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

Arkansas River Rafters
I took some fun in-action photos of a Dvorak's river rafting expedition down the Arkansas River ... View Pictures

Cascade Falls At Chalk Creek
Cascade Falls inside Chalk Creek Canyon is yet another impressive waterfall in the Buena Vista area ... View Pictures

Cottonwood Pass Road
The drive to Cottonwood Pass is arguably one of the most scenic drives around Buena Vista and is open during the summer ... View Pictures

Hiking The Colorado Trail
The Colorado Trail has many nearby and beautiful stretches of path to enjoy by foot ... View Pictures

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

Scenic County Road 328!
County Road 328 is lonely and quiet, and offers some very scenic views of the Rocky Mountains, including Mt. Princeton, Mt. Harvard and Trout Creek Pass ... View Pictures

Ghost Town: Beautiful St. Elmo
One part of Colorado's grand mining history, the town of St. Elmo now sits as a rather isolated "ghost town" amidst the towering Rockies ... 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

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


Punky's Restaurant

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

The Buena Vista Library
The all-new Buena Vista Library building looks fantastic and is open for business. Located on 131 Linderman Avenue in downtown 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

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

On The Mt. Yale Summit!
On May 19, I arrived at the Mt. Yale summit and snapped two photos of what Buena Vista looks like from 14,000+ feet ... View Pictures

Classic Drive-In Theater
The Comanche Drive-In Theater is open during the summer months and is located four miles west of the traffic light. If you miss classic drive-ins, check this place out ... 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

Snow In July?!

Enjoy a tribute to Colorado's snow with photos on July 1 here: Snow In July.

2008 BalloonaVista

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

More 2008 Photos - 2007 Photos

Nearby Ghost Towns

Mt. Princeton Web Cam

Buena Vista Backyard

St. Elmo Ghost Town Cam

Welcome to Scenic Buena Vista.com!
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".

Buena Vista Rainbow

Hooray! I got my name and photo in the local newspaper, the Chaffee County Times, when I submitted this photo of a large rainbow northwest of Buena Vista ... View Photo

"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

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