Nathrop hosts have the most options on Friday, Nov. 27, not on Thanksgiving Day itself. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is making entry to every state park free that day. The Forest Service road gate into Browns Canyon closes four days later, on Dec. 1. Salida's parade steps off downtown that same evening. Thursday already has its plans, and if you build the rest of the week around Friday, your guests get both the river corridor and the lights.
Cottonwood Pass closed before anyone arrived
The high country got smaller on Monday, Nov. 2. Chaffee County closed Cottonwood Pass for the winter at 9 a.m. that day. The county doesn't maintain the road beyond the Denny Creek Trailhead from Nov. 1 through June 15. The drive over the top is off the list, and the county's Road and Bridge page says plowing on other county roads depends on traffic, seasonal use and other priorities. Some roads are maintained only in summer.
That leaves two kinds of places for Thanksgiving guests. The first is anything that runs on a fixed schedule no matter the weather, like the pools at Mount Princeton. The second is the low-elevation river corridor along the Arkansas, which is where Friday comes in.
Thursday is already spoken for
For many households, Thanksgiving morning is a race and the afternoon is a meal. Both are close by.
The Buena Vista Turkey Trot is Thursday, Nov. 26. The free family fun run starts at 10 a.m. and the 5K at 10:30. RunSignup lists 5K registration at $38.86 with fees included. The organizer, One Love Endurance, puts the start and finish at East Main Street and South Railroad Street. Early packet pickup is Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Main Street Tavern, 310 East Main Street, with race-day pickup Thursday. If guests get in Wednesday afternoon, the Tavern stop takes care of race morning before it starts.
After the race, Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort serves a Thanksgiving buffet in its Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's $79.99 for adults and $34.99 for children 10 and under, and you need a reservation. Hosts cooking at home can order the resort's Thanksgiving to-go instead, at $50 per person, with pickup between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. That also requires a reservation. For a big table, the to-go option costs $29.99 less per adult than the buffet and leaves the oven free for pies.
The pools keep long hours all week
Mount Princeton's schedule is the one fixed point for the whole visit. The resort runs the Infinity Pool from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Nov. 20 through 29. It says the public hot springs are open year-round, and day passes are walk-in with no reservation. General admission covers the Historic Bath House, Creekside Springs, the Upper Pools and the Infinity Pool. On the rates page, children 3 and under get in free and senior pricing starts at 62, which helps when grandparents and toddlers come on the same trip.
The evening option falls early in the week. Full Moon Water Yoga is Monday, Nov. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Infinity Pool. It's $30 per person with no reservation required, and overnight guests attend free.
Hosts who usually plan a dinner out should check the restaurant calendar. Mary Murphy Steak House lists its $75 three-course Tuesday dinner for two on Nov. 3, 10 and 17 and Dec. 1, 8 and 15. Tuesday, Nov. 24 isn't on that list. The steak house also advertises a weekly Thursday prime rib special at $50.
Friday is when the river corridor opens up
CPW is calling Black Friday "Fresh Air Friday." From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2026, entry to all Colorado state parks is free. The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area page carries the listing. The Buena Vista section page includes Browns Canyon access, with hiking from Ruby Mountain and a short shoreline trail at Hecla Junction. Both trailheads are a short drive from Nathrop.
The Bureau of Land Management's Browns Canyon National Monument page lists these routes from the two trailheads:
- Ruby Mountain: Turret Trail, River Bench Trail, River Access Trail and Catkin Gulch Loop
- Hecla Junction: Seidel's Suckhole Trail, near the primary river take-out
The BLM says the monument's access roads are unpaved and hazardous, and it calls the Hecla Junction access road steep. Late November conditions change from day to day, so call the BLM or CPW about road and trail surfaces before you load the car. That goes double if anyone in the group is in a low-clearance rental.
Friday matters for a second reason. The BLM says the seasonal gate on Forest Service Road 1434A closes every year from Dec. 1 to April 15. Dec. 1 is a Tuesday this year, so the free-entry Friday and the weekend after it are the last days before that road shuts for the season.
Friday night belongs to Salida
Friday doesn't end at the trailhead. The Salida Chamber lists the Christmas Mountain 5-mile and 1-mile run at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27, starting from the Salida Scout Hut in Riverside Park. The same listing says the Christmas Mountain parade begins downtown at 6 p.m., along with the lighting of the mountain. The Mountain Mail reported that Jim Fontana of Ace Hardware is grand marshal of this year's Parade of Lights.
On Friday, a family can walk the canyon in the morning, soak in the afternoon and watch the parade by 6. No other day this week offers all three.
The week at a glance
| Day | Date | Near Nathrop | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | Nov. 20 | Infinity Pool extended hours begin, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; GARNA birding outing, 9 to 11 a.m., Fairview Cemetery | Mount Princeton, GARNA |
| Monday | Nov. 23 | Full Moon Water Yoga, 7 to 9 p.m., $30 | Mount Princeton |
| Wednesday | Nov. 25 | Turkey Trot early packet pickup, 4 to 6 p.m., Main Street Tavern | One Love Endurance |
| Thursday | Nov. 26 | Turkey Trot, 10 and 10:30 a.m.; Pavilion buffet, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | RunSignup, Mount Princeton |
| Friday | Nov. 27 | Free state park entry, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Christmas Mountain run, 10 a.m.; parade, 6 p.m. | CPW, Salida Chamber |
| Sunday | Nov. 29 | Last day of extended Infinity Pool hours | Mount Princeton |
| Tuesday | Dec. 1 | Forest Service Road 1434A seasonal gate closes | BLM |
The Greater Arkansas River Nature Association's monthly birding outing on Friday, Nov. 20 is a good fit for guests who arrive a week early. It meets at Fairview Cemetery from 9 to 11 a.m.
If guests are staying over, the calendar works against the discount
Mount Princeton's 15% lodging special runs Oct. 26 through Dec. 17, 2026, but only for Creekside rooms and Cabins. It doesn't apply to the Lodge, Hillside or Cliffside. Nov. 23 through 27 is blacked out, along with every Friday and Saturday, and the resort says the offer may close at any time. Laid over the Nov. 20 through 29 visiting window, those rules leave only two eligible nights, Sunday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 29. Relatives who come in on the front Sunday or stay through the back one are the only ones the special can help this week.
Staying at the resort has one smaller perk this week, since overnight guests get into the Nov. 23 Full Moon Water Yoga free.
After the guests leave
The resort's December listings include the Great Santa Soak on Sunday, Dec. 13, from 9 a.m. to noon. It's $30 per person, Santa is there, and the first 100 attendees get free hats. The second Full Moon Water Yoga night is Wednesday, Dec. 23.
For people who live here year-round, the resort's Locals Punch Pass Club picks up in January. From Jan. 7 to 31, 2027, punch pass holders get 20% off private pool parties booked Tuesday through Thursday, with reservations made at least 72 hours ahead. February brings 20% off Wednesday lunch at Mary Murphy Steak House for Chaffee, Lake and Park County locals. A pool party in January is one more way to see the family again after the holidays.
If your Thanksgiving visitors keep asking what life along Chalk Creek is like the rest of the year, we're glad to answer. First Colorado Land Office has been helping people get to know Nathrop, Buena Vista and the rest of Chaffee County since 1973, through every season and on every back road. Get in Touch Today.
