Taylor River

About the River

The Taylor River rises in the Elk Mountains near Star and Crystal Peak, close to the Continental Divide in Gunnison County, then flows into Taylor Park Reservoir before spilling out below Taylor Park Dam as one of Colorado's most reliable tailwaters. Because releases are managed for the reservoir rather than left to snowmelt, the Taylor runs at consistent, boatable flows through the entire summer, a rarity among Colorado rivers, most of which peak and crash with runoff. Below the dam the river drops through a steep, boulder-choked canyon before easing into open ranchland and joining the East River at Almont to form the Gunnison.

The character of the Taylor changes dramatically along its roughly 20 miles of public water. The Gold Medal tailwater immediately below the dam holds some of the highest densities of wild brown and rainbow trout in the state, drawing wade anglers to the Forest Service trail system along the river. A few miles downstream at Lottis Creek Campground the river steepens into Taylor Canyon, a technical run with boulder gardens that anchor the area's commercial rafting trips. Below the canyon, the Lower Taylor mellows into an easy float and float-fishing reach down to the confluence at Almont.

The gauge below the dam is the best read on releases into the canyon; the gauge at Almont reflects flows after Willow Creek and other tributaries join in downstream. No permits are required anywhere on the river. Because flows are dam-controlled, the boating season runs unusually long, roughly mid-May through September, and the tailwater fishery holds up through the winter.