Seniors Settle into Scenic Salida, Colorado

Welcome to Salida, Colorado, the “Gem Of The Rockies” that lies in a valley with mountains around its perimeter. Actually, that is an understatement, as senior visitors will find over a dozen peaks over 14,000 feet around Salida.

I could say “in the heart of the Rockies,” Salida is two hours from Colorado Springs and three hours from Denver. Salida is loaded with activities of every mountain nature: archery, biking, camping, climbing, fishing, four-wheeling, golfing, hiking, hunting, kayaking, picnicking, rock hounding, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and a world-class zip-line tour.

The Arkansas river has famous kayak runs and Salida is home to the FIBARK river festival which began in 1949. Perhaps you might just be interested in a ghost town, a major tourist attraction in the Salida region.

Each ghost town is a remnant of a colorful past and they are scattered throughout the upper Arkansas Valley. Most are haunting reminders of economic collapse and other disasters that led to the abandonment of the town. Perhaps the most well-preserved of Colorado’s ghost towns is St. Elmo.

Seniors Awed With Mountain Scenery

I know that I would enjoy the Arkansas River Walk in Downtown Salida. The scenery in every direction of Salida will fill up a flash drive. While the Vino Salida Wine Cellars attracts many senior tourists, the Monarch Scenic Tram remains a major draw in Salida.

The tram takes passengers from Monarch pass to the top of the Continental Divide, at an elevation of 12,012 feet, for panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains in every direction. Rafting and tubing on the Arkansas River are also highly popular as are horseback riding tours.

I would not want to miss the Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery about a half-mile northwest of Salida. And get this…it produces more than 2 million trout each year that are used to stock Colorado’s numerous streams and lakes.

Seniors Like The Hot Springs

The Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center is popular, not only with all the locals, but senior visitors as well. The water in the pool is a temperate 98 degrees. The sparkling clear and odorless water was originally enjoyed by the Ute Indians and now flows continually into various Salida Hot Springs pools.

The Salida Museum contains displays of tools and artifacts associated with railroading, mining, farming, and ranching in Colorado, as well as photographs of early Salida, Native American items and a unique mineral display.

Then drop by the Alexander House and the Manhattan Hotel, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places and part of Colorado’s largest historic district.

Located in Historic Downtown Salida, alongside the banks of the Arkansas River, the newly remodeled Palace Hotel established in 1909 offers boutique caliber lodging.

Senior visitors can sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of the Arkansas River and Riverside Park in Salida and the clean mountain air.  -jeb