Salida

OMG! How Did I Miss All This?

By Marcella S. Meeks

I’ve been traveling through Salida, Colorado for many years and never realized the things I was missing by not stopping. All the times we came through on our way somewhere else, it was a straight shot to there. OMG! I just didn’t realize the things that Salida has to offer. I visited a couple of shops on the out-skirts of town but I never took the time to drive downtown to the historical section of town. Salida is 7,083 feet above sea level and it is centrally located on the banks of the Arkansas River. There are 12 known mountains surrounding it that loom over 14,000 feet high. Salida’s downtown section was also recognized as the historical district.

I have seen the mountains surrounding on our way in and on our way out but I never thought much about what we’d find if we actually did a little exploring around town. I’ve always considered Salida the base camp for us – the hub so to speak – that we can use to reach out targeted destination. We’ve stayed at the Simple Lodge and Hostel a couple of nights once and we camped out nearby. Occasionally, we’d get a room at one of the motels on Highway 50 heading toward Canon City. We went to the Royal Gorge Bridge and the dinosaur museum in Canon City while we staying in Salida but we never toured the town of Salida itself. Our days were booked with rafting, the bridge, horse back riding and once a year, we’d drive over to Leadville (another town that I’m interested in doing a little research on and learn what it has to offer visitors) and ride the Leadville train.

I am disappointed in myself for not checking out Salida every year. This past week I started doing research on the town of Salida (thank goodness for the Internet) and found that Salida has way more to offer tourists other than the routine rafting, kayaking, skiing and horseback riding, These are at the top of my bucket list, but there was so much more than that.

I’m bringing two (possibly 3) teen-aged grandsons next year and they are not going to want to be idle, not for one minute. They have their phones to keep them busy, yes, but I want them to see and do things they’ve never done before while we’re on our trip. Kendray enjoys fishing and spends his free time at home fishing at the creek close to home. He spends his extra money on new fishing lures and occasionally, a new rod and reel. Fishing is his hobby. His cousin Tristin likes to fish, too, if you can keep the phone out of sight/out of reach.

When we do get to Salida in June 2024, I’m taking them to the Mt. Shavano State Fish Hatchery. All these years, I never knew this place existed. It is something the boys will enjoy and a place they’ve never been before. Boys aren’t that hard to please if you just find something they’re interested in. Kendray will be in his comfort zone at the fish hatchery.

Now here’s another exciting thing I didn’t know existed in Salida. Every year we go through, I see this huge S on the side of the mountain (yes, it stands for Salida!), but I never knew there was something there that we might be interested in. S-Mountain. After doing a little research I found that we can actually take this 500 feet climb to the top of the mountain and see the views of Salida and the Arkansas Valley below. You can find out more about the hiking trails at S-Mountain on their website.

There are several old mining and ghost towns that we can visit while we’re in Salida. Ute Trail Area – Turret is the one I think we’ll go first. It’s about 14 miles from Salida and can be made in a two-wheel drive vehicle . Just take it slow and easy. Honestly, I think the boys will like this a lot. There are other similar places like this. You can find out more here.

Salida is a historical town and there is a lot of interesting shops in town. If you’re an artsy type of person Salida is the place to be. I plan to visit some of the galleries and bring home a treasure if I can figure out what I want!

In June of 2024, my family and I are going to be staying in Lake City, Colorado for 3 weeks and have a week leftover that we’re trying to fill. Salida was my first choice. I found a my dream vacation spot that is just a short drive from Salida called Creekside Chalets & Cabins. If all goes well, and I can somehow fit it into my budget, that’s where I want to be that first week in June. Motels are fine but a mountain retreat cabin such as they have to offer is my dream stay.

I don’t know how I missed all the good stuff in Salida throughout the years. In 2024, I’m going to find the real treasures of this mountain town and I’ll fill you in on my findings here on our website. All these years, I just never did justice to the town of Salida but that’s all fixing to change. This is a place I could spend the rest of my life getting use to.

One last thing before I forget, a couple of years ago we went rafting with one of the outfitters near Salida and while we were out on the Arkansas River, our guide pointed out a cabin to my twelve year old granddaughter on one side of the river. He said that this was Justin Beaver’s vacation home. Maggie was so excited about that that she wanted to come rafting every day so we might get glimpse of Justin. Of course, we only rafted twice that week and no sign of Beaver and she soon forgot about him. Just wanted to share this with any of you celebrity buffs who might be heading to Salida. I’m not 100% sure if this is factual but our rafting guide shared it with us!

Come join us in June 2024! Salida, Colorado – here we come!

Salida, Colorado – Our Base Camp to Fun and Adventure

By Marcella S.Meeks

Below: Several families from Louisiana enjoying thier morning ride with an outfitter in Poncha Springs, Colorado near Salida.

Have you ever been to a town or city while traveling and you decide to stay the night, then another night and then decide to stay longer? When your vacation is over, the next year you go right back to that same town and do the same thing again before traveling to your intended destination? Well, to be honest, I have done this on several occasions. This time, I want to talk about a town in Colorado called Salida. It’s our base camp to endless fund and adventure, so to speak, and you can reach any of our targeted locations within 100 mile radius from here.

Salida, Colorado may not seem like much to some people who come here but to me it has sentimental values because this is where we come and stay at quite often with family members, especially our grand children.

If you like horseback riding, there is an outfitter near Salida in Poncha Springs that can take care of you. I am scared of horses but I go along to watch the grand kids have a good time.

You can drive over to Colorado Springs from here and go to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings and stop off at Denny’s for lunch or a restaurant of your choice.

The next day, you can drive over to Leadville and do the train ride on the Leadville Railroad.

Another day you might drive over to Buena Vista for some rafting and adventure on the white water rapids. There’s several outfitters in the area that can take you down the Arkansas River.

If you want to extend your trip a little longer in Salida, drive over to Canon City and visit the Royal Gorge Bridge. If you’re into it, you can ride the Royal Gorge train there as well.

Since that one is a little pricy for our bedget, we usually skip it. In Canon City, there is a nice park on the outskirts of town that has a skate park and our grandsons love this most of all. The good thing is, you can picnic at the park while they enjoy a fun filled day at the FREE skate park. Don’t forget to bring along skates, skate board, scooter or a bike though.

You may want to drive to the Great Sand Dunes National Park or the Colorado Gators while you’re in Salida. Kids come with their families every year just to see the dunes or the Gators. Check out the Louisiana family below. The Colorado Gators are still their favorite!

Me – well I love visiting some of the shops located in Salida. And enjoy a relaxing evening at the pool where we stay after a long day!

Before I forget, once we stayed at the Simple Lodge and Hostel in Salida. At first, I almost declined but the grand kids wanted to try it a couple of nights. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and do something different. I am sometimes shy but it didn’t take me long to make friends with a few of the young people who stayed there. We shared the kitchen and dining table and talked while we eat – it was like being at home when teenagers came calling! It was really nice and the beds were really comfortable, considering it a hostel. Of course since we did have the kids with us, we requested a private room. It was a nice little room and very private To me, it was like staying at a friends’ house for a night or two. Try them and see what you think – get out of your comfort zone and try something different!

If you ever visit a place and you like it, make an effort to return and stay a couple nights. Salida, Colorado is just a town but to us it’s almost like being at home, on vacation.

Summer Camp With Wi-Fi!
By Marcella S. Meeks

I want to tell you about our adventure at the hostel in Salida. I have never stayed at one before and was a little skeptical at first, especially with all the Covid-19 propaganda going around (another story for another time!). When we arrived at the Simple Lodge & Hostel, my first impression was, ‘okay, can we do this?’ My three grandsons were okay with it and their response was, “Wow! Ma-maw, this is like summer camp with Wi-Fi!”

I wasn’t really sure what the word hostel meant. According to Google dictionary, a hostel is a an establishment which provides inexpensive food and lodging for a specific group of people, such as students, workers, or travelers. It was very inexpensive, simple and a friendly place to stay. There was food available but we brought our own.

We were greeted by a young man who welcomed us and showed us around the living area and the kitchen and finally to our room. It was a little small but we booked at the least minute and it was fourth of July weekend so we were lucky to be able to find a room at all.

My youngest grandson Kendray remarked, “This place is so homey!”

It was a little different than the places we were accustomed to but we were fine with it. My first impression was to run away to one of the modest motels I saw coming in but too late – the kids wanted to stay. I thought they’d be upset not having a pool but they had their I-pads and phones and Wi-Fi so all was well in our world.
I went down later and made chili dogs for the family and they were satisfied.

The Simple Lodge & Hostel is located in the downtown section of Salida – there isn’t a lot of parking space but the lodge itself is okay.

There were mostly young people staying there and they all got along really good. It was quiet and peaceful. The beds were okay, as good as any we slept in. The room were clean. But there was no air conditioning. But in Colorado that is the norm for some of these places. It was a little hot when we went to bed that first night but by morning we had to turn the fans off and cover up.

The upstairs bathroom were multi-use and shared by other guests but they were private and clean.

After summing it all up, my grandson was right. It was like summer camp in a lot of ways!

It was an adventure for me because I am much older now but it was a lot of fun. We enjoyed it and made some fine memories that will last a lifetime!

If you are adventurous or just looking for a good night rest while traveling, stop in at the Simple Lodge & Hostel. Tell them Marcella with the Family Traveler sent you…

TAGS: Salida, Colorado, Arkansas River, Simple Lodge and Hostel, rafting, the bridge, horse back riding, kayaking, skiing, Mt. Shavano State Fish Hatchery, S-Mountain, Ute Trail Area – Turret, Creekside Chalets & Cabins, Buena Vista, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado Gators, hostel, summer camp