Colorado River

About the River

The Colorado River begins at La Poudre Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, just over 10,200 feet above sea level, and runs roughly 250 miles across the state's Western Slope before crossing into Utah. Lake Granby and Windy Gap regulate its earliest miles, but below Kremmling the river runs largely free, dropping through Gore Canyon's expert-only whitewater, the long ranch-country float to Dotsero, and the train-and-interstate gorge of Glenwood Canyon before opening into the orchards and vineyards of the Grand Valley. By the time it reaches the Utah border, it has roughly doubled in size twice: first from the Eagle and Roaring Fork rivers near Glenwood Springs, then from the Gunnison River at Grand Junction.

Few rivers in the country support a wider range of pursuits in a single corridor. Pumphouse to State Bridge is the state's most-run multi-day camping float. Glenwood Canyon's Shoshone section delivers reliable Class III-IV whitewater nearly year-round thanks to a senior hydropower water right. The Grand Valley offers easy urban floats and some of Colorado's most productive warmwater and trout fishing. And the Ruby-Horsethief stretch through red rock canyon country is one of the most popular overnight float trips in the West.

The Near Kremmling gauge is the most-watched reference for the upper river. Catamount, Dotsero, and Glenwood Springs gauges track conditions through the canyons, while Near Cameo and Near Palisade cover the Grand Valley. Peak runoff arrives in May and June. Overnight trips through Ruby-Horsethief Canyon require a permit year-round via Recreation.gov. Below the Utah line, the Colorado continues toward Westwater Canyon and, eventually, Lake Powell.