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
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Announcements
| Date | Announcement | Details |
|---|---|---|
| July 24, 2025 | Water Order 25-25 | Mount Elbert Powerplant GENERAL |
| July 23, 2025 | Water Order FAP25-24 | From USBR: We're going to decrease the release from Twin by 50 cfs at 08:00 this morning to take advantage of the bump in flows at Wellsville from the rains. This will let us store a little more VFMP for later in the season. After the gate operation, we'll be releasing 232 cfs- 140 cfs of project, less than 1 of accounts and the rest native. |
| July 21, 2025 | Decrease in Turquoise Release | From USBR: We're going to make a minor gate change at Turquoise this morning. At 08:30, we'll decrease the release by 4 cfs- from 11 to 7 cfs, all native. The release will continue to follow the inflow down the rest of this summer. |
| July 15, 2025 | Water Order FAP 25-23 | Mount Elbert Powerplant GENERAL |
| July 10, 2025 | Water Order FAP 25-22 | GENERAL |
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. |
|
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 Readings
Waterflow Gauge Locations (7 A.M. Reading)
| Gauge | Value | Water Flow Data |
|---|---|---|
| Wellsville | 634 cfs | |
| Below Granite | ||
| Nathrop | ||
| Parkdale |