re: Heading to Durango/Pagosa Springs in March

Just got back from that area. It's beautiful.

Durango is nice for some main street shopping and a couple of breweries.

Pagosa Springs is a quaint town. Riff Raff Brewery was very good, for food and beer. The hot springs resort itself is just ok but I'll grant that getting into a small, hot, fetid pool with a bunch of tatted up strangers might not be my thing. Others seemed to like it, and many of the pools did have nice views of the river. The pools ranged from 100 to 111 degrees. You have to buy all food and drink there. Food was OK. Drinks were a bit weak so I switched to beer.

Definitely go to Mesa Verde NP. Do the tour of the Cliff Palace dwellings. You get to go right up in it with a NP guide. Reservations open 2 weeks before online, and you have to be quick to get one.