Colorado Porch

Tag

arkansas river

20 Porch Notes tagged “arkansas river,” from counties across Colorado.

Outdoors and wildfire - Chaffee County

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.

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Water and land - Bent County

In the lower Arkansas Valley, farm water can be bought and moved away

In Bent County and the rest of the lower Arkansas Valley, irrigation water rights have long been sold to Front Range cities, which changes what a farm property can grow.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Fremont County

On the Arkansas through Fremont County, the river has its own managers and rules

The stretch of the Arkansas River around Cañon City and the Royal Gorge is part of a state-managed recreation area, so launches, fees, and safety rules are set by an official agency rather than left open.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Chaffee County

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.

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Water and land - Chaffee County

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.

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Water and land - Chaffee County

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.

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Water and land - Otero County

In the Arkansas Valley, ditch water is its own question

Many Otero County farms and acreages carry canal or ditch irrigation water from the Arkansas River that is separate from the household water at the tap.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Bent County

John Martin Reservoir is a state park and a flood-control dam at the same time

John Martin Reservoir in Bent County is a federal flood-control and irrigation reservoir on the Arkansas River that is also a Colorado state park for fishing, boating, and birding.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Chaffee County

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.

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Water and land - Prowers County

In the Arkansas Valley, a Prowers County well sits in a busy water basin

Prowers County is in the Arkansas River basin, where the state administers groundwater closely and some wells must be measured.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Lake County

The Arkansas River starts in Lake County and is Gold Medal water

The Arkansas River begins near Leadville and flows into the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, a long stretch of Colorado Gold Medal trout water co-managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

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Water and land - Fremont County

Fremont County floodplain questions belong in the building homework

Check flood damage prevention rules and FEMA maps before building near mapped flood risk in Fremont County.

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History and culture - Pueblo County

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.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Chaffee County

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.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Pueblo County

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.

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History and culture - Pueblo County

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.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Fremont County

Tunnel Drive Trail near Cañon City follows an old water pipeline through three blasted-rock tunnels

Tunnel Drive Trail is a gravel out-and-back west of Cañon City that runs along a retired irrigation pipeline bed through three granite tunnels above the Arkansas River.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Pueblo County

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.

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History and culture - Chaffee County

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.

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Outdoors and wildfire - Pueblo County

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.

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