Gunnison River

About the River

The Gunnison River originates at the confluence of the Taylor and East rivers near Almont, Colorado, and travels roughly 164 miles northwest before joining the Colorado River at Grand Junction. Beginning as a placid valley stream above Blue Mesa Reservoir, it gathers strength from snowmelt and tributaries before plunging through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, where sheer walls rise more than 2,700 feet above the river and the inner canyon receives barely an hour of direct sunlight each day. Below the reservoir and dam complex, the river reopens into the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness, a BLM-managed corridor of Class III-IV rapids favored by multi-day rafters, before broadening into a spacious lower valley of exceptional float fishing from Delta to Grand Junction.

Paddlers approach the Gunnison in three distinct modes. The upper valley between Almont and Blue Mesa Reservoir offers gentle Class I-II water popular with drift-boat fly anglers targeting wild rainbow and brown trout. The Gunnison Gorge Wilderness section, accessed by hiking trails from the BLM Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, delivers 14 miles of Class III-IV whitewater through remote canyon country and requires a BLM permit for group launches during the primary season. Below Pleasure Park, the lower Gunnison transitions to Class I-II character ideal for overnight float camping and trophy brown trout, with the Uncompahgre River joining at Delta before the Gunnison eases through irrigated valley farmland to the Colorado.

Two USGS gauges anchor flow planning on the Gunnison. The Near Gunnison gauge (09114500) tracks upper-valley flows, with peak runoff typically arriving in May and June. The Below Gunnison Tunnel gauge (09128000) monitors the gorge and lower river, where Bureau of Reclamation releases from Blue Mesa combine with major tributary inflows. Spring runoff can push gorge flows above 3,000 CFS and should only be attempted by experienced, well-equipped teams. No permit is required for the upper valley or lower sections; the gorge section requires a BLM permit for group launches during the primary season (typically May through September).