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Top 10 Nature & Parks in , Chaffee County
Discover the best top things to do in , United States including La Plata Peak, Mount Harvard, Huron Peak, Mount Yale, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, Monarch Mountain, Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery, Buena Vista Boulder Garden, Buena Vista River Park, Cottonwood Lake.
Restaurants in Chaffee County
1. La Plata Peak
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By 2gonesomewhere - Marathon, United States
Fabulous hike - 5th highest of the Colorado 14ers. Easy access outside of Twin Lakes (paved road), adequate roadside parking lot. It can be full so leave start early. The hike from parking into the La Plata Gulch is moderate, and lovely. BUT once you leave the gulch and start up hill on the switchbacks be prepared :-). And once you get to the ridge/saddle - well there's another mile/mile and a quarter and 1500 ft of gain still to scramble to the summit so stop and have lunch before you start up! It is steeper/harder than some of the higher peaks. Total closer to 10.5 miles than the advertised 9.25, I'm just sayin'
2. Mount Harvard
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
Two of Colorado's 58 14ers can be accessed from this trailhead (North Cottonwood Creek Trailhead). Mt. Harvard is 14,420 feet and Mt. Columbia is 14,073 feet.
3. Huron Peak
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
14,003 foot mountain in the Sawatch range of Colorado. One of Colorado's 58 14ers
Reviewed By climb14
Another must for those working on the 14er list. Trail is great. the 4 wheel drive road is definitely that. but if you need to walk it (like I did) its an easy walk.
4. Mount Yale
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By 984kevinq - North Ridgeville, United States
What an amazing hike! Very tough hike for hikers from Ohio (600ft above sea level). Suggestion, acclimate to the altitude for several days before attempting, if you don’t live in the area! They have a great parking area at the trail head. Skip the path that takes you to the lake, and head right for the summit! The views On a good day are life changing! We took all day to hike it, but again, we are from Ohio and the thin air makes it very difficult. Always bring layered clothing to take off and put on when weather changes.
5. Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24 reviews
An area of the Arkansas River with spectacular scenery and 14,000-foot mountains.
Reviewed By morewierd - Boulder, United States
Even if we are not paddling or kayaking this is the area that gives Salida it's personality. SO easy to spend the day here., Come on down!
6. Monarch Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 248 reviews
Monarch Mountain, located in South Central Colorado, is what you expect from a real Colorado ski area.Abundant natural snow (350+ inches) and friendly people are two of our strongest attributes. You can walk from your car right to the lifts, prices are reasonable, and the runs flow naturally back to the base area. At Monarch you’ll lose the crowds but not your friends.We have been improving the skiing and riding experience by adding backcountry terrain in Mirkwood Basin for the advanced and putting in two conveyor lifts for our less experienced guests. We are not about Real Estate developments and shopping villages at Monarch. You won’t find time share salesmen in the base area, but you will find friendly employees wanting to share our mountain with you. The only “bling-bling” you’ll see at Monarch is from beaming smiles.
Reviewed By UsuallyRV - Spring, United States
I had not been skiing for 30 years and took private lessons with my teenage daughters. It was great. Rich was a top-notch instructor and very patient. I did a lot of research and the reviews are spot-on. This is a great place to avoid crowds and high prices.
7. Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By howiegrace - Monument, United States
This was a bit of a last minute decision to stop here, but I’m glad we did. Not only was it interesting to hear about the fishing industry in Colorado, but feeding the fish was pretty cool -even for my teen. The fish are beautiful to look at and they love to be fed, so it is a bit of a feeding frenzy, but fun! I think young kids would love this because they can really see the fish when they fight for the food and they have small fish and medium fish to feed. The informational video that they show might be a little much for smaller children, but very interesting to learn about the hatcheries throughout Colorado. Also, the parking lot is above the actual hatchery, so be prepared to walk down about 15 steps to get to the office. I will fully admit that I’m a bit of a “geek” when it comes to tours (factory or other) and this was just a great add to my list!
8. Buena Vista Boulder Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
The BV Boulder Garden is a world-class, free-to-the-public bouldering park for the climbing community and those want to try out climbing/ bouldering.
Reviewed By nathanmC1436BW
all the the boulders to climb were so fun my kids loved it and I had a great time (until I broke my leg)
9. Buena Vista River Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 211 reviews
Reviewed By 718teresag - Alamosa, United States
Gorgeous hike along the Arkansas River! You can do a loop hike, as there are 2 foot/bike bridges that cross the river. There are a lot of gorgeous boulders all along the hike, both in the river and along the trail itself, especially on the 'upper' (east) side. If you have someone in your party who has issues scrambling up/down a boulder or 2 while hiking, the trail on the lower/west side of the river is a lot easier to hike. But if at all possible, you should do the entire loop. It's not that long, allow about an hour so you can stop to take pictures.
