A Dog-Friendly Trip to Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado

Our first road trip of 2026!

We had a free weekend before we had to go back to work after to the 2025 holidays, so we decided to take a quick trip to Buena Vista and Salida (only about 2 hours away from us in Morrison).

Day 1: Buena Vista and Salida

We drove from Morrison to Buena Vista, making our first stop at the Riverpark Dog Park. This is a good jumping off point because from there, you can access lots of trails.

Riverpark Dog Park

Maya and Piper explored the dog park while we took in the views. They made some friends and we even managed to get Piper to jump up on a little obstacle (she was very reluctant to do this).

Arkansas River Trail and Whitewater Trail

From the dog park, we took the Arkansas River Trail briefly to the Whitewater Trail.

I had been inspired by this really great post about the Bridge to Bridge Trail, but that was a little too much for Maya. She's still getting around pretty well at 12ish years old, but with her arthritis, we have to pace ourselves a bit.

The Arkansas River Trail and the Whitewater Trail were fairly flat and sandy (not paved). There were a couple of spots where the dogs could go down to the water, which was very very cold. They didn't swim, but they did dip their feet a bit. Things were pretty quiet on the river in January, but I'm sure it's much more crowded and busy during summer. We didn't do the full Whitewater Trail because we were ready for lunch, so we turned around and backtracked to the dog park parking lot.

Eddyline Brewing

Buena Vista has a few dog-friendly restaurants, but Eddyline was one of the few that was actually open for lunch. This turned out to be a great choice.

Since we were having a late lunch, the restaurant wasn't too busy – we were able to grab a parking spot right out front. I went in to check that they had dog-friendly seating (something we like to do before getting the dogs out of the car, just in case) and was told that there was a lovely covered heated patio we could use.

We had the patio pretty much to ourselves, but we do like to give the dogs their space, so we chose a corner table. The dogs haven't spent a lot of time in tents, so Piper was a bit confused that the walls of the "room" we were in weren't solid (she likes to rub against the walls when she's excited, and the tent didn't really accommodate that).

It was a pretty mild day out for January, but we were still grateful to have some warmth and cover from the wind. We got excellent service and our food and drinks were awesome. We had meant to have a light lunch, but we couldn't stop ourselves from finishing our pizza and Philly cheesesteak. Adam liked the beer he got so much, he grabbed a six-pack to go. This was a great meal and we'll certainly be back the next time we're in Buena Vista, especially if we have the dogs with us.

Midland Tunnels

After lunch, we drove a little bit out of town to the Midland Tunnels. Apparently, these tunnels were used by the Colorado Midway Railway in the late 1800s. You can still visit them today and drive through.

This may seem like an odd detour, but the best part for us was that the road they're on, Co Rd 371, gives you some stunning views and access to trails and campgrounds.

We stopped at what is only described on Google maps as "Bob's Rock." It was incredibly windy, but we still took the time to get out of the car and take some pictures of the view. It looks like this spot has a trailhead and is popular for rock climbers (we didn't do either of those things this day).

We continued on down 371, admiring the landscape and the mule deer, stopping again at the Railroad Bridge Campground. At this stop, we got the dogs out and walked across the bridge and along the Arkansas River. We're not campers, but this site certainly has us thinking about it. The views were stunning and it was incredibly peaceful.

It was getting late in the day, so we decided to turn back around and make our way to Salida, where we'd be staying for the night. The drive between Buena Vista and Salida isn't long, but at sunset, it was beautiful.

Loyal Duke's Dog Park

Our first stop in Salida was Loyal Duke's Dog Park, so the dogs could have a chance to run around a bit before we settled in for the night. We were there right at sunset, so it was pretty quiet, but the dogs enjoyed themselves.

Salida Inn and Monarch Suites

We stayed just down the road from the dog park at the Salida Inn and Monarch Suites. Check in was quick and easy, and we managed to park right next to the stairs up to the second floor where our room was.

Normally, we like to stay on the first floor with the dogs, but we checked in a bit too late. Luckily, the stairs weren't too much for our seniors (and thankfully weren't the metal stairs that Maya hates).

The room itself had plenty of space for us and we were all very comfortable. I had originally wanted to try out the cottages, but they got booked up before I could grab them (I would definitely be interested in staying there next time).

Soulcraft Brewing

Since it wasn't too late, we decided to go for a walk to a brewery for an evening drink. The weather was pretty mild, and the hotel was within walking distance of a few places, so we figured it would be fine. Now, while the weather and distance were fine, I will say this stretch of US 50/Rainbow Blvd is a stroad, and therefore not very pleasant to walk along. Luckily, we only had to cross US 50 once, so that wasn't too stressful.

We walked to Soulcraft Brewing (0.3 miles from the hotel). We grabbed a table outside and Adam went in to get drinks. Adam got a smoky beer that he really enjoyed and I got an amazing non-alcoholic lime/cardamom/ginger drink that was incredibly refreshing.

Day 2: A Dog-Friendly Day in Salida

On day 2, Adam got up early to go skiing at Monarch, which doesn't allow dogs. Monarch is a bit of a drive from Salida, so he needed to take the car for the morning. So what do you do in Salida with one person, two dogs, and no car? You know I had a plan.

Salida Inn and Monarch Suites

Before Adam left, he waited with the dogs while I grabbed some breakfast from the front (mostly grab and go items like muffins and bars, but also some local coffee beans!). I got everything I didn't need packed up so that Adam could take our luggage in the car, leaving the dogs and I free to explore with only a backpack-load to carry around. The folks at the hotel did confirm to me that if we needed to, they could hold some bags for a while, but we didn't end up needing that.

Until our late checkout, the dogs and I hung out, watched tv, napped, and ate breakfast. Once the time came, I got them ready, got my backpack set up, and checked out of the hotel (with dogs attached).

Loyal Duke's Dog Park

From the hotel, we walked 0.5 miles to Loyal Duke's Dog Park. As I previously mentioned, the area around the hotel isn't super walking friendly. Crossing US 50 wasn't too bad, but unfortunately Holman Ave that we took to the dog park didn't have consistent sidewalks, and the traffic was moving pretty fast.

First, Holman Ave was less walking friendly and busier than I expected. Also, my dogs (Maya) don't move very fast anymore, especially on uneven terrain, and when distracted by things like Adam being gone and seeing toy cars (Piper has very strong feelings about toy cars). About halfway to the dog park, I was beginning to wonder if I'd made a terrible mistake, but we kept going, eventually making it to the dog park.

I was trying to take the most straightforward path to the dog park, because we had a lot of walking ahead of us. However, if I were to do this again, or if I was giving advice (especially if distance isn't a factor), I might suggest going the opposite way down US from the hotel to the Walmart, then getting on the Monarch Spur Trail (more on that later) to walk to Loyal Duke's. That would be a bit out of the way, and would involve walking along the stroad for more time, but it might have been easier than walking along Holman Ave for the dogs.

Loyal Duke's Dog Park was full of friendly dogs and people, and we hung out and chatted for a while. I also took the time to repack my backpack, because I knew I had a bit more walking ahead of me.

Monarch Spur Trail

Once the dogs were done at the dog park, I got them suited up and started on the Monarch Spur Trail. This flat, paved trail goes straight from the dog park (technically, from the Walmart) to downtown Salida (about 1.3 miles from the dog park to Riverside Park).

This trail was perfect for us. Maya's arthritis means she does better on flat ground when she's walking. She also needs to stop and take breaks sometimes, and there were plenty of benches along the way for her to sit and all of us to get some water. It didn't hurt that the trail also has beautiful mountain views. We also got to chat with other people out walking with their dogs, which is always fun.

Riverside Park

We eventually made it to Riverside Park, right about when Adam was wrapping up skiing. Salida has plenty of dog-friendly restaurants, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get lunch from Thai Mini Cafe, one of our favorite Colorado restaurants, which just so happens to be between Monarch and Salida (in Poncha Springs). Adam got our order in and stopped through to pick up some lunch.

At Riverside Park, the dogs and I did a bit of a walk along the Arkansas River (I believe just called the River Trail). This was very pleasant, but the path does get a bit narrow at times, so we did have to maneuver around other people and dogs occasionally. I didn't want to tire out the dogs too much, so we backtracked to Riverside Park.

Mountain Tails

Since we had a little more time before Adam met up with us, we stopped in Mountain Tails, which is right next to the park. I figured the dogs had earned themselves a treat, and they had a new bandana for Maya.

After the dogs got their cookies and new accessory, I found a picnic table in the park where we could hang out for a moment. We managed to grab a spot overlooking the river with plenty of space and shade. Not too long after, Adam met up with us (after managing to get a parking spot right next to us), and we had a Thai food picnic lunch in the park.

Spiral Drive

Our last adventure for the weekend was checking out the spiral across the river from the park that I'd been curious about all weekend. On the map, you can literally see a spiral trail that goes up a hill. I had seen mixed reviews as to whether or not that trail/road was open, but we figured we'd check it out regardless.

We were only able to get part of the way up the hill, but it was still worth it for the views. If we hadn't just done a big walk/skiing, we would have happily taken some of the awesome trails. As it was, we were all pretty tired, so we took some pictures of the view and put a pin in the spiral trails for next time.