Round Trip: Salida, Colorado
From water sports like kayaking, rafting, and stand up paddleboarding, to some of the best mountain biking and skiing in the country, Salida has a little bit of everything that makes Colorado such an incredible destination. Turn of the century buildings preserve some of Salida's wild west charm, while funky shops and cool bars round out your experience between outdoor adventures.
Airstream Supply Co. spent a weekend in Salida and left thoroughly smitten. That's why Salida, Colorado is our first Round Trip destination. Explore more stories from Salida below, and discover some of the magic yourself.
Explore Salida
We've partnered with our friends at Roadtrippers to create custom Points of Interest guides for each of our Round Trip destinations. Click here for a deeper dive into Salida's many wonders, or read on for some of our favorite highlights.
Best Place to Grab a Beer (from an Airstream Bar)
Benson's Tavern & Beer Garden
If you're looking to belly up at the bar for some of Colorado's famed craft beer, look no further than Benson's Tavern & Beer Garden. They have a full bar (including a ton of local beer on tap) and a kitchen serving up perfectly greasy pub grub. The friendly atmosphere is enhanced by live music, vintage signage and taxidermy, and an outdoor bar built into an Airstream that lives on their patio. Salida has plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from, but nothing beats a cold beer and green chile cheese fries while listening to music and enjoying the fresh Rocky Mountain air.
Best Place to Soak, Swim, and Cool Off
Salida Recreation and Hot Springs Aquatic Center
The Salida Recreation and Hot Springs Aquatic Center is the country's largest indoor hot spring facility, and is not to be missed. All-natural hot spring water is piped in from a geothermal pool a few miles away and used to fill the two pools. There's a larger, 25-meter pool with lap lanes and water that stays around 84 degrees, and a smaller leisure pool with warmer water, usually around 98 degrees. Whether you want to take a relaxing soak or take advantage of the aquatic climbing wall and slide, you’ve come to the right place.
Best Campground Near Salida
O'Haver Lake Campground
If you're willing to head a bit out of town, you can take advantage of one of the best hidden gem campgrounds in the country. O'Haver Lake Campground might have rustic amenities, but it's popular for one main reason: the unforgettable views. Seriously, it looks like something out of a Bob Ross painting. It's located right on the shores of O'Haver Lake, which is surrounded by stands of vanilla-scented Ponderosa pine and aspen, with mountain peaks off in the distance. If you have a canoe or kayak, bring it along to take out on the water. The lake also provides some good fishing as well.
Other Salida Sights, Sounds, and Shopping
- YOLO Clothing: Awesome, eclectic gift shop and clothing boutique centrally located downtown.
- The Arkansas River: Salida is Colorad's epicenter of rafting and kayaking.
- Brown's Canyon National Monument: This remote wilderness has few facilities, and those that do exist are primitive. But you'll be rewarded with the solace of pristine nature at its best.
- Spiral Drive: A scenic route that wraps around Salida's iconic Tenderfoot Mountain, with its giant white "S". Come for the views, stay for the annual Hill Climb in June during Salida's FIBArk Festival, when hundreds of intrepid racers scramble to the top.
- Wood's High Mountain Distillery: Hand-crafted spirits, founded by local legend P.T. Wood.
- Rocky Mountain Guitar Co.: Expert luthier crafting beautiful, hand-made instruments.
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As Airstream travels the country in search of unique Round Trip destinations, we keep our eye out for dedicated craftspeople who are passionate about manufacturing quality products. Like like the hundreds of production associates who hand-make Airstream travel trailers and touring coaches in our Jackson Center, Ohio manufacturing facility, they are committed to their craft – and to living their dreams. These are their stories.
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