| River |
Stretch |
Class |
Days |
Time of Year |
Comments [APR = Avoid Peak Runoff] |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| ARKANSAS |
Fractions (above Buena Vista) |
III(+) |
1 |
May-Aug |
APR |
| |
Buena Vista Town Run |
III- |
1 |
May-Aug |
APR |
| |
Milk Run (Stone Bridge to Salida) |
II+ |
1 |
May-Aug |
APR - Lowhead dam has boat chute on left |
| |
Salida to Rincon |
III- |
1 |
May-Aug |
APR |
| |
Rincon to Vallie Bridge |
III- |
1 |
May-Aug |
APR |
| |
Florence to Pueblo Reservoir |
I+ |
1 |
May-Aug |
APR - twisty with strainers |
| |
Pueblo Reservoir Dam thru town |
II |
1 |
May-Aug |
APR - 1 or 2 dams to portage |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| BLUE |
Green Mtn Res Dam to Spring Creek Road |
III(+) |
1 |
July-Sept |
APR - 2 diversion dam drops and a hopping narrows section; tough put-in is best done with ropes |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| CHAMA |
El Vado Res Dam to Big Eddy Take-out |
II+(III) |
3 |
May-June (thru Aug on a wet year) |
APR - Lottery Permit; Season varies widely by snowpack; weekend releases start late Friday mornings. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| COLORADO |
Pumphouse |
III- |
.5 |
May-Sept |
APR - often combine 2 of these 3 sections |
| |
Red Canyon (Radium to Yarm.Brg) |
III- |
.5 |
May-Sept |
APR |
| |
Yarmony Bridge to State Bridge |
II+ |
.5 |
May-Sept |
APR |
| |
State Bridge to Landing Strip |
I to II |
.5 |
May-Oct |
APR - usually paired with next stretch to Catamount |
| |
Landing Strip to Catamount |
I |
.5 |
May-Oct |
APR - usually start at State Bridge |
| |
Catamount to Twin Bridges |
II to III- |
1 |
May-Oct |
APR - portage Rodeo Rapid (III+ and sharp concrete) on right |
| |
Twin Bridges to below Swtwtr Rd. |
III- |
1 |
May-Oct |
APR - or start earlier at Pinball put-in |
| |
Below Sweetwater Rd. to Dotsero |
II+ |
.5 |
May-Oct |
APR |
| |
Dotsero to Hanging Lake |
I+ |
1 |
May-Oct |
APR - good beginner run with 3 small rapids |
| |
Grizzly Creek to Glenwood Springs (2 Rivers Park) |
III- |
1 |
May-Oct |
APR |
| |
Glenwood to South Canyon |
III- |
.3 |
May-Oct |
APR - can get very windy; done with Cemetery or Grizzly runs |
| |
New Castle to Silt |
I+ |
.7 |
April-Oct |
APR |
| |
Rifle to Rulison/Parachute |
II+ |
1 |
April-Oct |
APR |
| |
Fruita to Westwater |
I to II |
2-3 |
April-Oct |
APR - do <12,000cfs; summer's crowded; car vandals at Loma |
| |
Cisco Landing to Dewey Bridge |
I |
1 |
April-Oct |
APR - can do this with next 2 sections |
| |
Dewey Bridge to about Onion Crk |
II |
1 |
April-Oct |
APR - can do this with next section |
| |
Onion Crk to above Moab |
III- |
1 |
April-Oct |
APR - also called the Day Run; popular with rafts |
| |
Moab to Potash Mine |
II? |
1 |
April-Oct |
APR |
| |
Potash Mine to Spanish Bottom |
II? |
2-3 |
April-Oct |
APR |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| DOLORES |
Cahone to Slick Rock |
III+ |
2-3 |
May-earlyJune |
MANY rapids; Portage Snaggletooth Rapid - class IV |
| |
Slick Rock to Bed Rock |
III |
3-4 |
May-earlyJune |
Prior section and this 1 depend on big snowpack |
| |
Bed Rock or last bit of San Miguel to Gateway |
III- |
(2-)3 |
May-June |
Runnable due to San Miguel water, even if the Dolores is not getting a release from McPhee Res. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| EAGLE |
Edwards to below Wolcott |
II+(III) |
1 |
May-July |
APR |
| |
Gypsum to Dotsero/BairRanch |
II+ |
1 |
May-July |
APR - No Eagle R. takeout at Dotsero, so add Colo. R. miles |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| GREEN |
Below Fontanelle Dam to I-80 |
II |
3 |
May-Sept? |
No camping in Seedskadee Refuge, so 2 segments; camp twice at the first location below the dam |
| |
Flaming Grg Dam to Swallow Cyn |
II+(III) |
3 |
May-earlyOct |
Must reserve 1st river campsite |
| |
Lodore to end of Split Mtn |
III+ |
4-5 |
May-midOct |
APR - Lottery Permit; can't always get 5th day |
| |
Deso-Gray, ends @ Green R, UT |
III |
6-9 |
April-Oct |
Want 1500-6000cfs, but can do less |
| |
Labyrinth - Green River,UT or Ruby Ranch to Mineral Bottom |
I+ |
2-4 |
April-Oct |
|
| |
Stillwater - Min. B. to Spanish Btm |
I+ |
4-6 |
April-Oct |
APR of Colo R last 2 miles; need jet boat up Colo R. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| GUNNISON |
Delta or Escalante Bridge to Whitewater |
I-II+ |
2-3 |
April-August |
APR - usually do a full day of hiking Dominguez Canyon; car vandalism at both ends, so park at motel in Whitewater |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| NIOBRARA |
Near Valentine, Nebraska |
I+ |
2 |
May-Sept |
Spring fed river keeps fairly constant cfs |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| N. PLATTE |
Six Mile Gap CO/WY line to Treasure Island Rec Site |
II+(III) |
3 |
midMay-midJune |
APR when BIG snowpack; only runs for a week or less in low snowpack years |
| |
Saratoga to I-80 |
I+(II) |
(2-)3 |
May-earlyJuly |
Put in at hot spring or Foote camp ground; great beginner overnighter except for difficulties at diversion dam |
| |
Wendover Cyn - Glendo 2 Guernsy |
I+(II) |
1 |
May-midSept |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| POUDRE |
Bridges |
III+ |
.5 |
May-Aug |
APR - 2nd bridge is dangerous/fatal at higher water |
| |
Filter Plant |
III- |
.5 |
May-Aug |
APR - Very popular |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| RIO GRANDE |
Above Creede |
III(+?) |
1 |
May-June |
Want around 500cfs; River Hill Campground to private trailhead |
| |
Wagon Wheel Gap to S. Fork |
III-? |
1 |
May-June |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| ROARING FK |
Cemetery - S. Glenwood to Colo R |
III- |
.7 |
May-July |
APR - Usually combine with Colo R to S. Canyon |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| SAN JUAN |
Sand I. (Bluff, UT) to Mexican Hat |
II(III-) |
(2-)3 |
lateApr-midOct |
APR - Lottery Permit; extreme wind can add 1 day; flash floods |
| |
Mexican Hat to Clay Hills Crossing |
II(III+) |
(4-)5 |
lateApr-midOct |
APR - Lottery Permit; extreme wind can add 1 day; flash floods |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| SAN MIGUEL |
Ledges - final miles before Dolores |
III |
1 |
May-June |
APR? |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| S. PLATTE |
Below Deckers - Bridge Crossing Picnic Ground to Pine Creek Rd. |
II+ |
1 |
May-July? |
APR - Water depends on Cheeseman Res. Release; can start at Scraggy View PG (mid of this run) and continue thru Chutes |
| |
Chutes and a few miles down |
III+ |
.4 |
May-July? |
APR - Chutes are very scary; car portage them to a bad put-in |
| |
C470 to Union Chutes |
II-III- |
1 |
April-Oct? |
APR - river is easy, but man-made drops/chutes are trickier |
| |
Brighton to Ft. Lupton |
I+ |
1 |
April-Oct? |
APR - cfs varies; 1 dam portage when gate is down |
| |
Evans to Kersey/Kuner |
I+ |
1 |
midMarch-Oct? |
2 dam portages |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| WHITE |
Rangely/Bonanza 2 Enron GasWls |
I-II |
3 |
May-June(July) |
Several put-ins to manage long mileage; shuttle is a maze |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| YAMPA |
Craig to Duffy Mtn Ramp |
I |
2(-3) |
midJune-earlyJuly |
Want <9000cfs; tough to catch Duffy ramp at >6000cfs; may need to go extra flat/windy miles/half-day to Juniper Hot Spgs |
| NOTES: |
| 1) This document puposefully is not listing class III+ to IV day trips such as Brown's, Shoshone, Westwater, and Numbers which are |
| usually done by the "A" Team (A = Adrenaline-addicted). |
| 2) Information given (especially in the Comments) are parameters designed to help decide if you want to lead a trip. Good points and |
| trip description are left out due to space considerations. They are all good. |
| 3) All trips listed are within a medium day's drive of the Front Range; 455 miles to the San Juan is the longest distance. To go further |
| afield, consider: |
| a. |
Montana - Smith River (lottery permit) or Missouri River |
| b. |
Teton/Jellystone N.P. region - Snake and Yellowstone Rivers |
| c. |
Minnesota - Boundary Waters or Quetico (Canada) |
| d. |
Texas - Rio Grande - several sections in and near Big Bend N.P. |
| e. |
Missouri - Buffalo River |
| f. |
CANADA - Endless possibilities |
| 4) The class rating and other details are subject to variation based upon water levels and many other factors. Other information in this |
| listing is subject to change as well; so do your own research prior to selecting a trip to lead. |
| Version 2 of this document as of May 6, 2009. Created by Karen Amundson. |