Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
State Park in Salida, CO
Hours:
Park: Open 24 hours a day, year-round
Visitor Center: Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Closed Sat.-Sun.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10-$15
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: Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Closed Sat.-Sun.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10-$15
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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Fire Restrictions -
AHRA campgrounds are covered by Federal and County fire restrictions; the most restrictive applies. Because conditions change rapidly, check the Colorado Fire Restrictions map before your visit to ensure you have the most up-to-date information for your specific location. Read more details.
AHRA Waterflow
Announcements
| Date | Announcement | Details |
|---|---|---|
| August 17, 2026 | Water Order FAP 26-13 | Mount Elbert Powerplant, Attn: Facility Manager GENERAL |
| August 13, 2026 | Water Order FAP 26-12 | Mount Elbert Powerplant, Attn: Facility Manager GENERAL |
| August 6, 2026 | Water Order FAP 26-11 | Mount Elbert Powerplant, Attn: Facility Manager GENERAL Twin Lakes Dam Maintain until further notice. |
| August 1, 2026 | Decrease in Twin Release | From USBR: We're going to decrease the Twin release by 48 cfs at 07:30 this morning. After the gate operation, we'll be releasing 15 cfs- less than 1 cfs of account and the rest native. This is a little more than 15% at Wellsville but there won't be anyone in tomorrow to make a gate change and native inflows are dropping fast. |
| July 31, 2026 | Decrease in Twin Release | From USBR: Native inflows to Twin dropped sharply although it looks like they've leveled off now. We're going to decrease the release from Twin by 50 cfs at 08:00 this morning (31 July) . After the gate operation, we'll be releasing 77 cfs- less than 1 cfs from accounts 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. |
|
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 | 347 cfs | |
| Below Granite | 198 cfs | |
| Nathrop | 282 cfs | |
| Parkdale | 294 cfs |