06. Stone Bridge to Salida

Most of the action on this stretch occurs in the town of Salida at the F Street Bridge. It's a great place to hook up with local paddlers or get in some quick park and play. In recent years this section of river has been significantly cleaned up and enhanced. It's the site of a slalom course, play features, and a great beginner training site. This is also the site of FIBArk, the nation's longest running whitewater festival. For additional information on the background behind these projects check out the Arkansas River Trust website. Logistics: The section from Stone Bridge to Rincon is not typically run as a single trip, as there a few different access points that allow you to customize your trip. The Stone Bridge is located at the north end of Highway 291 just before its junction with US 285. The access is on river right on the upstream side of the Highway 291 Bridge. Big Bend is an access 3.1 miles downstream on river right and can be reached off US 285\. The Salida F Street Bridge access is located where Highway 291 crosses F Street in the middle of town. From this intersection follow F Street a couple blocks towards the river. This access is 9.3 miles downstream from Stone Bridge. Salida East access makes a good alternative for a beginner trip starting in Salida. Spend some time warming up at the bridge and continue 2.5 miles to this access on river right. This access is off Highway 50 downstream of the intersection with Highway 291. The Rincon access is at Highway 50 mile 231.1 and 18.7 miles downstream from the Stone Bridge and a short distance upstream of the Howard Creek confluence. See _Colorado Rivers and Creeks II_, by Banks and Eckardt _(The Bible)_, for info on this and most of the other kewl runs of Colorado. Lat/longitude coords are approximate, from TopoZone. See also Pinecreek (Class IV/V), The Numbers (Class IV), Fractions/ Frogrock/ Milkrun (Class III), Buena Vista (Class III), Browns Canyon (Class III), Salida (Class III), Rincon (Class III), Pinnacle Rock (Class III), Royal Gorge (Class III/IV).