Mountains
Chaffee County
29 Porch Notes tied to Chaffee County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.
Money and taxes (1)
Home and property (1)
Water and land (4)
Water and land
Boats on Chaffee County waters need a clean check first
Before launching on Colorado waters, motorboats and sailboats need an aquatic nuisance species stamp, and trailered or motorized boats must pass an inspection to keep invasive mussels out.
Read note ->Water and land
In Chaffee County, a well sits inside the Arkansas River basin's rules
Wells around Salida and Buena Vista fall under the state's Water Division 2, which administers the Arkansas River basin, so a well permit comes with conditions rather than unlimited water.
Read note ->Water and land
The Arkansas through Chaffee County is Gold Medal trout water
A long stretch of the Arkansas River through Chaffee County is designated Gold Medal Water for trout, and fishing rules and access come through Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Read note ->Water and land
The Chalk Cliffs below Mount Princeton are not made of chalk
The pale Chalk Cliffs on the flank of Mount Princeton are altered granite, tied to the same underground heat that feeds the area's hot springs along Chalk Creek.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire (12)
Outdoors and wildfire
Browns Canyon National Monument is public land with dirt-road access
Browns Canyon between Buena Vista and Salida is a national monument run by the BLM and Forest Service, with unpaved access roads and some seasonal closures.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Buffalo Peaks Wilderness closes some roads for elk calving
The Buffalo Peaks Wilderness in the northeast corner of the Chaffee County area is open to hikers year-round, but several access roads close in spring for elk calving.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Chaffee County's fourteeners sit on national forest land
The Collegiate Peaks above Buena Vista are public peaks managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and some of the high country is designated wilderness with its own rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Dispersed camping on the Salida district has real limits
Free dispersed camping on the Salida Ranger District around Chaffee County comes with a stay limit, a buffer from water, and a move toward designated sites.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Fishing rules change from one Chaffee County water to the next
Beyond the main Arkansas River, Chaffee County's creeks, high lakes, and the South Arkansas can each carry their own fishing rules, so check the specific water before you cast.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Give moose room in Chaffee County's willows and high country
Moose live in the willow flats and high basins around Chaffee County, and they deserve more distance than they look like they need, especially around dogs.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Monarch Mountain: Salida's home hill that never makes snow
Salida's downhill ski area sits right on the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass and runs entirely on natural snow.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Spotting Chaffee County's bighorn sheep on the high cliffs
Bighorn sheep live on the rocky slopes and canyons around Chaffee County, and a few simple habits help you enjoy the sight while keeping the animals healthy.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Surf a wave in the middle of town
Buena Vista and Salida both built standing waves right in the Arkansas River, free to watch or paddle all summer long.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area runs right through Chaffee County
The stretch of the Arkansas River through Salida and Buena Vista is a managed state recreation area run jointly by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and federal agencies, with its own access points and rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Why people call the Arkansas the whitewater rafting capital
The Arkansas through Chaffee County is the most commercially rafted river in the United States, and the licensed outfitter trade built around it is a signature part of the local economy.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Winter in Chaffee County's high country means checking the avalanche forecast
The Sawatch Range above Chaffee County is avalanche terrain in winter, and the state's avalanche center publishes a daily forecast for this zone that backcountry travelers should read first.
Read note ->Cars and driving (2)
Cars and driving
Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista closes for the winter
Cottonwood Pass climbs out of Buena Vista to over 12,000 feet on the Continental Divide, and the road over the top is closed by snow for much of the year.
Read note ->Cars and driving
The Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway frames the drive through the valley
The highways linking Poncha Springs, Salida, and Buena Vista form the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway, a state-designated route along the Sawatch Range and the Arkansas River.
Read note ->History and culture (9)
History and culture
Mount Antero is where Colorado's state gemstone comes out of the rock
Aquamarine, Colorado's state gemstone, is found high on Mount Antero in Chaffee County, but the gem-bearing ground is largely staked with mining claims, so collecting there is not a free-for-all.
Read note ->History and culture
Salida grew up as a railroad town where the Arkansas leaves the valley
Salida was founded by the Denver and Rio Grande railroad around 1880 near where the Arkansas River exits the upper valley, and its downtown carries that railroad-era history.
Read note ->History and culture
Salida is part of Colorado's state creative-industries effort
Salida's downtown is home to a state-recognized Creative District under the Colorado Creative Industries program, which ties the town's arts economy to formal state support.
Read note ->History and culture
Salida's FIBArk river festival has run since 1949
FIBArk, short for First in Boating the Arkansas, is Salida's June whitewater festival on the Arkansas River, held since 1949 and one of the longest-running events of its kind.
Read note ->History and culture
Salida's Tenderfoot 'S' and the Christmas Mountain tree
Tenderfoot Mountain over downtown Salida wears a lighted 'S' that alternates with a red heart, and each year after Thanksgiving volunteers light it as a 750-foot Christmas tree.
Read note ->History and culture
St. Elmo is a preserved mining ghost town up Chalk Creek
St. Elmo, a mining town founded around 1880 high in Chalk Creek Canyon southwest of Buena Vista, is widely described as one of Colorado's best-preserved ghost towns, and the place lasted only as long as its mines and railroad did.
Read note ->History and culture
The Alpine Tunnel was a narrow-gauge railroad bore under the Continental Divide
Above St. Elmo, the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad drove the Alpine Tunnel through the Continental Divide in the early 1880s, and the abandoned railbed and tunnel are now a protected historic district reaching into Chaffee County.
Read note ->History and culture
The Buena Vista depot is the last intact railroad depot in the county
The 1890s depot in Buena Vista, built for a line in the Denver, South Park & Pacific family, is described as the last remaining intact railroad depot in Chaffee County and a survivor of a town once served by three railroads.
Read note ->History and culture
The county seat moved twice, ending up in Salida
Chaffee County's seat of government started at Granite, moved to Buena Vista, and in 1928 moved again to Salida, and the old Buena Vista courthouse and jail now house a heritage museum.
Read note ->