How We Know that the World’s Deepest Hot Spring is in Colorado

Not only is Colorado an absolutely beautiful place to live, but many of the state's examples of natural beauty also hold records. These include the highest alpine garden in Vail's Betty Ford Gardens, the largest hot springs pool in Glenwood Springs, and the highest paved road in the country with Mount Blue Sky Road.

Read More: Only Locals Know About this Secret Colorado Hot Spring |

Speaking of hot springs, Colorado is home to numerous popular hot springs in the aforementioned Glenwood Springs, Ouray, Pagosa Springs, and many more.

As of the year 2020, it was confirmed by scientists that the moniker held by Pagosa Springs for years, "the world's deepest hot springs," is in fact true and the means in which they were able to prove this is fascinating.

How Do We Know that Colorado's Pagosa Springs is the Deepest in the World?

Located in the gorgeous San Juan Valley, Pagosa Springs' biggest claim to fame is its natural hot springs. While construction took place on the springs in the mid-1800s, effectively causing some damage in the process, the hot springs remain a large draw for Coloradans and tourists alike.

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Pagosa Springs was long known as "the world's deepest hot springs" for many years but it wasn't until 2020 that this claim was proven.

It was at this time that the Center for Mineral Resources Science at Colorado School of Mines teamed up with the U.S. Geological Survey to find out if this claim was true.

Not only did the team confirm Pagosa Springs' title, but the device used to measure the depth of the springs wasn't even long enough to reach the bottom which, as a result of this study, was found to be over 1,000 feet deep.

The fact that the springs were found to be at least this deep broke the world record on its own, despite the actual depth being too deep to measure at the time.