Best of Salida  - The Arkansas River

In the land of wicked whitewater, the Arkansas River rules the roost. One of the most popular rafting rivers in the world, the Arkansas cascades through Chaffee County carving its way into the granite canyons of Chaffee, Lake and Fremont Counties. With a length of 1,450 miles it is the longest tributary in the Missouri-Mississippi system, and is the 4th longest river in the United States.

Beginning as a small trout stream south of Fremont Pass at the Continental Divide, the Arkansas plunges 5,000 feet in its first 125 miles. After its rambunctious beginning,when it finally reaches the Mississippi, it is almost depleted from irrigation in the midwest. The Arkansas River Basin, draining 24,904 square miles, is Colorado's largest river basin. Major reservoirs in the Arkansas Basin include Pueblo Reservoir, John Martin Reservoir, Great Plains Reservoir System, Twin Lakes Reservoir, and Turquoise Lake. Major tributaries to the Arkansas include Fountain River and Purgatory River.

One of the reasons for the popularity of the Arkansas is that. much of it flows through areas easily accessible by road, so the possibility of a put-in or a hired run are always good. The whitewater can range from great to downright breathtaking. Finding an outfitter is only a problem if they're all booked, as can happen during the peak season, but there are also stretches of the Arkansas that offer a little more peace and quiet if you're not up for thrashing the waves. Below Canyon City, the river becomes noticeably more docile. As on any river, hazards like submerged trees and occasional riffles can result in an unexpected swim, but the float between Canyon and Pueblo Reservoir is ideal for families.

Origins and Geology of the Arkansas River

The Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains was formed between 70 and 72 million years ago during the Laramide Orogeny (mountain building.) when this massive dome was lifted up from the low lying central Colorado trough which contained lated Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. (Karnuta, p. 9) To drain off the Sawatch Range, streams began flowing eastward forming valleys. The Arkansas Valley is the northernmost of these valleys and conclusive geologic evidence establishes that this valley was formed no earlier than 29 million years ago.

Among the most outstanding features of the upper Arkansas Valley are the glacial characteristics of the topography throughout the area. Glacial cirques and U-shaped valleys can be seen in connection with many tributary streams and side canyons in the valley. Rocky remnants of giant moraines are evident from Buena Vista to Salida making the upper Arkansas different than other major rivers of the region.

History of the Arkansas River Valley

The Arkansas River is one of the most historically and economically important rivers in the United States. The first recorded crossing of the Arkansas River at the ford of the later Taos or Trappers Trail was made by the Spaniard Ulibarri in 1706. Ulibarri was in command of a force comprising twenty soldiers, twelve settlers and one hundred Indian allies, all marching from Santa Fe to rescue a band of enslaved Picuris from the Cuartelejo Apaches of present eastern Colorado. He name the Arkansas the Napestle for its muddy color.

The first man to explore the upper reaches of the Arkansas was probably Zebulon Pike in 1806 when he led an expedition west of Pike's Peak. On that same trip he camped for Christmas next to the Arkansas River at Squaw Creek about four miles north of Poncha Springs where a historical marker is no located. sHe was followed by Gen John C. Fremont who also explored the upper Arkansas. From 1820 to 1846, the River formed the boundary between the United States and Mexico. It was named for the Arkansas Indians of Oklahoma and Kansas through which the river flows.

Native Americans hunted along its length and early explorers followed it westward.

The Arkansas River has three faces. It is first a wild mountain stream full of rapids and, in Colorado, provides some of the best white water rafting in the country. It was part of the old Santa Fe Trail through Kansas, where it becomes a typical braided prairie river meandering across the flatlands. As it moves south into Oklahoma and Arkansas, it becomes a significant river for barge traffic as well as for recreation. From there it travels through hardwood forests and empties into the Mississippi.

Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

Stretching for 148 miles from Leadville through Chaffee and Fremont Counties to the Pueblo Reservoir, the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area is a unique park managed by both the Colorado Division of Parks and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Within the park are numerous recreation sites--some improved and some not. Since this is a new park, it remains a work in progress with projects such as its Watchable Wildlife area at Five Points, in Fremont County in the making. The Park system includes sites in Fremont County at Pinnacle Rock, Five Points and lone Pine as well as sites in Chaffee County including Railroad Bridge, north of Buena Vista; Fisherman's Bridge and Ruby Mountain, near Nathrop; Hecla Junction between nathrop and Salida: and Rincon, southeast of Salida.