Welcome to Poncha Springs Colorado

The Town of Poncha Springs.

To paint a portrait of Poncha Springs is to picture the diversity and richness of the Old Western Colorado alongside the image of a typical small town in rural America. Located in Chaffee County Colorado, in the upper reaches of the Arkansas River Basin, Poncha Springs is nestled in a valley surrounded by the scenic San Isabel National Forest. Poncha Springs calls itself the Crossroads of the Rockies, an appropriate nickname given that the town, at an elevation of 7,465 feet, is nearby to 14 mountain peaks of more than 14,000 feet above mean sea level and is situated at the junction of two transcontinental highways.

U. S. Highway 50. traversing the continent from east to west, and U. S. Highway 285, extending from Calgary Canada, to Laredo, Texas connect with Colorado interstate highways to provide access from Denver, 150 miles to the northeast, from Colorado Springs, 100 miles to the east-northeast, and from Pueblo, 100 miles to the east. The community is also served by airports located in Salida, Buena Vista and Gunnison, Colorado lying respectively 5, 20, and 60 miles from Poncha Springs.

The immediate area and surrounding region are blessed with natural beauty and environments sought out by many visitors who arrive to enjoy the numerous available leisure-time activities. Winter sports and skiing are possible at Monarch Ski Area approximately 15 miles west of Poncha Springs. Small and big game hunting, stream and lake fishing, hiking, horseback riding, camping and picnicking, sight-seeing, 4-wheeling, and white water rafting are among the pursuits enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. There are two public 9 hole golf courses located nearby, the Salida Golf Shop at 404 Grant St in Salida and the Collegiate Peaks Golf Course at 28775 Fairway Drive in Buena Vista. The many area points of interest include the individual mountain peaks, forests, lakes, streams and scenic wonders, but also include ruins of old narrow gauge railroads and ghost towns from the gold rush era of the late 1800's.

Disc Golf Course

The Town has constructed an 18 hole course with the help of Salida Parks, Open-Space and Trails (SPOT) and Greater Outdoors Colorado; read more about disc golf and Colorado Lottery funds.

Poncha Springs Trails Plan

The Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Poncha Springs was adopted in 1998 and mentions the wide array of trails on public lands in Chaffee County. Poncha Springs appointed an informal Trails Committee to plan out a trail network within Town to connect to existing and proposed Salida and Chaffee County trails. Along with the desire to connect to existing trails, the Committee focused on developing a trail network through Town that would succeed in connecting the four portions of Town that are separated by Highways 50 and 285. With the Committees recommendations, the Town adopted a Community Trail Plan on July 22, 2002 with the provision that the portions that cross major highways be omitted until there are mechanisms in place to slow or stop traffic. Four trail sections are identified in this plan.

The Poncha Loop is a circular trail through residential, park and industrial areas within the Town limits. The Poncha Loop will be the Town's main trail connecting the North/South and East/West portions of Town, which are separated by Highways 50 and 285. Primarily using existing town streets, this 2.9 mile trail will loop from Town Hall and Chipeta Park to the Poncha Springs Industrial Park, to the Visitors Center, to Hoover Park and back to Town Hall.

The Mailbox Trail (so named due to its resemblance to an open mailbox) utilizes the property abandoned by the railroad. This 2.7 mile riparian and industrial area trail, located on the north side of Town, will connect the east and west sides of Poncha Springs.

The River Trail, a one mile section along the South Arkansas River within the Town limits and the Power Line Trail, runs through the Town's Southeast corner are portions of long distance trails that pass through the Poncha Springs. These trails have the potential to continue to the east and to the west indefinitely.

The Town of Poncha Springs has ordinances in place that will provide sites, land or cash-in-lieu of land for mitigation of the impacts of new growth on parks, open space and trails.

Moose in Mud Flats

 Photo taken by Jim Roberts September 2009

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