Salida, Colorado

In my last blog post--click here--I showed the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs that are located in Nathrop, Colorado, located between the towns of Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado. My husband and I visited this area in October to celebrate our anniversary.  We've driven through this part of Colorado on other trips to South East Colorado to see the Sand Dunes National Park--click here--to see that post--and to South West Colorado to visit Telluride--click here--to read that post, and now we wanted to finally take the time to explore this beautiful part of Central Colorado more closely.  

The beautiful Sawatch Mountain Range is located in Central Colorado, which includes the Collegiate Peaks. The Collegiate Peaks include some of the highest mountains in the Rockies. The section is so named because several of the mountains are named for prominent universities.

Nine of the mountain peaks are over 14,000 feet high!

The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness includes much of the Sawatch Range and is an important watershed for three rivers on both sides of the Continental Divide: the upper Arkansas River, the Gunnison River, and the Roaring Fork River.  Both the Continental Divide Trail and the Colorado Trail cross the area. The Continental Divide Trail follows the course of the Continental Divide itself with several side spurs. The Colorado Trail passes through the lower eastern portion of the area and crosses Pine Creek, Frenchman Creek and Three Elk Creek all of which drain into the Arkansas River north of Buena Vista

The small and charming town of Salida, Colorado, is known as the “Heart of the Rockies,” and has long been a hub of tourism, transportation, and industry in the region. The city sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet.  

Salida was first named South Arkansas. It was one of many mining towns in the region as gold, silver, copper, and iron was discovered in Chaffee County. In May 1880, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad bypassed an existing settlement just to the south, called Cleora, and arrived in the town, which was then renamed Salida, which means "exit," as it was at the gateway to the Arkansas River Canyon.

Many of Salida’s first residents worked on farms or ranches, for the railroads, in mines or for smelting companies that popped up around town. In 1901, the New Monarch Mining Company located in Leadville contacted businessmen in Salida about building a smelter in the town. Construction on the plant began in 1902 and it began operation later that same year. However, due to the fumes the smelter stack produced, the original 150-foot stack was replaced by a massive 365-foot one in 1916. The plant closed in 1920 but the Salida Smokestack still stands as a landmark to those driving into town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 1976. The stack is taller than the Leaning Tower of Pisa (179 feet)!

The town is very walkable and the Salida Downtown Historic District includes about 130 brick buildings from the turn of the century, the largest National Historic District in the state, according to the Salida Chamber of Commerce website.

On the East end of the town is Tenderfoot Mountain, marked by a large “S.” At the top of the mountain is a small observation house, which can be reached by a winding dirt road. This mountain is transformed during the Christmas season into "Christmas Mountain," with approximately 10,000 brightly-colored LED bulbs strung from Tenderfoot Mountain’s summit to base--a tradition since 1989. They shine over Salida throughout the whole holiday season, from late November into mid-January.  Locals say it is the world's largest Christmas Tree at 750 feet!





The Youtube video above shows what the mountain looks like lit up for Christmas.  

Salida's building walls are full of colorful murals...

...and vintage commercial ads.

It is quite a colorful town with a creative district full of art galleries, interesting shops, antiques, restaurants. cafes, and friendly people.

I was quite impressed with the Rocky Mountain Guitar Company, which crafts handmade guitars, mandolins, and banjos.

We had a delicious lunch in the Currents Restaurant.  We shared the fried calamari appetizer, and we also tried a small cup of their fabulous green chili. I had a grilled chicken breast sandwich and my husband had the fish and chips.

After such a hearty lunch we took a hike by the nearby Arkansas River.

There are many rafting companies in the area that offer easy float trips for beginners, half-day adventures in class IV rapids, multi-day raft trips and everything in between. There are also outfitters that will rent kayaks and stand-up paddleboards and offer lessons on using them in whitewater conditions.  The stretch of Arkansas River in and around Salida has up to 5000 trout per mile! Local fly shops and fishing outfitters are more than happy to update visitors on current conditions, directions to public access and provide full-service guided trips. 

The Browns Canyon National Monument, about ten miles outside of Salida, was designated in 2015 as Colorado’s newest National Monument. 

It offers visitors miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, as well as public fishing in the gold medal waters of the river.

We really enjoyed visiting Salida and hope to return for a longer visit sometime in the future.  The next day we visited a historic and well preserved "ghost town" in the mountains--come back next post to see more.

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