Browns Canyon National Monument — Attraction in Buena Vista

Just know, there is no main gate or welcome center. If you're looking to get the stamp in your National Parks Passport book, you'll have to go to the Visitor Center in Salida.

The canyon is best enjoyed by those white water rafting. However, there is a small parking area with trailer parking and an outhouse. It also has some picnic tables which made for a great spot for us to eat lunch.

There is some hiking trails that offer nice views. Trails are well established and the elevation gain is easy to moderate. There is a road that we thought we could drive on, but it's really meant for ATV's. It was a little too narrow...

The biggest issue we had was figuring out if we had to pay to park at the Browns Canyon National Monument Trailhead. You definitely do it you park closer to the river in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, but I think you don't have to in the Trailhead lot, at least it isn't signed as such. The area is pretty to hike in, but could be managed more clearly. Another issue is the "River Access Trail" which is on the map, but is then noted "does not give access to the river". With a few loose ends tidied up, this could be an easy to visit and nice destination...

We took the river access trail from the parking lot. It ended up being almost 6 miles out and back. There are a lot of ups and downs. Elevation gain was around 1189 ft. The first mile and change from the parking lot was the hardest. Then you get to the plains and hike to the Arkansas River, and it's fairly straight and level. We sat at the river for a while and soaked our feet before hiking back. It was a good afternoon! The trail was pretty well marked. There are rocky parts in some places but you should always have good hiking shoes which makes it...