Explore Southwest of Pagosa Springs: Chimney Rock, Navajo Lake and Historic Backroads

Southwest of Pagosa Springs, the San Juan Mountains settle into lower forests, agricultural valleys and broad sandstone country. The river that runs through downtown continues through Mesa Canyon toward Navajo Lake, passing ancient communities, historic Hispano settlements, abandoned railroad grades and some of the quietest backroads in Archuleta County.

This country can be explored from the highway, a gravel county road, the seat of a kayak—or from a raft on Pagosa Outside’s Mesa Canyon Rafting Trip. Each perspective reveals a different part of the story.

Four excellent day trips explore the region:

1. Chimney Rock National Monument and Lake Capote

2. A paddling, fishing or camping day at Navajo State Park

3. Trujillo Road, Pagosa Junction and the historic San Juan River corridor

4. A Highway 151 heritage loop through Ignacio and the Southern Ute Museum

Each trip can stand alone. Combined, they tell a much larger story about the people, rivers and travel routes that have connected Pagosa country to the Four Corners for centuries.

Southwest of Pagosa Springs at a Glance

The distances are manageable, but these trips are better when they are not rushed. Carry water, begin with a full tank of fuel and leave room for an unexpected historical marker, wildlife sighting or quiet stretch beside the river.

Excursion One: Chimney Rock and Lake Capote

Begin at Chimney Rock National Monument

Drive west from Pagosa Springs on Highway 160 and turn south onto Colorado Highway 151. The twin pinnacles of Chimney Rock and Companion Rock soon rise above the Piedra River country.

More than 100 documented archaeological sites surround the pinnacles. Ancestral Pueblo people established villages, homes, agricultural areas and ceremonial structures across the surrounding valleys and mesas. At approximately 7,600 feet, the Great House above the main trail is the highest known Chacoan Great House in the Southwest.

Its position also connects Chimney Rock to the moon’s 18.6-year northern major lunar-standstill cycle. From particular locations near the Great House, the moon can rise within the narrow gap between the two pinnacles.

Chimney Rock is an excellent alternative for visitors interested in Ancestral Pueblo history who do not have an entire day for the drive to Mesa Verde. It is closer to Pagosa Springs, generally quieter and tells a different story about high-elevation settlement, Chacoan connections and generations of careful sky watching.

Our complete guide to Chimney Rock National Monument explores its archaeology, astronomical alignments, trails, conservation history and practical details.

Allow two to three hours if you intend to walk both the Mesa Village and Great House trails. Chimney Rock operates seasonally, and its tours, fees and hours can change. Confirm current information before leaving Pagosa Springs.

The River of the Standing Rock

Chimney Rock also helps explain the Piedra River’s much more descriptive Spanish name.

The 1776 Domínguez–Escalante journal identifies it as Río de la Piedra Parada—the River of the Standing Rock. The standing rock was almost certainly the enormous landmark we now call Chimney Rock, whose twin stone towers remain visible for miles.

The English landmark name and Spanish river name therefore appear to describe the same formation. One calls it a chimney. The other remembers a standing rock above the river.

Continue to Lake Capote

From Chimney Rock, continue south on Highway 151 to Lake Capote.

The lake is owned and operated by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and offers fishing, boating, day use, tent camping and RV sites. Compared with Navajo Reservoir, Lake Capote feels compact and relaxed. It works especially well for families, anglers and travelers who want a quiet afternoon beside the water without committing to a full reservoir day.

Its name carries more history than many visitors realize. The lake was constructed in 1948 and was originally known as Pargin Lake. Its present name has nothing to do with author Truman Capote. It recalls the Capote band of Utes, one of the Ute bands historically associated with this country.

Tribal fees and fishing requirements apply. If fishing is part of the plan, review current Southern Ute regulations before arriving.

Lake Capote is also a good place to slow down after Chimney Rock. The monument asks visitors to think across centuries; the lake provides room to sit beneath a cottonwood, eat lunch and watch the surrounding agricultural landscape change with the afternoon light.

From here, return to Pagosa Springs or continue south toward Navajo State Park.

Excursion Two: Spend a Day at Navajo State Park

From Highway 151, continue south through Arboles to Navajo State Park.

Árboles simply means trees in Spanish, an appropriate name for the cottonwood country around the meeting of the San Juan and Piedra rivers. Today the community overlooks the upper reaches of Navajo Reservoir, but its name predates the lake and belonged to the agricultural and railroad settlement that occupied this landscape before the dam.

Navajo Reservoir covers approximately 15,000 surface acres and extends from Colorado well into New Mexico. Its upper reaches occupy former river channels, creating long arms, coves, islands and narrowing corridors.

This is a completely different water experience from Pagosa’s mountain lakes. Navajo has open horizons, sandstone shorelines and enough water to make a paddle feel like a real journey.

Paddling Navajo Lake

Stand-up paddleboards and inflatable kayaks work especially well in protected coves and the narrower upper arms of the reservoir. Morning generally brings calmer conditions before daytime heating begins moving wind across the open water.

Choosing the right launch matters. Navajo is too large to treat every access point as interchangeable. Pagosa Outside’s interactive Places to Paddle map identifies specific paddling destinations at Navajo Lake and around Pagosa Springs.

Pagosa Outside offers self-guided stand-up paddleboard rentals and inflatable kayak rentals. Equipment leaves our downtown shop deflated for convenient transportation and includes the craft, paddle, pump and life jacket.

Wear the life jacket rather than storing it beneath a deck line. Navajo’s open water can become surprisingly rough when wind arrives. Remain aware of the sky, motorboat traffic and the distance required to return to your launch.

More Than a Paddling Destination

Navajo State Park also offers:

• Motorized boating and sailing

• Fishing

• Swimming

• Hiking and wildlife watching

• Developed and primitive camping

• Seasonal marina services

• Cabins and RV sites

The Colorado side contains only a portion of the reservoir. Boaters entering New Mexico waters need to understand the different fishing, boating and licensing regulations that may apply across the state line.

The Communities Beneath the Reservoir

Navajo Lake is a major recreation destination, but the landscape did not begin with the dam.

The reservoir area contains a high concentration of archaeological sites associated with generations of Indigenous occupation. Beginning around 1870, Hispano families also established communities including Rosa and Arboles. Farms, churches, schools and family homes occupied the river valleys before the arrival of the railroad.

The Denver & Rio Grande built its narrow-gauge line between Chama and Durango through this country during the early 1880s. Trains carried passengers, livestock, lumber, agricultural products, oil-field supplies and general freight across the borderlands.

Construction of Navajo Dam began in 1958 as part of the Colorado River Storage Project. The dam was dedicated in 1962, and the rising reservoir inundated former agricultural land, community sites and sections of the railroad corridor. The railroad was relocated around part of the reservoir, but that new alignment operated for only a few more years before freight service ended.

Campground names such as Rosa, Carracas, Tiffany and Arboles preserve pieces of the settlement geography that existed before the reservoir. They are more than pleasant Southwestern names chosen for a park map. They belong to communities, families and landscapes reshaped by one of the largest water projects in the region.

Excursion Three: Mesa Canyon and Trujillo Road

For the slow and scenic route toward Navajo Lake, leave downtown Pagosa Springs on Eighth Street and Apache Street. Apache becomes County Road 500, better known locally as Trujillo Road.

The road follows the San Juan River south through Mesa Canyon and into increasingly open country. Ponderosa forest gives way to river terraces, irrigated fields, sandstone mesas and long ribbons of cottonwood.

It is one of the best drives for watching the mountain river in downtown Pagosa gradually become a Southwestern desert river—but our favorite way to meet this country is from the water.

Experience Mesa Canyon From a Raft

Pagosa Outside’s Mesa Canyon Rafting Trip follows approximately 13 miles of the San Juan River through the same landscape explored in this article.

The half-day trip begins close to downtown, but Pagosa Springs disappears remarkably fast. The San Juan turns south and winds into Mesa Canyon as sandstone walls rise above the water and ponderosa-covered slopes close around the river. Roads, houses and nearly every sign of civilization fall away bend by bend, leaving a stretch of wild river country that feels much farther from town than it really is.

Much of Mesa Canyon’s remarkably undeveloped character is protected by Alpine Cascade Ranch, which encompasses more than seven miles of the river corridor. The property is covered by one of the more restrictive forms of conservation easement available, preserving a large, connected landscape from subdivision and intensive development. That protection is a major reason the canyon still feels so isolated and wild despite beginning only minutes from downtown Pagosa Springs.

The ranch has also invested extensively in the health of the San Juan River and its trout fishery. Carefully placed in-stream structures direct the current into deeper pools, provide shelter and feeding water for fish, and create the drops and waves that make the rafting more exciting. What is good for the trout turns out to be pretty entertaining for the boats, too. Beneath some of those waves and deep green pools live remarkably large, healthy fish—although they are usually easier to spot from a raft than to convince onto a hook.

About halfway through the canyon, the ranch provides a designated stopping place for boaters. It is a welcome opportunity to step out, stretch and absorb the quiet of the canyon while respecting the surrounding private property. Beyond that point, the river keeps winding through protected ranchland, alternating between calm stretches, playful current and splashy Class II–III rapids. Llama Falls supplies the trip’s signature plunge and a healthy reminder that this beautiful canyon is still a whitewater run.

The conservation story continues at the downstream end. After disappearing from roads and development for most of the trip, the San Juan finally rejoins Trujillo Road near mile marker 12 at the Mesa Canyon takeout. Public access at this critical location was preserved through another generous donation of land by the owner of a separate, massive private ranch. Without that gift, the practical ability to finish a commercial rafting trip here—and allow generations of visitors to experience the canyon—could have been very different.

These properties are part of a larger and commendable conservation pattern around Pagosa Springs. Large private holdings along the upper Navajo, Blanco and San Juan rivers have kept enormous pieces of the surrounding watersheds intact while investing in forest health, wildlife habitat, river restoration and fisheries. The land remains private, but protecting these connected headwater landscapes benefits the water, wildlife and communities downstream.

Mesa Canyon is our signature Pagosa rafting experience because it offers enough time for guests to feel that entire transition. Families and first-time rafters can settle into the boat, learn to paddle and watch the landscape steadily grow wilder around them. Quiet floating sections leave time for wildlife and scenery before constructed drops, natural waves, splashy rapids and Llama Falls bring everyone back into the action.

The trip finishes near mile marker 12 on Trujillo Road. Guests who later drive CR 500 retrace the river journey from a completely different angle—first beside the water and then above it. Places that felt wonderfully remote from the raft begin connecting to ranch roads, historic settlements and the larger geography of the San Juan River corridor.

Mesa Canyon rafting is seasonal and depends on spring runoff and river conditions. All necessary river equipment and trip photos are included. Current schedules, requirements and booking information can be found on the Mesa Canyon trip listing; this guide explains why the beautiful country surrounding the trip is worth understanding.

The Communities Along Trujillo Road

CR 500 passes through the historic communities of Trujillo and Juanita before reaching Pagosa Junction.

These were not simply railroad stops. Hispano families arriving from the Tierra Amarilla and San Luis Valley areas established farms, homes, stores, post offices, schools, mission churches and cemeteries along the river. Some residents worked for the railroad, timber operations and portable sawmills, but these remained small, relatively isolated communities with strong family and cultural ties.

Much of that history is easy to miss today. In several locations, a church or cemetery is the most visible surviving evidence of a once-active community.

That makes respectful travel especially important. Historic buildings, cemeteries and surrounding fields may stand on tribal or private land. Enjoy them from established public roads unless access is clearly provided, leave gates as you find them and do not wander into structures or across fenced property.

Pagosa Junction, Gato and the Narrow-Gauge Railroad

Pagosa Junction was known at different times as both Pagosa Junction and Gato—Spanish for cat.

The original federal survey called the nearby drainage Cat Creek. When the Denver & Rio Grande established a station in the area, its fondness for Spanish station names appears to have transformed Cat into Gato. The name changed to Pagosa Junction after the branch railroad to Pagosa Springs was completed and reverted locally to Gato after the branch closed.

The main railroad reached this country in 1881. In 1900, an approximately 31-mile branch was completed between Pagosa Junction and Pagosa Springs.

The branch was closely connected to the timber industry. It carried logs and lumber out of Pagosa country while also transporting passengers, mail, livestock and supplies. From the junction, the tracks climbed through Cat Creek before approaching Pagosa Springs from the west.

The route was steep, winding and costly to maintain. The Pagosa branch was abandoned in 1935, but the main narrow-gauge line survived considerably longer.

The celebrated San Juan passenger train made its final run in January 1951. Oil and gas development around Farmington temporarily extended freight service, but operations continued only into the late 1960s.

Pieces of grade, bridgework and railroad infrastructure remain visible around Pagosa Junction. They make more sense when viewed as part of the larger Tracks Across Borders Scenic and Historic Byway, which follows portions of the historic railroad between Durango and Chama.

The St. John the Baptist Mission Church is one of the most recognizable surviving landmarks. The present hilltop church was dedicated in 1927 after two earlier churches closer to the San Juan were lost or damaged by flooding. Its elevated location was a practical response to a river that had already made its authority clear.

A Fall-Color Drive Through the Cottonwoods

Trujillo Road is one of our favorite fall drives. Cottonwoods follow the San Juan River through pale grasslands, red-brown mesas and dark ponderosa forest, turning the river corridor into a ribbon of gold.

The contrast is especially striking in clear autumn light, and the quieter county road offers a completely different fall-color experience from the better-known aspen drives around Wolf Creek Pass.

Conditions vary with elevation, frost, moisture, wind and local nighttime temperatures. Before heading out, check the San Juan National Forest Fall Colors Report for current observations around Pagosa Springs and the surrounding mountains.

Continue to Navajo Lake

From Pagosa Junction, CR 500 continues west through remote San Juan River country toward Navajo Lake. It is a far more intimate approach than driving directly down Highway 151.

Allow plenty of time. The road includes long gravel sections, limited cell service and very few services. Normal dry conditions are manageable for many vehicles, but recent rain can create mud, washboarding and rough sections. A full tank, drinking water, downloaded map and unhurried schedule make the drive more enjoyable.

From Navajo Lake, complete the loop by following Highway 151 and Highway 160 back to Pagosa Springs.

The Spanish Names Written Across Southwest Colorado

Trujillo Road provides a natural introduction to the old Spanish names still written across the regional map.

In 1776, Franciscan priests Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante left Santa Fe in search of an overland route to Monterey, California. Their party included soldiers, interpreters, guides and cartographer Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco.

They traveled through homelands already known intimately by Ute people and other Indigenous communities. Earlier Spanish travelers had also entered portions of this country. The expedition’s journal should therefore not be read as a record of Europeans encountering an empty or unnamed landscape.

Its wording is revealing. For several rivers, the journal says this was what people “call” the stream. The expedition was documenting some names already in circulation rather than personally naming every river it crossed.

The names become far more vivid when restored to their complete forms.

The Piedra was not merely a river named for rock. It was the River of the Standing Rock, pointing travelers toward the towers of Chimney Rock. Dolores was not simply a woman’s name but the River of Our Lady of Sorrows. La Plata carried rumors of silver, while the Florida flowed through country remembered as flowering or in bloom.

The Animas has acquired the most dramatic translation of them all: Río de las Ánimas Perdidas en el Purgatorio—the River of the Lost Souls in Purgatory. That longer name has become inseparable from regional storytelling, but it is not the wording recorded in the Domínguez–Escalante journal. The 1776 account uses the more restrained Río de las Ánimas, or River of the Souls.

The San Juan presents another important wrinkle. The journal clearly distinguished the Río de San Juan from the Río de Navajó, even noting that the San Juan carried more water. Only after the two joined did the combined flow become the Río Grande de Navajó. Today that original confluence lies within the landscape transformed by Navajo Reservoir.

The expedition never reached Monterey. It turned back after reaching present-day Utah, but its journal and Miera’s map preserved an extraordinarily detailed description of the country it crossed.

Driving from the Piedra to Los Pinos, Florida, Animas, La Plata and Dolores today means moving across the same procession of rivers documented in 1776—although modern highways make the journey considerably easier on the horses.

Names Beyond the Rivers

The region’s old names are not confined to moving water.

Pagosa comes from the Ute language, but its exact English meaning is less settled than most tourism slogans suggest. “Healing waters” is the familiar translation, and “boiling water” is also frequently given. Another interpretation is closer to strong-smelling or bad-smelling water, which may be the most wonderfully direct description of a sulfur spring.

The disagreement is part of the story. The name predates the modern town, bathhouses and resorts. However it is translated, Pagosa begins with the geothermal water rising beside the San Juan.

Archuleta County carries a human rather than geographical name. Created from western Conejos County in 1885, it honors the prominent Archuleta family of northern New Mexico and particularly Antonio D. Archuleta, the state legislator who helped secure the county’s creation.

Weminuche Wilderness preserves the name of the Weminuche or Weenuchiu band of Utes. The name belongs first to a people, not to the wilderness area Congress designated in 1975. Sources differ on a precise English translation, so assigning it a tidy romantic meaning would obscure the more important point: Colorado’s largest wilderness carries the name of people who lived, hunted, traveled and maintained deep relationships with these mountains long before the modern boundary appeared on a map.

Excursion Four: The Highway 151 Heritage Loop

A fourth option combines Chimney Rock country with Ignacio, the Southern Ute Museum and the agricultural valleys west of Navajo Lake.

From Pagosa Springs, drive west on Highway 160 and turn south onto Highway 151. Continue past Chimney Rock and Lake Capote toward Arboles. From there, travel west toward Ignacio and return to Highway 160 by way of Highway 172 and Bayfield.

The complete loop ties together several distinct landscapes: the Piedra River foothills, Southern Ute agricultural land, upper Navajo Reservoir country, the Los Pinos River valley and the ponderosa-covered mesas around Bayfield.

Ignacio and the Story Behind the Name

Ignacio carries the name of Chief Ignacio, whose leadership became central to the Ute struggle over federal land-allotment policy.

The Capote, Mouache and Weminuche bands had been confined to a shrinking reservation across southern Colorado. Federal policy then sought to divide communally held tribal land into individual allotments, opening additional land to non-Indigenous settlement.

Chief Ignacio and many Weminuche rejected the idea that tribal land should be broken apart and individually owned. In 1895, he led many of his people west rather than accept allotment, helping shape the community now associated with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.

Ignacio’s name on the modern map therefore carries a larger story about leadership, sovereignty and two different ideas of what it means to own and care for land.

Visit the Southern Ute Museum

The Southern Ute Museum in Ignacio is the most important cultural stop on the loop.

It places the region’s history within a living Southern Ute perspective. Exhibits explore Ute migration, family life, language, traditions, treaties, forced change, tribal government and modern sovereignty.

That perspective matters after visiting Chimney Rock or reading the Domínguez–Escalante journal. Southwestern history is often told as a succession of archaeological cultures, Spanish expeditions, railroads and American settlement. The museum makes clear that Ute history did not end when any of those other stories began.

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe remains a sovereign nation with its own government, cultural institutions, natural-resource programs and community life. Visitors are guests on a modern reservation, not spectators in a landscape existing only in the past.

Check current museum days and hours before building the complete loop around a visit.

Return Through Bayfield

From Ignacio, Highway 172 travels north through the Los Pinos River valley to Highway 160. Turn east to return through Bayfield and the forested foothills toward Pagosa Springs.

This final section brings the route back into higher ponderosa country. It also completes the article’s larger geographical story: the San Juan, Piedra, Los Pinos, Florida, Animas and La Plata are not isolated waterways. They are neighboring branches of one regional landscape connected by water, travel, trade, agriculture and generations of human movement.

Choosing the Best Southwest Pagosa Day Trip

Choose Chimney Rock and Lake Capote if your group wants history, a manageable hike and a relaxed afternoon.

Choose Navajo State Park if the day should revolve around paddling, boating, fishing or swimming.

Choose the Mesa Canyon Rafting Trip if you want to experience the San Juan corridor from the water with a professional guide, several hours of river time and a mixture of scenery and splashy whitewater.

Choose Trujillo Road if the drive itself is the attraction. It offers the strongest combination of river scenery, local settlement history, railroad remnants and fall cottonwoods.

Choose the Highway 151 Heritage Loop if you want the broadest cultural overview, especially when the Southern Ute Museum is open.

Travelers with several available days should avoid compressing everything into one marathon. Chimney Rock rewards attention. Navajo Lake deserves time on the water. Mesa Canyon deserves to be experienced from inside the canyon, and Trujillo Road is most enjoyable when an old bridge, church or glowing stand of cottonwoods can interrupt the schedule.

When to Explore Southwest of Pagosa Springs

Spring

Snow remains visible across the San Juan Mountains while the lower valleys begin turning green. Spring runoff also brings the main Mesa Canyon rafting season, when the San Juan carries boats beyond downtown and into the quieter canyon corridor.

Chimney Rock may not yet be open for its regular visitor season early in spring, but Navajo Lake and the lower-elevation drives can be excellent.

Summer

This is the main season for Chimney Rock tours, camping and paddling. Begin lake activities early to take advantage of cooler temperatures and calmer water before afternoon mountain weather develops.

Rafting availability depends on the year’s runoff. As the San Juan drops below rafting levels, Pagosa’s river season transitions toward tubing through town while Navajo Lake remains available for paddling.

Fall

High-elevation aspens usually lead the show. Lower cottonwoods along the San Juan, Piedra and Los Pinos rivers often follow, extending the color season into the valleys. Trujillo Road can be exceptional during this transition.

Winter

Chimney Rock’s regular visitor access closes for the season, and snow or mud can complicate unpaved roads. Highway 151, Ignacio and the main paved routes remain options when conditions cooperate, but the experience becomes more about the drive and landscape than completing every attraction.

Respecting a Complicated and Living Landscape

These itineraries cross public land, state-park property, the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and privately owned agricultural land.

Access that appears open on a digital map may not be public. Archaeological sites, cemeteries, churches and railroad remnants should never be treated as invitations to cross a fence or enter an old structure.

At archaeological sites, leave pottery, stone tools and other objects exactly where they are found. At Navajo Lake, clean, drain and dry watercraft between waterways. Around ranches and agricultural land, yield to livestock operations and leave gates as they were found.

The most interesting parts of this country have survived because people continue living, working and caring for it. Traveling respectfully helps keep the experience available without turning every quiet place into another heavily developed attraction.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is Navajo Lake from Pagosa Springs?

Navajo State Park is approximately 35 miles southwest of Pagosa Springs by the direct Highway 160 and Highway 151 route. Allow roughly 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic and your final destination within the park.

Can you drive Trujillo Road all the way to Navajo Lake?

Yes. County Road 500 follows the San Juan River corridor southwest from Pagosa Springs through Trujillo, Juanita and Pagosa Junction before continuing toward Navajo Lake and Highway 151.

The route contains substantial gravel mileage and should be given more time than the direct paved route. Conditions can change after rain or snow, so check locally before committing to the complete drive.

Is Trujillo Road suitable for a passenger car?

During normal dry conditions, much of CR 500 is generally manageable in an ordinary passenger vehicle driven with reasonable care. Washboarding, mud, road work and storm damage can alter conditions. A higher-clearance vehicle makes the drive more comfortable but is not always essential.

Can we raft through Mesa Canyon?

Yes, during the seasonal spring runoff. Pagosa Outside’s guided Mesa Canyon Rafting Trip covers approximately 13 miles of the San Juan River and finishes near mile marker 12 on Trujillo Road.

The half-day experience includes professional guides, river equipment, transportation and trip photos. Current availability, age and weight requirements belong on the trip listing because river conditions change throughout the season.

Is Pagosa Junction a public ghost town?

Pagosa Junction is a historic community and former railroad junction, not a developed ghost-town attraction. Historic structures and remnants can be seen from the public road, but surrounding property may be private or tribal land. There are no formal tours, visitor services or general permission to enter buildings.

Is Chimney Rock a good alternative to Mesa Verde?

Yes, particularly for visitors staying in Pagosa Springs. Chimney Rock is approximately 30 minutes from town and generally requires two to three hours to explore. Mesa Verde offers larger cliff dwellings but requires substantially more driving and planning.

The two sites tell different stories, but Chimney Rock provides a meaningful and much closer introduction to Ancestral Pueblo history.

Where should we paddle at Navajo Lake?

Navajo Lake contains open water, protected coves and long river arms. The best location depends on wind, water level, experience and the type of craft being used.

Consult Pagosa Outside’s interactive Places to Paddle map for specific destination ideas. Morning is generally the best time for paddleboards and inflatable kayaks.

Are there really kokanee salmon in Navajo Lake?

Yes. Navajo Lake supports a genuine kokanee salmon fishery.

Kokanee are landlocked sockeye salmon that live in deep, cold lakes and reservoirs. Their presence does not mean every shoreline angler should expect to catch one. Kokanee move seasonally, much of the established fishery occurs in deeper water and fishing regulations differ across the Colorado–New Mexico state line.

Check current Colorado and New Mexico licenses, seasons and water-specific regulations before fishing.

Do I need a fishing permit at Lake Capote?

Yes. Lake Capote is operated by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and tribal fishing fees and regulations apply. Check the current Lake Capote information before visiting.

Can all four excursions be completed in one day?

A determined driver could pass through many of these locations, but the result would be more windshield than experience.

Give Chimney Rock and Lake Capote one day, Navajo Lake another and choose either Trujillo Road or the Ignacio heritage loop for a third day. Reserve a separate morning or afternoon for Mesa Canyon during rafting season.

Travelers with only one available day should select the experience that best matches their interests.

Follow the San Juan Southwest

The San Juan River does not stop being Pagosa’s river when it leaves downtown.

It continues through Mesa Canyon, past historic settlements and abandoned railroad grades, into Navajo Lake and eventually across the Four Corners. Along the way, it gathers rivers whose Spanish names preserve fragments of geography, religion, mineral dreams and stories repeated across generations.

Raft Mesa Canyon when you want to see this country from the water. Follow Highway 151 for archaeology, tribal history and easy access to the lake. Follow Trujillo Road when the quieter route sounds better and the journey itself deserves the day.

However you travel, southwest of Pagosa Springs reveals a landscape that is broader, older and considerably more connected than it first appears.