The stunning town of Buena Vista means “Beautiful View” in Spanish. It is located is located in Chaffee County between Salida and Leadville. Colorado Zipline has a location in Granite, Colorado not far from BV, as the locals like to call it! Here is the history of BV in case you are interested!
Buena Vista’s first natives were known as the Ute Indians but in 1725 explorers came and settled in the area. Around 1860 the first gold was found in Denver and therefore, many settlers came to Buena Vista for profitable mining. It wasn’t until 1879 that Buena Vista turned into a town. A courthouse and jail were incorporated the town roughly three years later.
In and around 1880 Buena Vista had 3 major railroads that had hubs in town. Shortly after in 1888, Buena Vista would finally have electricity and in 1893 the telephone was starting to be used. After the mining era ended, people settled in this location because there was an abundance of water in the Arkansas River and surrounding lakes. Now Buena Vista is a number one tourist hot spot for that same reason!
Other fun facts about Buena Vista are that the town’s elevation is 7, 965 and population as of today is about 2,736 residents. The Arkansas River, as we mentioned earlier, plays one of the biggest parts in the town– it is known to be the biggest white water rafting town in the country. But, Buena Vista offers a variety of wondrous activities. Biking, rock climbing, hiking, ATVing, horseback riding and much more but all of the water activities definitely take the cake for being the biggest reasons people come from all over. Rafting,kayaking and boating are done most on the river. There are a number of lovely fishing spots and even jet skiing in the town as well!
If you are an outdoor adventurer Buena Vista is a great town to get your outdoor on! With an abundance of “fourteeners” surrounding the town including Mount Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia there are plenty of amazing collegiate peaks to hike. This breathtaking town is a wonderful place to visit any time of the year and we sure are thankful for the settlers that came here in 1725!
