Front Range
Pueblo County
21 Porch Notes tied to Pueblo County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.
Places in this county
Home and property (2)
Home and property
Expansive clay soils are a real Pueblo-area home question
Parts of the Front Range piedmont around Pueblo have clay-rich soils that swell when wet and shrink when dry, which is worth understanding before buying or building.
Read note ->Home and property
Testing for radon is a normal step for a Pueblo County home
Radon is a natural soil gas that can build up indoors across Colorado, and testing a Pueblo County home is a simple, standard part of buying or owning one.
Read note ->Water and land (1)
Outdoors and wildfire (8)
Outdoors and wildfire
At Lake Pueblo, boats get checked for aquatic hitchhikers
Lake Pueblo State Park requires boat inspections to keep aquatic nuisance species out, so trailered boaters should plan for that step before launching.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Bald eagles winter along the Arkansas River at Pueblo
Bald eagles gather along the open water of the Arkansas River and Lake Pueblo in winter, making the cold months a good time for respectful eagle watching near the city.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Camping and swimming at Lake Pueblo come with a few real rules
Lake Pueblo State Park's campgrounds take reservations and stay open year-round, and the reservoir is cold-water for much of the year, so a little planning makes a visit safer and smoother.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Fishing rules on the Arkansas change as you move toward Pueblo
The Arkansas River above Pueblo includes long stretches of Gold Medal water with special rules, and regulations differ by segment, so anglers should check the rules for the exact reach they fish.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness rises in Pueblo County's Wet Mountains
Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness sits in the Wet Mountains southwest of Pueblo in the San Carlos Ranger District, a quiet, trail-limited wilderness with strict wilderness rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Prairie rattlesnakes live in Pueblo County's grasslands and bluffs
The prairie rattlesnake is common in the lower country around Pueblo, including trails at Lake Pueblo, and a few calm habits keep encounters from becoming dangerous.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
State Wildlife Areas near Pueblo are not the same as parks
Lake Pueblo SWA and Runyon/Fountain Lakes SWA offer fishing and wildlife recreation near Pueblo, but they require a hunting or fishing license or an SWA pass, not just a parks pass.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Arkansas River below Pueblo Dam runs cold and fast
The tailwater stretch of the Arkansas River just below Pueblo Dam is popular for fishing and tubing, but releases can make it very cold and high, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife sometimes restricts use.
Read note ->Cars and driving (2)
Cars and driving
Around Pueblo, I-25 weather can close the road south and north
Pueblo sits on Interstate 25, and winter storms or wind can lead to closures on the stretches south toward New Mexico and north toward Colorado Springs, so checking road conditions before a long drive is worth the habit.
Read note ->Cars and driving
The Frontier Pathways Scenic Byway starts at Pueblo
Frontier Pathways is a designated Colorado scenic byway that runs west from the Pueblo area into the Wet Mountains and Wet Mountain Valley, a long drive through frontier history.
Read note ->Local rules (1)
History and culture (7)
History and culture
Pueblo began as a trading post on the old border
The city's name and origin trace to El Pueblo, an adobe trading post built in 1842 on the Arkansas River when it was the U.S.-Mexico border, now told at the El Pueblo History Museum.
Read note ->History and culture
The Egyptian Mummy on Rosemount's Third Floor
Climb to the top floor of Pueblo's 1893 Thatcher mansion and you reach the McClelland Collection of world curiosities, an Egyptian mummy among them.
Read note ->History and culture
The Pueblo Chile is a point of local pride and its own festival
The Pueblo chile grown on the farms around the city anchors the annual Chile & Frijoles Festival downtown, a community event run by the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.
Read note ->History and culture
The Pueblo Levee Murals: A Flood Wall That Became Miles of Paint
The concrete flood walls along Pueblo's Arkansas River carry a decades-long mural project that Guinness once recognized as the world's longest painting.
Read note ->History and culture
The Riverwalk put the Arkansas River back in downtown Pueblo
The Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo is a downtown waterway built where the river was diverted after the 1921 flood, run by a public authority and free to walk year-round.
Read note ->History and culture
Why Pueblo Is Called the Home of Heroes
Four Medal of Honor recipients came from one Colorado steel town, and Pueblo built two downtown spots to honor them.
Read note ->History and culture
Why so much of Pueblo points back to one steel mill
Pueblo's south-side neighborhoods, family names, and civic pride grew up around the CF&I steel mill, and the Steelworks Center of the West helps a newcomer read that history.
Read note ->