Colorado's Central Corridor Surprised Us—Especially Buena Vista

Of all the Colorado towns we’ve driven through or spent time in, Buena Vista (or BV, as the locals call it) might be our favorite so far.

We only spent three nights in the area, but thanks to a Boondockers Welcome stay—our very first one ever—we got to soak up more than we expected. If you’re not familiar with Boondockers Welcome, it’s a yearly membership that lets you camp for free on private property hosted by members across the country. Our host in BV lived on a peaceful acre just half a mile from downtown. We pulled into a quiet grassy space and made it our little home for a few days.

And what a spot to land.

BV felt like it had it all. A walkable downtown with boutique shops, restaurants with live music, a river running through town complete with a surf wave, and multiple parks that host summer concerts. The town had that ideal balance of small-town charm with more than a one-main-street town. It was lively, welcoming, and full of character without any of the sprawl.

We also spent an afternoon at a BLM mountain biking area just a few miles south of town and access to the Presidential Range—though no, we didn’t hike any fourteeners. That’s a little out of reach for us at the moment.

After BV, we headed south for a weekend in Villa Grove. On the way, we passed through Poncha Springs, which doesn’t have much going on but earns a gold star in our book for its clean public RV dump and FREE water fill-up. If you’re a full-timer on the road, you know how exciting that is.

We also spent an evening exploring Salida, probably the largest town we’ve visited in this part of Colorado so far. Salida has a decent-sized downtown, a big residential footprint, another river park with a surf wave, and tons of nearby mountain biking. The restaurant we picked for dinner didn’t exactly put Salida on the map—but the town still had a vibe. It felt like what we imagine Bend might’ve felt like 15 years ago before it blew up.

Overall, it was another good stretch of travel for us. This stretch of Colorado gave us a little bit of everything—quiet camping, charming towns, friendly locals, and easy access to the outdoors. Every town adds a new layer to how we see the country—and makes us even more grateful we get to explore it this way.

Watch our recap of this week!