Getting the flavor of ... Pagosa Springs’ wintry pleasures

Pagosa Springs’ wintry pleasures

Tucked away in the San Juan Mountains, Pagosa Springs, Colo., is known for just two things: skiing and soaking, said Josh Noel in the Chicago Tribune. Wolf Creek Ski Area, a pass about 25 miles east of town, claims to get the most snow in the state. An affordable, “no-frills spot,” Wolf Creek features a “majestic” 12,000-foot peak, with a base that’s higher than the peaks at many pricier resorts. After a day on the slopes, we arrived “sore and spent” at Pagosa’s other main attraction: the Springs Resort & Spa’s 23 mineral baths. The Ute Indians, who once resided here, named the town “Pagosah,” or “healing waters”; the sulfur, chloride, and magnesium in the town’s natural springs have been said to “cure everything from arthritis to paralysis.” We moved from one “steaming cauldron” to the next, leaning back in the “billowing steam” and looking up at a brilliant Western sky. “Winter never felt so good.” Contact: Visitpagosasprings.com

The Hudson Valley’s cultural hot spot

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Beacon, N.Y., “glows anew” on the Hudson River, said Kristen Hinman in The Washington Post. A scenic getaway that had fallen on hard times, the Hudson Valley town was put “back on the map” in 2003 when its Nabisco box-printing factory was transformed into the modern art museum Dia:Beacon. The town now offers various cultural and culinary pleasures. Its new restaurants alone could make you “want to spend an entire day grazing on Main Street.” For lunch we recommend Poppy’s, for “perfectly grilled grass-fed burgers and hand-cut sweet potato chips.” You can work off the calories by popping in and out of boutiques like Clay Wood & Cotton—a “well-curated shop” selling handmade home goods. After admiring local works at the Beacon Artist Union, consider finishing the day with a sunset sail on the Woody Guthrie, a 15-passenger sloop built by longtime resident Pete Seeger.

Contact: Beacononhudson.com