Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
State Park in Salida, CO
Hours:
Park: Open 24 hours a day, year-round
Visitor Center: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch. Closed Saturdays and Sundays
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: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch. Closed Saturdays and Sundays
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
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Construction Closures: Vallie Bridge, Ruby Mountain -
Vallie Bridge Day Use Area is closed 10/28/2024 through 12/12/2024. Ruby Mountain Recreation Site is closed 9/1/2024 through 5/1/2025. There is a full road closure of County Rd. 300 near MM 2.2 at the entrance into Browns Canyon; and, full river closure of the Arkansas River from Fisherman's Bridge continuing Southeast to Ruby Mountain Campground. County Rd. 300 and this section of Arkansas River are closed to all vehicle, water craft and foot traffic as a result of unstable slope conditions encountered during construction. The full road and river closure will continue until project completion.
River Outfitters
For Visitors Seeking a River Guide
Many people use a river outfitter to enjoy the whitewater of the Arkansas River. Look up an AHRA river rafting or fishing outfitter, photographer or shuttle service in the Outfitter List.
You can also go to the Arkansas River Outfitters Association website and learn how to choose a river outfitter.
For River Outfitters Wanting to Guide on the Arkansas River
All river outfitters operating in Colorado are required to first obtain a river outfitter license from Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Visit the River Outfitter Licensing Page to learn more.
Colors of Water
View the Colors of Water report on the Arkansas Basin Water Operations Dashboard.
Announcements
| Date | Announcement | Details |
|---|---|---|
| October 2, 2024 | Decrease in Twin Release | From USBR: We’re finished with the big releases from accounts from Twin for the moment. We’re going to decrease the release to almost native by cutting 35 cfs at 09:30. After the gate operation, we’ll be releasing 66 cfs- about 2 cfs of account and the rest native. |
| September 30, 2024 | Decrease in Twin Release | From USBR: Most account releases from Twin are ending tonight so we’re going to start decreasing the total release from Twin at 09:00 this morning with a 40 cfs cut to the total release. After the gate operation, we’ll be releasing 100 cfs- 82 of account and the rest native. |
| September 27, 2024 | Decrease in Turquoise Release | From USBR: We’re going to decrease the release from Turquoise down Lake Fork to 3 cfs at 09:00 this morning to aid Lake County with replacing culverts. The work should be done in November which is when we would start holding the release at 3 cfs for the winter. I don’t foresee a change from 3 cfs until next spring unless we can’t move water through Mt Elbert conduit this winter. |
| September 23, 2024 | Increase in Twin Release | From USBR: |
| September 19, 2024 | Increase in Twin Release | From USBR: We are going to increase the release from Twin Lakes by 25 cfs today (9/19/24) at 1:30 pm. After the gate change we'll be releasing about 88 cfs, about 62 of which is account water and the rest native. |
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. |
|
Water Flow Levels
The information below depicts the Flow Program Target and the flow of the Arkansas River as measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) at the Wellsville Gage 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 your reference, 1 Cubic Foot/Second (cfs) = 1.98 Acre Feet (af).
Waterflow Summary
Program Water
1000
Flow Program Releases
793
Estimated Program Water Remaining
207
Waterflow Readings
| Gauge | Value | Water Flow Data |
|---|---|---|
| Wellsville | 390 cfs |