Howard, CO

Howard is a small unincorporated community in Fremont County, in south-central Colorado. Tucked into the Arkansas River Valley, it has a population of just a few hundred residents and the unhurried feel of a high-desert river town. The community is best known as a quiet base for outdoor recreation along the Arkansas River, and it serves as a convenient gateway between Canon City to the east and the headwaters country around Salida to the west. From Colorado Springs, the nearest major city, Howard is roughly an hour and fifteen minutes to the southwest, while the drive from Denver is closer to two and a half hours, reached via the well-traveled US Highway 50 corridor.

The most prominent nearby attraction is the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, just east in Canon City. The Royal Gorge is one of the deepest canyons in Colorado, and the suspension bridge stretches across it at roughly 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River, making it one of the highest bridges of its kind in the United States. The surrounding park offers a scenic railway, aerial tram, and walking paths along the rim. From Howard, the drive to the park entrance is approximately twenty minutes east on US 50.

The Arkansas River itself is the other major draw. It flows directly through the community, and the stretch between Canon City and Salida is considered one of the most popular whitewater rafting destinations in the country, with class II through class V rapids depending on the section and water levels. Outfitters based in both Canon City and Salida run half-day, full-day, and multi-day trips, and the river also draws anglers targeting brown and rainbow trout. Browns Canyon National Monument, a roughly 21,000-acre stretch of rugged canyon and river corridor designated in 2015, sits about thirty minutes upriver from Howard toward Buena Vista and protects some of the most heavily used rafting and hiking sections in the upper Arkansas Valley.

To the west, the town of Salida is roughly a thirty-minute drive and offers a walkable historic downtown along the riverfront, art galleries, restaurants, and a local hot springs pool that has been in operation for more than a century. The surrounding valley also provides access to hiking, mountain biking, and winter skiing at Monarch Mountain, about forty-five minutes farther up Highway 50.

For short-term rental owners, Howard's appeal is its location at a meeting point of two of Colorado's strongest outdoor-recreation corridors. It offers a more affordable and less developed alternative to staying in Canon City or Salida itself, while still placing guests within easy reach of Royal Gorge, the Arkansas River, Browns Canyon, and the high country beyond.