This page features photos and videos of Treasure Falls in the San Juan National Forest near Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Treasure Falls is an easily accessible waterfall located just off U.S. 160, southwest of Wolf Creek Pass. The roughly 100-foot waterfall can be viewed from several points along a short hiking trail.
The waterfall “is said to get its name from a chest of gold buried somewhere nearby,” according to the Pagosa Springs tourism website. “As legend has it, a group of Frenchmen was rumored to have been pursued by a band of Spaniards or Native Americans. Just before their capture, the Frenchmen allegedly buried the chest, and it remains unfound to this day.”
For more photos of the headwaters of the San Juan River, visit this page in our free multimedia library.
| Date | June 24, 2026 |
| Location | Near Pagosa Springs, Colorado (map) |
| Credit | Mitch Tobin/The Water Desk |
| Rights | Free to reuse under Creative Commons license. |
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