Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Railroad Bridge Recreation Area AHRA · Chaffee County | Park / conservation area | 38.92326, -106.16997 | State-park river site above Buena Vista. |
| 2 | Boat ramp on the Arkansas River Trail, Buena Vista Unnamed slipway · OSM 'Arkansas River Trail' | Access / boat ramp | 38.84717, -106.12225 | Mapped ramp in Buena Vista at the whitewater park. |
| 3 | The Trailhead Outdoor shop · East Main Street, Buena Vista | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 38.84295, -106.12919 | Gear and tackle shop two blocks off the river in Buena Vista. |
| 4 | Boat ramp on County Road 300 at Nathrop Unnamed slipway · OSM 'CR 300' | Access / boat ramp | 38.75221, -106.07085 | Mapped ramp on CR 300 at Nathrop, at the head of Browns Canyon. |
| 5 | USGS 07091200 — Arkansas River near Nathrop USGS streamgage · at Hecla Junction | USGS gauge | 38.65222, -106.05113 | The Browns Canyon gauge; read it before you commit to the canyon. |
| 6 | Hecla Junction AHRA · County Road 194 | Access / boat ramp | 38.65185, -106.05127 | State-park take-out at the foot of Browns Canyon. |
| 7 | Stone Bridge Takeout AHRA · Road 191 | Access / boat ramp | 38.61153, -106.06339 | Named take-out below Hecla Junction. |
| 8 | Boat ramp on the Salida River Trail Unnamed slipway · Salida | Access / boat ramp | 38.53805, -105.99107 | Mapped ramp in Salida at the town whitewater park. |
| 9 | Boat ramp on US 50 below Salida Unnamed slipway · OSM 'US 50' | Access / boat ramp | 38.50960, -105.96343 | Mapped ramp on the highway below Salida. |
| 10 | Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area — Point Bar AHRA · Howard | Access / boat ramp | 38.47144, -105.87084 | State-park river site at Howard. |
| 11 | Boat ramp on County Road 45 at Howard Unnamed slipway · OSM 'County Road 45' | Access / boat ramp | 38.47270, -105.86602 | Mapped ramp at Howard beside the Point Bar site. |
| 12 | Boat ramp on County Road 45 below Howard Unnamed slipway · OSM 'CR 45' | Access / boat ramp | 38.39155, -105.77440 | A second mapped ramp on the river road, downstream of Howard. |
| 13 | Trading Post River Access AHRA · Trading Post Road | Access / boat ramp | 38.36762, -105.71533 | Named state-park access with parking and toilets on site. |
| 14 | Lone Pine River Access AHRA · US 50 | Access / boat ramp | 38.39106, -105.65192 | Named state-park access above Texas Creek. |
| 15 | Ford's Landing River Access AHRA · US 50, Texas Creek | Access / boat ramp | 38.40970, -105.59084 | Named state-park access at Texas Creek. |
| 16 | Texas Creek River Access AHRA · County Road 27 | Access / boat ramp | 38.41056, -105.58451 | Named state-park access at the CR 27 bridge. |
| 17 | Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Colorado Parks and Wildlife with the BLM | Park / conservation area | 38.48592, -105.38890 | The state-park corridor that manages most of the accesses on this sheet; this marker is the mapped centre of the boundary near Howard, not a site. |
| 18 | Boat ramp at 4th Street, Canon City Unnamed slipway · OSM '4th Street' | Access / boat ramp | 38.43688, -105.24057 | Town ramp in Canon City below the Royal Gorge. |
| 19 | Minnequa Dam Diversion dam below Canon City | Dam / hazard | 38.41445, -105.15987 | Diversion structure on the river east of Canon City; no boat passage. |
Gauge: USGS 07091200 — ARKANSAS RIVER NEAR NATHROP, CO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Hayden Meadows and Leadville: the upper river, small water and cutthroat.
Granite and Clear Creek confluence: upper canyon access along Highway 24.
Buena Vista and Fisherman's Bridge: town access and popular float launches.
Nathrop and Ruby Mountain: access near the gauge and the Browns Canyon put-in.
Browns Canyon National Monument: the classic float, class III whitewater and good fishing.
Stone Bridge and Salida: mid-river ramps and town water.
Rincon and Parkdale: lower river access toward the Royal Gorge.
Year-round on most of the river.
April and May: the caddis hatch moving upstream, the signature event of the season.
June: runoff, high water and peak rafting; fish the edges or wait.
July through October: hoppers and terrestrials, dropping flows in September, the best brown trout fishing in October.