Things to Do in Salida, Salida, Colorado

Salida is located in central Colorado and is the county seat and most populous municipality of Chaffee County. It was first called South Arkansas when the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad made the area a stopping point. Due to the lovely view from the train upon leaving the Arkansas River canyon, it was renamed Salida, (exit in Spanish).

Salida became a big railroad town with the largest train repair facility between Denver and Salt Lake City. It also boasted many smelters as gold and silver mining in the vicinity became more prevalent. As these industries faded, farming took over.

Now Salida, Colorado’s largest historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a tourist town. It is a gateway to the outdoors providing excellent fishing, rafting, hiking and more. Below are a few things to do in Salida.

In my opinion, for as artistic, cute, and historic Salida is, I feel like there should be an excellent historic hotel. However, that is not the case. In fact, the lodging is a bit lacking when it comes to hotels. There are some motels in the area and a selection of Air B&B, and of course a substantial amount of camping given 80% of the lands in the area is public. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).