Colorado Staycation - SALIDA

COME FOR THE WATER, STAY FOR THE PEOPLE:
RIVERS AND MOUNTAINS DRAW IN-STATE VACATIONERS TO THE ARKANSAS HEADWATERS      

By Steve Graham

 Salida’s boosters invite you to visit the town for the river and the mountains, but they think you will stay for the friendly folks and small town charm. 

“Our town is so incredibly friendly,” said Executive Director Lori Roberts of the Salida Chamber of Commerce. “They return because of the people. We care so much about each other.”

Chamber Office Coordinator Taylor Sumners said the size and convenience of town was another draw when she moved here last year. 

“Everything is located within a couple of blocks, I fell in love with the ease of the access of the town,” she said. 

Salida is about three hours from the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, so pack an overnight bag and a fishing pole. Here’s what to do in and around this central Colorado playground.

Photo: Scott Peterson with Colorful Colorado

WHAT TO DO

Any list of Salida suggestions must start with the river. The upper Arkansas River is the most popular commercial rafting waterway in the nation, and plenty of safe, fun and professional outfitters ply the waters in the area. Some companies offer zip lines, adventure parks, rock climbing and plenty of other activities.

After the snowmelt tapers off, late summer is the perfect time for a calm and family-friendly trip down the river. We still suggest hiring an outfitter unless you are a skilled rafter.

This year, rafting companies have been maintaining social distancing, sanitation and limited capacities, so check with your outfitter for the latest restrictions and requirements.

Likewise, plenty of flyfishing outfitters in the Salida area can help you relax on the river and snag some trout in the miles of gold medal waters.

But you’re not an otter. You can’t spend all day playing on the river. After you have hiked in the Collegiates and rafted on the river, head back to town for Salida’s art and history scene.

Steve Chapman and his team run walking tours of Salida for visitors of all ages, including a ghost tour, a Wild West history tour and our favorite, the History on Tap tour, a three-hour deep dive into Salida history with two stops for beer. 

One highlight of any Salida tour is the burgeoning creative district. Downtown Salida has been a registered National Historic District since 1984, and in 2012, it became one of the state’s first two certified creative districts. 

Today, the district includes 30 artist-owned or artist-run galleries, including several spaces that showcase “the cradle-to-grave process of creating their paintings and whatever their artwork is,” Sumners said. 

There are also plenty of creative sculptures and other public art near the riverfront and around downtown Salida. The district also includes a film production studio and 25 locally owned restaurants and bars.

WHERE TO EAT

Speaking of restaurants, Salida has plenty of options. Call the Salida Chamber or specific restaurants for updated hours and services.

You might expect burgers and tacos on a prime riverfront patio, but how about Asian delicacies such as hot Pho soup and cold Bun noodle salads? Little Cambodia is one of Salida’s top-rated restaurants, with a deck that abuts the beach on the Arkansas.

For margaritas and those tacos, check out the Boathouse Cantina, also on the water and across the street from Riverside

Park. Another local favorite is Fritz, a tapas-heavy American gastropub also facing the park and around the corner from the Boathouse Cantina.

Perhaps the most famous restaurants in Salida are Currents, a steak and seafood joint with rotating local beer taps, and Amicas, a beloved thin-crust pizzeria that spawned a brewery. 

Elevation Beer Co. is welcoming guests in Poncha Springs. Photo: Taylor Sumners

WHERE TO DRINK

Mike LaCroix was head brewer at Amicas for 14 years when he left to launch his own brewery in a former supermarket on U.S. Highway 50. Soulcraft quickly became a Salida staple with a large patio and a larger following. And there are no hard feelings at Amicas because he still brews all his old recipes and fills the restaurant’s taplines.

Another pizzeria still has an in-house brewery. Moonlight Pizza and Brewpub offers the standard sandwiches, calzones and pies alongside nine beers from the 7-barrel brewing system. While it’s a relatively small system, the brewers regularly get even more micro. If you’re lucky, you’ll be there for the tapping (and quick depletion) of a single-keg batch of mango IPA or cinnamon raisin stout. Try to visit Moonlight on a Monday, when 10 percent of proceeds go to a local Salida non-profit.

The newest brewery in town is the Tres Litros Beer Co., which met the challenge of opening this summer during the pandemic. It is named for the ancient tradition of paying laborers with three liters of beer for a day’s work.

Salida is also home to Mountain Spirit Winery and Wood’s High Mountain Distillery. In 2012, avid river-runner (and whiskey aficionado) P.T. Wood opened the distillery and started crafting whiskey, gin and liqueur. 

On the way out of town, stop in the tiny town of Poncha Springs, home of the award-winning Elevation Beer Co. If you have ever bought a six-pack of the stellar 6-Second Kolsch or the appropriately flyfisher-festooned First Cast IPA, you probably didn’t even know it was brewed in a tiny burg at the junction of U.S. Highways 285 and 50.

Finally, if you don’t have time for several brewery tours, satisfy the whole party in one stop at 146 Taphouse. The 1st Street mainstay has 40 taps pouring beer, wine, cider and sake.  

WHERE TO STAY

If you sample one too many of those taps, the Manhattan Hotel is only about a block away. Nestled above the Boathouse Cantina on the banks of the river, this self-service boutique hotel was ready for social distancing with its contactless virtual front desk.

Another unique lodging option is the Amigo Motor Lodge, which was recently renovated but dates back 60 years. In addition to the main building, several well-appointed classic Airstream trailers are available.

There are also some retro-style campers — and llamas — at the Mountain Goat Lodge. This bed and breakfast is eight miles west of Salida and boasts a 20-acre farm as well as classes on making cheese and raising chickens and goats.

If you need a good soak after a challenging 14er, the Salida area also has several hot springs resorts. Be sure to check for current social distancing restrictions, particularly for the pools.

Of course there is also plenty of camping in the area. One favorite, lesser-known option is the Angel of Shavano campground off U.S. Highway 50 at the base of picturesque Mount Shavano. It only has 20 sites, but there are plenty of other options in the area.

In fact, Roberts estimates that Salida is surrounded by 80 percent public land, with “a ton of dispersed camping available.”

She invites travelers to call the chamber of commerce for the latest updates on regulations, openings and availability for all lodging and restaurant options. And be sure to pack out all trash, following leave-no-trace principles.

“We want everybody to be respectful of our mountains,” Roberts said. 

Steve Graham is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor who likes taking his two young boys biking, hiking and brewery-hopping in northern Colorado.