{Looking east from Monarch Pass. Photo: Scott Ingram} 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. 
County Towns
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
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