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:
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 |
|---|---|---|
| July 7, 2025 | Increase at Twin Lakes | From USBR: We're going to increase the release from Twin today by 50 cfs at 1000 hrs. After this gate change, we'll be releasing approximately 256 cfs, about 50 cfs from accounts and the rest native. |
| July 7, 2025 | Water Order FAP 25-19 | Mount Elbert Powerplant GENERAL |
| July 6, 2025 | Water Order FAP 25-18 | Mount Elbert Powerplant GENERAL
|
| July 4, 2025 | Water Order FAP 25-16 | Mount Elbert Powerplant GENERAL
|
| July 2, 2025 | Decrease in Twin Release | From USBR: We're going to decrease the Twin release by 25 cfs at 08:00 this morning (2 Jul). After the gate operation, we'll be releasing 210 cfs, less than 1 cfs of account 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. |
|
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 | |
| Below Granite | ||
| Nathrop | ||
| Parkdale |