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A question of distance

Brief by Central Staff

Geography – May 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine

How far is it to Salida from the junction of U.S. 285 and Colo. 291? The most prominent sign, the Shop Historic Downtown Salida billboard, says it’s 8 miles.

Historic Salida 8 miles
Historic Salida 8 miles

Within a furlong, though, are two other signs, each with a different number. The big Transportation Department sign says that CaƱon City is 66 miles, and Salida is 10. Then there’s the highway milepost, indicating that it’s 9 miles from the junction of 291 with U.S. 50 on the southeast side of Salida.

For what it’s worth, our 1990 Blazer’s odometer reported 7.6 miles to the F Street stoplight — which makes the billboard the most accurate of these signs.

Milepost 9 from junction
Milepost 9 from junction
10 miles to Salida
10 miles to Salida