Salida Ranger District
The Salida Ranger District encompasses over 440,000 acres in central Colorado, "the heart of the Rockies." The district is located near the towns of Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs. It's an outdoor recreation paradise with seven 14,000-foot peaks, also known as "fourteeners" (Harvard, Tabeguache, Yale, Columbia, Shavano, Princeton and Antero); three wilderness areas (Buffalo Peaks, Collegiate Peaks and Sangre de Cristo) and Browns Canyon National Monument.
The Forest Service manages most of the higher elevation areas, while the Arkansas River corridor is managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management. The Arkansas River is one of the nation's most popular rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking. It's also a designated "gold medal" trout fishing river. For fishing and hunting licenses or off-highway-vehicle (OHV) licenses, please contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The majority of the Salida Ranger District is located within Chaffee County. Nearly 80% of Chaffee County lands are public lands. Small portions of the district are also located in Lake, Fremont, Saguache and Park counties.
General Information
This recreation region is managed by the Salida Ranger District.
Passes & Permits
Visit Recreation.gov or call 1-877-444-6777 for campground reservations. Campground reservations cannot be made ranger district offices.
Special use permits are required for groups of 75 or more persons and all commercial activities including outfitting and guiding. Visit the Special Use and Event Permits page to learn more.
America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes are a suite of annual and lifetime passes that provides U.S. citizens and visitors an affordable and convenient way to access federal recreational lands. Up to 100% of the pass program's proceeds are used to improve and enhance visitor recreation services.
Complexes
The Browns Creek area, found along Forest Service Roads 272 and 274, offers visitors views of Mount White and Mount Antero. The area is popular for camping, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
Trails in the area include
- Browns Creek Trail #1429
- Little Browns Creek Trail #1430
- Wagon Loop #1427
- Colorado Trail #1776-Segment 14 (Chalk Creek Trailhead to US-50)
Browns Creek Trail #1429 is a 6.5-mile nonmotorized trail that offers beautiful scenery with changing vistas and vegetation.
This trail is located northwest of the Browns Creek trailhead. It travels west following Little Browns Creek and ascends up-valley to the slopes of Mt. White and Mt.
Segment 14: Chalk Creek Trailhead to U.S. 50
Chalk Creek Canyon is one of the valley's most popular areas. The Chalk Creek Canyon was once home to the Chalk Creek mining district, one of Colorado's richest mining districts. During the 1870s and 1880s, the towns of Hortense, Alpine, St. Elmo, Romley and Hancock thrived as a result of the discovery of gold and silver-laden ore.
Camping and campfires are restricted in the Chalk Creek Canyon to Mount Princeton Campground, Chalk Lake Campground, Cascade Campground and Iron City Campground only. Campers who are unable to find a campsite in one of the four developed campgrounds may camp above the townsite of St. Elmo on County Road 267 or near the Hancock townsite, located 5 miles south on Forest Road 295. Additional camping is available in the Browns Creek area south of County Road 162 at the junction of County Roads 270 and 272.
An information and interpretive kiosk detailing the history and geology of the area is located just off of County Road 162.
Trails in this area include
- Alpine Tunnel Trail #1438
- Cascade Creek Loop Trail #1433
- Poplar Gulch Trail #1436
- Tunnel Lake Trail #1439
- Hancock Lakes Trail #1422
- Pomeroy Lakes Trail #1437
- Narrow Gauge Trail #1432
- Colorado Trail #1776 Segment 14 (Chalk Creek Trailhead to US-50)
Cascade Campground offers 21 sites, each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Firewood is sold on site.
Mount Princeton Campground offers 19 sites equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring with grill. Wheelchair accessible vault toilets are provided.
Chalk Lake Campground offers 19 sites each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring.
Chalk Lake Fishing Site is located next to the Chalk Lake Campground and is a great family fishing spot with rainbow, brook and brown trout.
Iron City Campground is located within the Chalk Creek Canyon, which is one of the valley's most popular areas, offering access to many ATV trails.
Baldwin Lake is a small alpine lake located to the west of Mount Antero (14,269 feet).
The Ghost House is located near the historic mining and railroading town of St. Elmo, Colorado. The house was built by Mr.
The Grizzly Lake road is rough, rocky and considered a difficult route by most 4-wheel enthusiasts.
Upper and Lower Hancock lakes are located south of the historic townsite of St. Elmo.
The lakes have very good fishing for cutthroat and Rainbow crossed with cutthroat. It is stocked periodically and the average sized fish is 10 - 12 inches.
The historic stagecoach road (Forest Road 292) travels up the Chalk Creek Canyon from Alpine to the historic townsite of St. Elmo.
Alpine Tunnel Trail #1438 is a 2.8-mile trail that follows the railroad grade of the Denver, South Park and Pacific railroad from the historic townsite of Hancock to the ca
This trail travels north, from the historic townsite of St. Elmo, over a large ridge and drops into Green Timber Gulch and the South Cottonwood drainage.
Segment 14: Chalk Creek Trailhead to U.S. 50
The Cottonwood Lake area is found along County Road 344 near Buena Vista, Colo. The area offers fishing, hiking and off-roading in the summer and snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice fishing in the winter.
Cottonwood Lake is an 40 acre, man-made lake that serves as one of the water sources for the town of Buena Vista, Colorado.
Cottonwood Lake Campground has 25 sites and is situated on a gently sloping hillside surrounded by aspen trees, within walking distance to the lake. It is a popul
Cottonwood Lake Picnic Area is located on the eastern shore of Cottonwood Lake. The picnic area has 17 sites with picnic tables and grills.
Mineral Basin is located west of Cottonwood Lake campground. The groomed trail travels west up to Mineral Basin to the Continental Divide.
This trail travels north, from the historic townsite of St. Elmo, over a large ridge and drops into Green Timber Gulch and the South Cottonwood drainage.
Segment 13: Silver Creek Trailhead to Chalk Creek Trailhead
The Cottonwood Pass area is found along County Road 306, near Buena Vista, Colo. This area offers spectacular views of the Continental Divide at the 12,126-foot summit and access to the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, as well as camping and hiking opportunities in the summer and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the winter.
Trails in the area include
- Ptarmigan Lake Trail #1444
- Lost Lake Trail #1532
- Kroenke Lake Trail #1448
- Horn Fork Basin Trail #1449
- Browns Pass #1442
- Hartenstein Lake #1443
The summit of Cottonwood Pass is located at an elevation of 12,126 feet. Views from the top show both sides of the Continental Divide.
Collegiate Peaks Campground is heavily wooded with 56 campsites arranged along three loops.
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness was designated by the United States Congress in 1980, and it now has a total of 167,584 acres.
Denny Creek Trailhead is a major access point to the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness area.
Ptarmigan Lake Trail travels south from the Middle Cottonwood drainage, located west of Buena Vista, Colorado, on the road to Cottonwood Pass (County Road 306).
Lost Lake Trail #1532 is an easy-to-moderate 3.5-mile round trip hike to a beautiful alpine lake.
The Fourmile Travel Management area is located in northern Chaffee County, Colo., and consists of 100,000 acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. The area offers an incredible variety of recreational activities from ATV and motorcycle riding to hiking, biking, rock climbing and horseback riding.
The Fourmile Travel Management Area can be accessed from many locations. From Buena Vista, Colo., you can access the area via County Road 371/375 and from the River Park Bridge on Main Street. Other access points are off of Highways 285/24 and include County Roads 304, 305, 307, 308, 311 and 315. The southern portion of the Fourmile area can be accessed at County Roads 301, 300 and 185 (Aspen Ridge north of Salida).
Fourmile Travel Management Area Map
Trails in this area include
- ATV Trail #1414
- ATV Trail #1415
- ATV Trail #1434 & 1434.A
- ATV Trail #1450.A
- Arnold Gulch Trail #300.A
- Bald Mountain Spur Trail #300.B
- Davis Meadow Trail #1413
- Midland Bike Trail #1450
- Hefley Saddle Trail #1435
- Triad Ridge Trail #1423
- Triad Ridge East Trail #1424
- Triad Ridge Single Track Trail #1425
- Vitamin B Trail #1533
- Yan Sing Gulch Trail #1423.A
The Four Mile Trailhead provides access to: Rough and Tumbling Creek Trail #617, whi
Browns Canyon National Monument is 21,566 acres that was officially designated in 2015 and remains relatively undeveloped.
The cabin was built around 1911 and was home to a Forest guard. Forest guards lived and worked in remote areas on National Forest lands.
This trail is in the Fourmile Travel Management Area, located northeast of Buena Vista, Colorado.
The Midland Bike Trail is located north of Highway 285 in the Fourmile Travel Management Area near Buena Vista, Colo.
The Hayden Pass area located on the banks of Hayden Creek and at the base of the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The area is thick with gamble oak, juniper and cottonwood trees.
Campground will be closed for the 2025 season.
Coaldale Campground will be closed until infrastructure repairs are completed.
Hayden Creek Campground is a hidden gem on the Salida Ranger District. The campground is small with only 11 sites.
Sangre de Cristo Wilderness was designated by Congress in 1993, and it now has a total of 220,803 acres.
Monarch Pass is between Gunnison and Poncha Springs along Colorado’s Highway 50, which crosses the Continental Divide at 11,312 feet, offering sweeping vistas of central Colorado’s Sawatch Range. A large parking area, gift shop and gondola make this a popular rest stop. It also serves as the trailhead for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
Trails in this area include
- Hunt Lake Trail #1420
- Waterdog Lakes Trail #1417
- Greens Creek Trail #1412
- Boss Lake/CDNST Trail #1419
- Monarch Ridge #531
- Pass Creek Trail #1411
- Little Cochetopa Trail #1409
Monarch Park Campground will be closed while work is being completed.
Monarch Ski Area is located near the summit of Monarch Pass just 20 miles west of Salida, Colorado.
Monarch Pass is between Gunnison and Poncha Springs along U.S.
This group campground is located near the Angel of Shavano Campground and adjacent to the creek.
North Fork Campground is the highest elevation campground on the Salida Ranger District.
Hunt Lake is located below the Continental Divide, north of the summit of Monarch Pass. Boss Lake is also located in close proximity to Hunt Lake.
Waterdog Lakes Trail is a popular day hike for local residents and visitors to the area. The hike to the lakes is a steady climb.
This trail offers a variety of scenery on its passage to the Continental Divide. The trail follows the creek with several beaver ponds located along the way.
This portion of the Continental Divide Trail starts at a high elevation and continues south from Monarch Pass for 11.5 miles to Marshall Pass.
The trail begins near some old mine tailings and travels southwest towards a small ridge and then drops down to Pass Creek.
The trail takes off from the end of the road and climbs toward the Continental Divide. Little Cochetopa Creek parallels the trail.
Th O'Haver Lake area is located off of Highway 285 and County Road 200 off Poncha Pass, south of Poncha Springs, Colo. The area offers mountain views, creeks and a small lake. In the fall, this area delights visitors with the spectacular foliage of golden yellow aspen trees.
The most popular activities are camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing and OHV riding over Marshall Pass.
Trails in this area include
- Silver Creek Trail #1407
- Starvation Creek Trail #1408
- Rainbow Trail (#1336) Mears Junction East
- Rainbow Trail (#1336) Mears Junction West
- Colorado Trail #1776-Segment 15 US-50 to Marshall Pass Trailhead
O'Haver Lake Campground sits at an elevation of 9,200 feet, with ponderosa pines and aspen, with campsites located on the shores O'Haver Lake.
O'Haver Lake Picnic Area has four picnic tables with four standing grills provided and is located within the O'Haver Lake Campground. O'Haver Lake is a
Shirley Site is located off of Highway 285 and County Road 200 just below Poncha Pass.
The trail rises through heavily forested areas to the top of the Continental Divide. The trail is very popular with mountain bikers.
This is a pretty trail that winds up to the Continental Divide for 6.5 miles.
This trail is closed by heavy snow from November until June.
The Rainbow Trail (#1336) travels east from Mears Junction for about 7 miles to the Methodist Mountain trailhead (County Road 108) and then continues east for 5.5 miles to
The Rainbow Trail (#1336) travels west from Mears Junction at Highway 50 for 6 miles, where the trail terminates at the intersection of Forest Road 201.
The Colorado Trail is a backcountry, multiuse trail connecting Denver and Durango, Colo. It is over 483 miles of contiguous trail. The exact mileage for the trail is ever changing as trail segments are changed and rerouted. The project that was to be the Colorado Trail began in 1973 with a grant from the Gates Foundation and was completed in 1987.
The trail sees considerable usage from day hikers, mountain bikers (although not in sections in wilderness), horseback riders and die-hard thru hikers. The trail is maintained by the Colorado Trail Foundation and the Forest Service.
The Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail follow the same path for approximately 200 miles.
The segments of the Colorado Trail #1776 on the Salida Ranger District include
- Segment 13 Silver Creek Trailhead to Chalk Creek Trailhead
- Segment 14 Chalk Creek Trailhead to US-50
- Segment 15 US-50 to Marshall Pass Trailhead
Segment 13: Silver Creek Trailhead to Chalk Creek Trailhead
The Avalanche Trailhead is a major access point for the Colorado Trail (#1776) near Buena Vista, Colo. A paved parking area and toilet facility are available.
The Angel of Shavano Trailhead is located across the road from the Angel of Shavano Campground and serves as a
Segment 14: Chalk Creek Trailhead to U.S. 50
Fourteeners are mountain peaks that reach 14,000 feet or more and are not to be taken lightly, and visitors should take the proper precautions when visiting these peaks. Along with high altitude sickness, visitors can experience exhaustion and dehydration. Visitors coming from low altitude areas should take some time to acclimatize themselves before attempting the peaks.
Many fourteeners are located in wilderness areas where special regulations apply. Wilderness areas are intended to be a place where the imprint of humans is substantially unnoticed, natural processes are the primary influences and human activity is limited to primitive recreation and minimum tools.
Climbing is dangerous, even deadly! There are no shortcuts. Check out Colorado Fourteeners Initiative YouTube Channel to learn more about the risks associated with climbing and how to help protect the rare and fragile alpine tundra ecosystems on these peaks.
Safety and ethics
- Review outdoor recreation safety information and be prepared for your trip.
- Follow Leave No Trace principles to help protect our special places.
- Wilderness.net - This multiagency site works to connect federal employees, scientists, educators and the public with their wilderness heritage.
Mount Antero is one of the Colorado Fourteeners with an elevation of 14,276 feet. The peak was named for Chief Antero of the Uintah band of Ute Tribe.
This trail can be accessed via Forest Road 322 which climbs the east side of the peak from the Young Life Camp.
The trail travels along a saddle south of the summit and the last 0.5 miles to the summit is marked by a few rock cairns.
The trail to the summit of Mount Yale (14,196 feet) leaves from the Denny Creek Trailhead, located off of County R
The Rainbow Trail #1336 travels east from the Poncha Springs, Colo., area along the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Rainbow Trail is over 100 miles in length and travels south from the Salida area into the Wet Mountain valley and terminates near the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The sections of the Rainbow Trail on the Salida Ranger District are open to motorcycles, mountain bikers, horse and foot traffic but closed to OHVs and four-wheel vehicles.
This trailhead is located east of Salida, off of County Road 101 and accesses the Rainbow Trail (#1336) which travels east from the Poncha Springs area along the base of th
The Rainbow Trail (#1336) travels east from Mears Junction for about 7 miles to the Methodist Mountain trailhead (County Road 108) and then continues east for 5.5 miles to
The Rainbow Trail (#1336) travels west from Mears Junction at Highway 50 for 6 miles, where the trail terminates at the intersection of Forest Road 201.
This section of the Rainbow Trail travels along the base of Methodist Mountain, located just south of Salida.
The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness was established in 1993 to preserve its quality, character and integrity. This area is intended to be a place where the imprint of humans is substantially unnoticed, natural processes are the primary influences and human activity is limited to primitive recreation and minimum tools. Please follow Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics to ensure that this and future generations experience this special place in its natural condition.
The trails in this area are steep and rugged, offering a challenge even to experienced hikers. These trails are nonmotorized and nonmechanized wilderness trails.
Bushnell Lakes Trail #1402 is a 2.4-mile difficult and steep nonmotorized/nonmechanized trail in the Sangre de C
Stout Creek Lakes Trail #1403 is a 4-mile (one way) trail that is difficult and very steep in some areas. The trail is accessed via the Rainbow Trail #1336.
Hunts Lake is located in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness area, east of Salida.
Recreation Sites
Alpine Tunnel Trail #1438
Angel of Shavano Campground
Angel of Shavano Group Area
Baldwin Lake
Bassam Guard Station/Cabin
Bootleg Campground
Browns Canyon National Monument
Browns Creek Trail #1429
Bushnell Lakes Trail #1402
Cascade Campground