onto 5^th St. Veer Right to stay on Four Mile Rd (CR400 which eventually becomes FS645) for 11 miles being sure to stay Right at the junction with Plumtaw Rd. The trail head begins at the road’s end where a signed trailhead kiosk awaits.

The West Fork of the San Juan River – this mighty fork skirts the low-lying foothills of Mt. Hope and Sawtooth Mtn. just beyond the meadows of Boot Jack Ranch before turning south and joining with the East Fork further down the Wolf Creek Valley. The West Fork’s humble beginnings are deep in the Weminuche Wilderness where various creeks converge over many miles to etch their way through the mountain valleys to finally emerge at the head of the Wolf Creek Valley.

The West Fork Trail leads to one of the area’s most coveted backcountry treasures…hot springs! Though only about 8 miles roundtrip, these miles are more arduous than those found on the afore mentioned hike and will require about 6 to 10 hours roundtrip.  The start of the trail winds through private property, past vacation cabins, via a well signed right-of-way before emerging into pristine wilderness. Along the way you’ll pass through pine and aspen groves, as well as fields of chest high skunk cabbage and ferns.  About 2 miles in the trail takes an unsettling dive down a steep and loose hill where it skirts the edge of a precipitous canyon where the roar of the West Fork echoes below. After the third bridge, you know you’re getting close to that much anticipated soak.

Though not marked, you’ll know you’re in the right area when you pass into a “campground” nestled amongst large pines overlooking the river below. A small bit of searching will reveal 2 soaking ponds on the river’s edge.

The water from the West Fork of the San Juan River is captured and diverted, via a gravity fed line, all the way up to the Snowball Water Treatment Plant on Snowball Road just north of the Town of Pagosa Springs. This plant is capable of processing about 1.5 million gallons per day. The water that flows through this plant is then dispersed to customers in “District 2” which is essentially all of the downtown and Hwy 84 customers. A third station draws water from the San Juan River south of town which is pumped “uptown” via the San Juan Pipeline to Village Lake and Forest Lake.

Getting There –To reach the West Fork Trail, drive 160 out of town towards Wolf Creek Pass for 15 miles. Turn Left on the West Fork Rd (FS648) and travel 3 miles, crossing the West Fork of the San Juan River, to the signed trailhead.

To learn more about where your water comes from, visit the PAWSD website at www.pawsd.org.