About the Upper Arkansas Valley, Colorado

The Upper Arkansas Valley runs about 150 miles from the historic town of Leadville (the headwaters of the Arkansas River), through the town of Buena Vista (the Collegiate Peaks mountain range in central Colorado) and nearby Fairplay (also known as South Park) and south through Salida (a well known art and bike community) through Caňon City.    

Here, there are fifteen 14,000-foot mountains, such as Mt. Elbert (14, 433 ft), Mt. Massive (14, 421 ft), Mt. Harvard (14,420 ft), Mt. Antero (14,269 ft), Mt. Princeton (14,197 ft), Mt. Yale (14,196 ft), Mt. Columbia (14,073 ft) and Mt. Shavano (14, 229). The area is also known as the "Banana Belt" because the Collegiate Peaks to the Northwest, the Sangre de Cristo mountain range to the south and the Mosquito mountain range to the North provide a mild climate creating exceptional conditions year round for recreation and site seeing. Annually there are often over 300 sunny days with summer highs of 81° and lows of 47.6° and winter highs of 40°and lows of 10.°

The Upper Arkansas Valley is known for hiking, mountain biking, ATV and 4 wheel drive trails, whitewater rafting, fly fishing, hot springs, rock hounding, mining, skiing, snowmobiling and much more. Also central to its location are numerous Ghost Towns St. Elmo, Hancock, Romley, Mary Murphy Mine, Vicksburg and Winfield.  There are also many historical places such as The Tabor Opera House, Dexter Cabin, Healy House, The Orpheum Theater, Turner Farm, E.W. Corbin House and J.M. Bonney House.  This is where the likes of Baby Doe Tabor, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Bat Masterson, Doc Holiday, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and others took part in the local history here.

Leadville, Colorado

The town is situated at an elevation of 10,152 feet.  Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States. A former silver mining town that lies near the headwaters of the Arkansas River in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the city includes the Leadville Historic District, which preserves many historic structures and sites from Leadville's dynamic mining era. For more information visit Leadville’s chamber.

Buena Vista, Colorado

The town of Buena Vista, named for the Spanish word for "good view," is at an elevation of 7,964 feet. Most of the town's historic buildings were built in the 1880's and 1890's and are still standing. Here one can walk the streets and feel as if they have been transported into another era. In addition, the gift shopping, quaint restaurants and coffee shops, and soothing sounds of Cottonwood Creek and the Arkansas River provide an ideal venue to view the surrounding majestic mountains and commemorate the simple life.  Buena Vista and nearby Johnson’s village offer some of the best white water rafting adventures for levels III to V.  For more information visit Buena Vista’s chamber.

Fairplay, Colorado

Fairplay lies at an elevation of 9,953 feet.  The town consists of modern retail businesses along the highway, as well as a historic town on the bluff above the river along Front Street. The northern extension of Front Street along the river has been preserved and has become the site of relocated historic structures as an open air museum called South Park City, intended to recreate the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush.  For more information visit Fairplay’s chamber. 

Salida, Colorado

The town of Salida is situated at an elevation of 7,050 feet and has outstanding views of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and the Salida Riverwalk which follows the Arkansas River through town. In 2004, Outside Magazine named the "sweetly unpretentious town of Salida" as one of the 20 "Dream Towns plus Adventure Hideouts." The town has become well known for its art community and Salida/Aspen Festival. The quaint shops and art galleries provide all sorts of enlightening works and soulful eatery's. For more information visit Salida’s chamber.  

 

Overall The Upper Arkansas Valley is known as a rustic escape and the year round playground of Colorado.

There is so much to enjoy it is difficult to summarize.

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