The Salida Ranger District is part of the San Isabel National Forest located near the towns of Salida, Buena Vista, and Poncha Springs. The district encompasses over 440,000 acres in central Colorado, “the heart of the Rockies.” It’s an outdoor recreation paradise that encompasses seven 14,000- foot peaks “fourteeners” (Harvard, Tabeguache, Yale, Columbia, Shavano, Princeton, Antero), three wilderness areas (Buffalo Peaks, Collegiate Peaks, Sangre De Cristo), and Browns Canyon National Monument.
The Forest Service manages most of the higher elevation areas, while the Arkansas River corridor is managed by Colorado State Parks and the Bureau of Land Management. The Arkansas River is one of the nation’s most popular rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking. It’s also a designated “gold medal” trout fishing river. For fishing & hunting licenses or off-highway-vehicle (OHV) licenses, please contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The majority of the Salida Ranger District is located within Chaffee County. Nearly 80% of Chaffee County lands are public lands. (Small portions of the district are also located in Lake, Fremont, Saguache, and Park Counties.)
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