Live Webcams Chaffee County Area Including Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, Salida

Buena Vista & Salida, Colorado offer breathtaking mountain vistas, wide valleys, alpine lakes and more than 100 miles of trails – ah, the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area in the Sawatch Range. The nearly 170,000 acres of this must-explore destination was designated as a wilderness area in 1980. It is one of the state’s largest wilderness areas, and it has more 14ers and high peaks than any other wilderness area in our state. With eight peaks over 14,000 feet and six over 13,000, there are ample hiking adventures. Chaffee County is not just comprised of the Sawatch Range, it actually reaches into three surrounding counties and parts of three national forests. Clearly, there is ample open-space.

There are over a dozen trailheads which will lead you on scenic hiking experiences. It is worth venturing to the famous Colorado Trail, the Continental Divide and the 14er summit trailheads. Another option is just taking a Sunday drive, or even better, rent a jeep and get up to the high country. The Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway runs for 57 miles of absolute splendor, leading travelers to the quaint mountain towns of Salida, Buena Vista, Nathrop and Poncha Springs.

Chaffee County receives 11 inches of rain, on average, per year and averages 50 inches of snow per year. And on average, there are 266 sunny days per year in the county. About 73 days a year, you might see some kind of precipitation, but not much. Our “banana belt” winters make an ideal climate for year-round recreational activities like hiking and biking. Yet our mountains receive some of the very best and deepest snow in the state. Truly, elevation that can’t be beat.