Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, Protected recreational area in Salida, Colorado.

Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area is a protected area that follows the Arkansas River through central Colorado, running between the town of Leadville and Pueblo Reservoir. It offers dozens of campsites and several developed river access points spread across a long stretch of mountain terrain.

The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area is jointly administered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, with its headquarters and visitor center in Salida. The protected stretch includes parts of Browns Canyon National Monument, established in 2015 and reached through the Ruby Mountain and Hecla Junction river sites.

The river draws people who fish, paddle, or simply sit by the water at different points along its course. Locals treat certain stretches as regular weekend destinations, and the variety of access points makes it easy to find a spot that suits the mood of the day.

The area is open year-round and can be reached from several highway entry points, making it easy to target a specific section of the river. Checking river levels and weather before arrival is a good idea, since conditions change noticeably between spring snowmelt and the drier summer months.

The recreation area is jointly run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, with a shared headquarters and visitor center in Salida. Browns Canyon National Monument, established in 2015, lies partly inside the area and is reached through the Ruby Mountain and Hecla Junction river sites.