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Chaffee County Colorado Monarch Pass
Looking east from Monarch Pass. Photo: Scott Ingram

Chaffee County, Colorado

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Chaffee County, the “Heart of the Rockies,” is named for Jerome B. Chaffee, Colorado’s first United States Senator. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,809. The county seat is Salida.

National forests and wilderness recreation areas are plentiful in Chaffee County, as are trails and bicycle routes. San Isabel National Forest, just south of Salida, contains 19 of the state’s 54 fourteeners.

The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area offers some of the country’s best whitewater rafting as well as off-highway vehicle trails, gold panning, boating, and rock climbing.

Visit the Chaffee County Government website.

Chaffee County Colorado Map
Chaffee County map.

County Towns

  • Buena Vista
  • Granite
  • Johnson Village
  • Monarch
  • Nathrop
  • Poncha Springs
  • Salida

Adjacent Counties

  • Fremont – southeast
  • Gunnison – west
  • Lake – north
  • Park – northeast
  • Pitkin – northwest
  • Saguache – south

Special Events

  • Jun – FIBArk in Salida
  • Jul – Battlemoor in Buena Vista
  • Jul – Colorado Brewers Rendezvous in Salida
Chaffee County Courthouse Salida CO
Chaffee County Courthouse in Salida. Photo: Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Chaffee County Courthouse Buena Vista CO
Former Chaffee County Courthouse in Buena Vista. Photo: Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Buena Vista CO Town Hall
Buena Vista Town Hall. Photo: Elisa.rolle

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