San Luis Valley
Rio Grande County
13 Porch Notes tied to Rio Grande County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.
Money and taxes (1)
Water and land (1)
Outdoors and wildfire (5)
Outdoors and wildfire
Near Monte Vista, a national wildlife refuge is built around migrating cranes
The Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge in Rio Grande County manages wetlands and fields that draw large numbers of migrating sandhill cranes each spring and fall.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Penitente Canyon, just over the line in Saguache County, is BLM rock-climbing country
Penitente Canyon sits in Saguache County near La Garita, a short drive north of Rio Grande County's Del Norte and Monte Vista. It is a BLM recreation area known for sport climbing, mountain-bike singletrack, and volcanic rock, with its own public-land rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
South Fork is the doorway to the Rio Grande National Forest
At South Fork, Highway 149 begins the Silver Thread byway and the Rio Grande National Forest opens up, with public-land rules that differ from a town or a park.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Rio Grande State Wildlife Area near Monte Vista: a quiet, birdy river stretch with a season and a pass
The Rio Grande State Wildlife Area near Monte Vista is a peaceful riverside spot for birds and wildlife. It is open part of the year and needs a license or SWA pass, both easy to plan for once you know.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Rio Grande's Gold Medal trout run between South Fork and Del Norte
A long stretch of the Rio Grande between South Fork and Del Norte carries Colorado's Gold Medal designation for trophy trout, fished with flies and lures only.
Read note ->Cars and driving (1)
History and culture (5)
History and culture
Each March, Monte Vista throws a three-day festival for the cranes
For more than 40 years, the Monte Vista Crane Festival has built a three-day March event around the sandhill cranes that stop near town on their spring migration.
Read note ->History and culture
Monte Vista's downtown is a recognized historic district
The heart of Monte Vista is a listed historic district, which means its older downtown buildings carry recognition that can affect how they are changed.
Read note ->History and culture
Monte Vista's Ski Hi Stampede has run since 1919
Monte Vista's Ski Hi Stampede, billed as Colorado's oldest pro rodeo, has gathered the San Luis Valley each July since 1919.
Read note ->History and culture
The county museum in Del Norte keeps the local story in one place
The Rio Grande County Museum and Cultural Center in Del Norte collects the county's history, from early rock art and Hispanic settlement to mining, ranching, and railroad days.
Read note ->History and culture
This is potato country, and a research center sits at its center
Rio Grande County is part of the high-altitude San Luis Valley potato region, supported by Colorado State University's research center and Extension office in the valley.
Read note ->