Scenic Buena Vista, Colorado: Photos, Web Cams, Hikes, Happenings And Forum

Welcome to Scenic Buena Vista, Colorado! Please share your comments, questions and memories on the Buena Vista Discussion Forum!

The Area On YouTube

Driving Around Town (2/09)

Mt. Princeton Sunset (2/2/09)

Chaffee County Road 306 (12/31/08)

Arkansas River (12/28/08)

Walking Chief - Buena Vista, CO (12/21/08)

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Christmas Lights Around Town
I captured photos of great Christmas decorations in Buena Vista neighborhoods ... View Photos

Manical Hardcore Metal Band
Maniacal is a hardcore metal band based in Buena Vista. Last night they performed at the Coyote Cantina and rocked the house! ... View Photos

Autumn Colorado Drive
Enjoy photos of the scenic drive from Nathrop to St. Elmo. Fall colors are definitely happening out here ... View Photos

BV Museum Model Train Set
The Buena Vista History Museum has a large model train set with great replications of towns from the old west era ... View Pictures

Bicycling Among The Rockies
Local road bicyclists do the popular 24-mile "south loop" which includes great views of the Rocky Mountains throughout ... View Pictures

The Barbara Whipple Trail
The Whipple Trail on the east end of town is is a relatively easy hike that offers grand views of the Collegiate Peaks, the Arkansas River and historic information about the region's past. It leads to the old railroad grade ... View Pictures

Historic Buildings On East Main
There are many downtown historic structures on East Main Street that point to Buena Vista's old western heritage ... View Pictures

Collegiate Peaks Overlook
The Collegiate Peaks Overlook offers a grand view of Sawatch mountain range and is located just west of Johnson Village ... View Pictures

Beautiful McPhelemy Park
McPhelemy Park is a busy place with spring time in full swing in Buena Vista ... View Pictures

Buena Vista Traffic Light
Our itty-bitty town has just one traffic light and many locals are quite proud of that fact. Enjoy this tribute with pictures of the Buena Vista traffic light ... View Pictures

Bongo Billy's Cafe

Bongo Billy's is a gourmet coffee wholesaler

that has a cozy coffee shop and bakery right on Highway 24 in Buena Vista. Many locals consider it a great meeting place ... View Pictures

Maxwell Park School
The Maxwell Park School was a school from 1889 to 1933 and was also known as the Mt. Princeton School. Today, it stands as a relic of the historic settlement era ... View Pictures

The Mt. Princeton Hot Springs
If you love soaking in relaxing hot springs, then consider the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs near the mouth of Chalk Creek Canyon ... View Pictures

Poncha Pass

Poncha Pass Drive

Bike Poncha Pass
Poncha Pass by Bike

Punky's Restaurant

Sunset Over The Mountains
Tonight's sunset was average at best, but any evening in March is usually a great evening to photograph the mountains and snow ... View Photos

Large Herd Of Elk
Steve only intended to photograph Mt. Princeton, but the herd of approximately 100 elk were hard to ignore ... View Photos

St. Elmo Ghost Town In Winter
A visit to the St. Elmo Ghost Town during winter was in order. Enjoy a photo gallery and video of this nearby town in the mountains ... View Pictures

2008 Autumn Colors
The autumn foliage viewing season has been long over, but here is a photo gallery of pretty fall colors in the mountains west of town ... View Photos

Highest Point In Buena Vista
The highest point in Buena Vista town limits is located west of the rodeo grounds in a beautiful and open sloped area. The altitude is 8,180 feet ... View Photos

Car Show On Main Street
This year's annual car show was a huge success with about 100 classic vehicles along East Main Street ... View Photos

Hike To Mt. Yale
Mt. Yale is one of many Colorado "14ers" nearby in the Sawatch Mountains. Megan and Steve hiked its summit in July ... View Photos

Cottonwood Pass Is Open
Cottonwood Pass opened today on June 12. If you enjoy scenic mountain drives or want a short cut to Taylor Park Reservoir and Crested Butte ... View Photos

Balloona Vista - Hot Air Balloons
Paul deBerjeois submitted nine very beautiful pictures of hot air balloons that launched for the annual BalloonaVista event. The weather was perfect with little wind on Saturday, which made Buena Vista a wonderland of hot air balloons floating above ... View Photos

Camping at Cottonwood Lake
Megan in Texas recounts her enjoyable week camping at the Cottonwood Lake campground. (You'd think she worked for the Buena Vista Chamber!) ... Read More

Hike To Bald Mountain
Bald Mountain sits at 9,825 feet NNE of Mt. Princeton and can be accessed via the Colorado Trail or Chaffee County Road 345 ... View Photos

Sunset Over The Mountains
The sunset over the Collegiate Peaks on May 5 was colorful. Mt. Princeton, Mt. Yale and Mt. Columbia looked very pretty ... View Photos

BV Bighorn Sheep Ewes!
Steve spotted numerous bighorn sheep ewes happily eating on the roadside along Cottonwood Pass Road. Check out his photos! ... Read More

Santa Claus Comes To Buena Vista
Santa Claus made an appearance at Bongo Billy's Cafe in Buena Vista and spread holiday cheer to all ... Read More

Snowy Scenery All Around
Buena Vista has been received plenty of snow in the past two weeks. This morning, I visited a quiet country road covered in packed snow to photograph the views ... View Photos

A Buena Vista Sunrise
Enjoy photos of the Dec. 3, 2007 sunrise with plenty of nice mountain views included ... View Photos

Fall Foliage In The Mountains
The 2007 autumn season is in full swing in Buena Vista. Enjoy this photo collection of fall foliage ... View Photos

4-Wheeling To Ptarmigan Lake
Local Steve Quilico and I drove a his high clearance vehicle in the Mineral Basin Area to eventually reach Ptarmigan Lake ... View Photos

Midland Hill - A Very Scenic Hike
Midland Hill has a trail leading to a panoramic summit with amazing views ... Read More

List of Buena Vista Area Hikes
I am slowly compiling a list of some of the best hikes of all levels of difficulty in the Buena Vista area. Check it out! ... View Hikes List

Photos of the Mountains
Enjoy a picture collection of the mountains around Buena Vista from today's sunny and warm Spring day ... View Photos

Scenic Drive On Railroad Grade
A very scenic drive with history is the Chaffee County Road 304, the old Midland railroad grade ... View Photos

Wall Trophies At Pizza Works
Pizza Works in Buena Vista is well-known for their amazing homemade pizzas, but their huge taxidermy mountings on their walls is something to check out! ... View Photos

Jeep Drive To Tincup Pass
If you are looking for a 4-wheel drive Jeep adventure, Tincup Pass near St. Elmo is a quite popular spot ... View Photos

The Old Railroad Tunnels
The old Midland Railroad tunnels are located on Chaffee County Road 371, a few miles north of Buena Vista ... View Pictures

Beautiful Agnes Vaille Falls
If you love waterfalls, nearby Agnes Vaille Falls in Chalk Creek Canyon is a "must visit" kind of place ... View Pictures

Beautiful Trout Creek Pass
Trout Creek Pass divides the watersheds of the Arkansas and Platte Rivers, and offers some beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery throughout ... View Pictures

Mountains - April 2009

I ventured into the mountains on Easter Sunday. Although it snowed mightly in other parts of Colorado, Buena Vista received none. But alas, I captured two great photos of bighorn sheep and other mountain shots.

Enjoy this photo gallery: Colorado Scenery.

Buena Vista Rainbow

A spectacular rainbow hovered over Buena Vista for approximately 15 minutes on Saturday (July 19). So many people on the streets gazed at it and snapped photos.

You can see my rudimentary stitching of two photos to see this one and previous rainbows: Rainbow Photos.

2008 BalloonaVista

Steve Garufi in Buena Vista took numerous pictures of the beautiful hot air balloons rising up above town on June 8. The BalloonaVista Festival happens on the second weekend in June annually.

You can see his photos on his personal web site: BalloonaVista Photos.

More 2008 Photos - 2007 Photos

Nearby Ghost Towns

If old Colorado ghost towns is your thing, you are definitely in the right area. There are many very interesting and secluded ghost towns within short driving distance of Buena Vista, including St. Elmo, Tincup, Vicksburg, Winfield, Turret, Granite, Bonanza and Independence. Click here to read more with directions to each town.

Buena Vista Backyard

This is the Buena Vista, CO backyard of Steve, the webmaster of this web site, and his web cam page can be found here.

St. Elmo Ghost Town Cam

This is a web cam provided by a property owner in St. Elmo. Click here to view it at a larger size.

Welcome to Scenic Buena Vista!
Scenic Buena Vista is a fun and informational web site where local residents, annual vacationers and other Buena Vista enthusiasts can celebrate this small but special town in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Discuss the very best hikes and restaurants, share about recent Colorado roadtrips, or give a report of your latest outdoor adventure. Newcomers are especially welcome to ask questions about Buena Vista and Chaffee County. If you love Buena Vista, you've come to the right place! Be sure to visit our forums and say "hi".

"Kiosk 3" - Views From The Whipple Trail
The scenery up at Kiosk Three on the Whipple Trail is definitely a nice place to take in all of the beauty of the Arkansas Valley. Picnic, take photographs or read the interesting historical markers about the Buena Vista's railroad history ... View Pictures