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

Contact:

719-539-7289

[email protected]

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

Contact:

719-539-7289

[email protected]

Navigate to:

Texas Creek Closure and Safety Alert -

Due to significant rain events in the area, much of the Texas Creek site has been washed out, including sections of the road. It is currently inaccessible. For your safety, please do not attempt to access this site until maintenance crews have made repairs.

Announcements

Date	Announcement	Details
August 4, 2025	Water Order FAP 25-33	Mount Elbert Powerplant Subject: Project Operations GENERAL Flows at Wellsville are below the target flow. Twin Lakes Dam Monday, August 4, 2025 08:00 Hrs. Increase the project release by 40 cfs from 190 cfs to 230 cfs. Maintain until further notice.
August 3, 2025	Water Order FAP 25-32	Mount Elbert Powerplant Subject: Project Operations GENERAL Native inflows to Twin Lakes have increased, so we need to recolor the release to reduce our admin account. Twin Lakes Dam Sunday, August 3, 2025 00:00 Hrs. Convert 25 cfs of the project release from Twin Lakes to native. Project release will be 190 cfs. Maintain until further notice.
July 31, 2025	Water Order FAP 25-31	Mount Elbert Powerplant Subject: Project Operations GENERAL Flows at Wellsville have increased. Twin Lakes Dam Thursday, July 31, 2025 08:00 Hrs. Decrease the project release from Twin Lakes by 15 cfs from 230 cfs to 215 cfs. Maintain until further notice.
July 30, 2025	Water Order FAP 25-30	Mount Elbert Powerplant Subject: Project Operations GENERAL Flows at Wellsville have increased. Twin Lakes Dam Wednesday, July 30, 2025 13:00 Hrs. Decrease the project release from Twin Lakes by 20 cfs from 250 cfs to 230 cfs. Maintain until further notice.
July 29, 2025	Water Order FAP 25-29	Mount Elbert Powerplant Subject: Project Operations GENERAL Flows at Wellsville have declined. Twin Lakes Dam Tuesday, July 29, 2025 08:00 Hrs. Increase the project release from Twin Lakes by 15 cfs from 235 cfs to 250 cfs. Maintain until further notice.

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.	Helmets must be worn at all water levels. Wetsuits/dry suits are optional at all water levels depending upon weather and water conditions and advised when water levels are above 900 cfs as measured at the Numbers/Below Granite gage.
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.	Helmets must be worn at all water levels. Wetsuits/dry suits are optional at all water levels depending upon weather and water conditions and advised when water levels are above 900 cfs as measured at the Numbers/Below Granite gauge.
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.	Helmets must be worn at all water levels. Wetsuits/drysuits are optional at all water levels depending upon weather and water conditions and advised when water levels are above 2800 cfs as measured at the Parkdale gauge.

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	331 cfs	View Dashboard
Below Granite		View Dashboard
Nathrop		View Dashboard
Parkdale		View Dashboard