Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
State Park in Salida, CO
Hours:
Park: Open 24 hours a day, year-round
Visitor Center: Sun.-Tues., Thurs.-Sat. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wed. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
307 West Sackett Ave.
Salida, CO 81201-1654
United States
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
State Park in Salida, CO
Hours:
Park: Open 24 hours a day, year-round
Visitor Center: Sun.-Tues., Thurs.-Sat. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wed. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
307 West Sackett Ave.
Salida, CO 81201-1654
United States
Navigate to:
AHRA Waterflow
Announcements
| Date | Announcement | Details |
|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2025 | Water Order FAP 26-03 | Mount Elbert Powerplant, Attn: Facility Manager GENERAL Twin Lakes Dam |
| November 5, 2025 | Water Order FAP 26-02 | Mount Elbert Powerplant, Attn: Facility Manager GENERAL |
| October 15, 2025 | Increase in Twin Release | From USBR: There's been a little moisture in the upper reservoirs this week. We're going to release the excess native. At 10:30 am, the release from Twin Lakes will increase from 15 cfs to 50 cfs, less than 1 cfs from accounts and the rest native. |
| October 1, 2025 | Water Order FAP26-01 | From USBR: We're going to end releases through the Sugarloaf Powerplant to the conduit at 08:00 this morning. There are no changes to river releases. |
| September 24, 2025 | Increase at Twin Lakes | From USBR: We are going to test equipment at Twin Lakes Reservoir tomorrow from 0900 to 1300 hrs. The release from the dam will increase by 25 cfs in 5 cfs increments every 20 minutes up to 40 cfs and then back down to 15 cfs. |
High Water Advisories
| Rapid | Advisory in Effect | High Water Advisement | High Water Equipment Advisement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | No | It is recommended that the Numbers (Section 1E) not be run when the river is flowing over 2400 cfs at the Numbers/Below Granite gage as read at 7:00 am for full day or morning trips and at 12:00 noon for afternoon Numbers trips. |
|
| Pine Creek Rapid | No | It is recommended that Pine Creek Rapid (within Section 1D) not be run when the river is flowing over 1250 cfs at the Numbers/Below Granite gauge as read at 7:00 a.m. for full day or morning trips. |
|
| Royal Gorge | No | It is recommended that the Royal Gorge (Section 5) not be run at flows over 3200 cfs at the Parkdale gauge as read at 7:00 a.m. for full day or morning trips and at 12:00 noon for afternoon Royal Gorge trips. |
|
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Colors of Water
View the Colors of Water report on the Arkansas Basin Water Operations Dashboard.
Waterflow Summary
The information above depicts the Flow Program Target and the flow of the Arkansas River as measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) at the Wellsville Gauge near Salida, CO. This page also tracks, in acre feet (af), the amount of water released as part of the summer component of the Voluntary Flow Program. For reference, a flow of 1 cfs for 24 hours is 1.98 af.
Waterflow Gauge Locations (7 A.M. Reading)
| Gauge | Value | Water Flow Data |
|---|---|---|
| Wellsville | 364 cfs | |
| Below Granite | ||
| Nathrop | ||
| Parkdale |