See all 8 routes on Arkansas River
Colorado | Salida / Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Arkansas RiverStone Bridge to Salida Whitewater Park (Salida Town Run)
A public-access Class II–III Arkansas River town run from the Stone Bridge AHRA launch to the public Salida river exit and whitewater park.
Checking current river conditions…
Route location
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Need to know
Why this call
Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping, seasonal conditions and trip length.
Distance, difficulty, rules and camping
Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A public Stone Bridge-to-Salida town run with direct 07091200 telemetry, corridor-linked flow planning, named AHRA and city access, a mandatory Salida exit, and nearby designated AHRA camping handled separately from the endpoint.
Access map
Put-in
Stone Bridge Recreation Site boat launchUse the Stone Bridge Recreation Site boat launch and the Riverside Park/F Street or clearly signed Salida Whitewater Park river exit only. The take-out coordinate is an access-area/water-entry anchor; confirm the current carry, ramp, parking, and park rules on site.
Take-out
Riverside Park / F Street public river exit near Salida Whitewater ParkSalida Whitewater Park includes engineered features. The City directs boaters to scout from the river-right Coors boat ramp before the F Street approach; do not rely on an unscouted feature line or continue past the route boundary.
Road shuttle
Access notes and hazards
Access caveats
- Use the Stone Bridge Recreation Site boat launch and the Riverside Park/F Street or clearly signed Salida Whitewater Park river exit only. The take-out coordinate is an access-area/water-entry anchor; confirm the current carry, ramp, parking, and park rules on site.
- Salida Whitewater Park includes engineered features. The City directs boaters to scout from the river-right Coors boat ramp before the F Street approach; do not rely on an unscouted feature line or continue past the route boundary.
- AHRA camping at Salida East, Point Barr, and Rincon is separate from this route’s endpoint. Confirm reservations, fees, fire restrictions, and seasonal access rather than treating any riverbank or park space as camping.
- The flow band is planning guidance only. Keep the route unavailable when the direct gauge is outside the band, rapidly changing, unavailable, or inconsistent with visual conditions, access status, or group skill.
Watch for
- USGS 07091200 below 300 cfs, above 5,000 cfs, rapidly rising, unavailable, or inconsistent with local conditions
- Class II–III rapids, Scout Wave and other engineered features, cold water, strainers, bridge hydraulics, debris, swimmers, crowding, and failure to reach the Salida exit
- AHRA/CPW or City of Salida closures, event restrictions, parking/carry changes, road conditions, fire restrictions, and camping-rule violations
Plan this paddle
Choose your trip times
No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.
Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.
Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.
Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.
Conditions
Water levels, gauge history, and hourly forecast
Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.
USGS measurements
More about this gauge
These measurements come from the gauge station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Arkansas River near Nathrop, CO. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Gauge detail
Water-level history and forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampWeather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route gallery
Photos
Check each caption: some photos show the surrounding area rather than this exact trip.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today’s call.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
- Checking data sources and update times.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Arkansas River near Nathrop, CO |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Preferred range | 300 cfs to 5,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 300 cfs |
| High threshold | 5,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Stone Bridge to Salida 300–5,000 cfs planning band; corridor-linked Colorado hazards guidance |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named public corridorStone Bridge to Salida (Salida Town Run), approximately 9.5 miles, Class II–III
American Whitewater names the reach and difficulty; CPW describes the public AHRA access chain and the Salida section of the Arkansas River.
- Direct live gauge and route-specific flow guidanceUSGS 07091200; approximately 300–5,000 cfs planning band
USGS provides continuous discharge telemetry near Nathrop. The Colorado hazards technical report explicitly links the Stone Bridge-to-Salida corridor to this station and planning band.
- Put-in accessStone Bridge Recreation Site public boat launch
AHRA/BLM access material identifies Stone Bridge as the public launch and the downstream boundary of Browns Canyon.
- Salida endpoint accessRiverside Park / F Street access near the public Salida Whitewater Park
American Whitewater publishes the Riverside Park access anchor, while the City of Salida documents the public whitewater park and its boat ramp.
- Water-entry coordinate corroborationOSM-mapped Salida slipway at 38.5380505, -105.9910653
The coordinate is a water-entry/access-area anchor corroborating the named Riverside Park/F Street access; confirm the current physical ramp and carry on site rather than treating the map node as a guarantee.
- Safety and mandatory take-outScout the Salida engineered features and exit at the named city access before the separate downstream corridor
The City’s Scout Wave project page directs boaters to scout from the river-right Coors boat ramp; the route is bounded at Salida rather than extended into Salida-to-Rincon.
- Camping and logisticsNo endpoint camping assumed; separate AHRA camping at Salida East, Point Barr, and Rincon
CPW identifies designated camping/access sites along the broader Salida-to-Vallie corridor. Reservations, fees, fire rules, and seasonal conditions apply independently of this day-run endpoint.
- Duplicate separationDistinct downstream Stone Bridge-to-Salida corridor below Browns Canyon and above the separate Salida-to-Rincon corridor
This route begins at the Browns Canyon take-out and ends at the Salida city access; it is not a duplicate of either adjacent route.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater Stone Bridge to Salida
- USGS 07091200 monitoring location
- USGS 07091200 current conditions
- CPW AHRA Salida to Vallie access and camping
- CPW AHRA brochure
- Colorado hazards technical report
- City of Salida Whitewater Park
- City of Salida Scout Wave improvements
- American Whitewater Riverside Park access
- OpenStreetMap Salida slipway water-entry anchor
- USGS Arkansas River in Colorado image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or explore different rivers within 75 straight-line miles.
More in Colorado
All 48 routesMore on Arkansas River
All 8Nearby routes within 75 miles
Quick answers
Arkansas River paddling FAQ
What water level is best for the Stone Bridge to Salida Whitewater Park (Salida Town Run) route on the Arkansas River?
Paddle Today watches Arkansas River near Nathrop, CO and treats 300 cfs to 5,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does the Stone Bridge to Salida Whitewater Park (Salida Town Run) route on the Arkansas River start and end?
This route starts at Stone Bridge Recreation Site boat launch and ends at Riverside Park / F Street public river exit near Salida Whitewater Park, Approximately 9.5 river miles to the Riverside Park / F Street exit on the water.
Is the Stone Bridge to Salida Whitewater Park (Salida Town Run) route on the Arkansas River suitable for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.