# Almont to Blue Messa Res..



## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

You can probably do it all in one day....but I don't think you want to go all the way to the reservoir. There is a takeout a short ways before you hit the slack water... 

Here are some very good descriptions for you to read:

"The local play park for Gunnison. Starts off with a diversion structure, then two man made holes, the first being smaller than the second, and then a class III+ low head dam a short ways down. There are lots of waves and half-river drops on this stretch, and is a high quality local run."

Upper Gunny - Gunnison River | EddyFlower

North Bridge Run - Gunnison River | EddyFlower

Gunnison Play Park - Gunnison River | EddyFlower

My suggestion would be to put in a short ways up on the Taylor wherever your comfortable (it's all roadside) and taking out at the Gunnison Playpark. If you run the park and "Psychedelic Falls" stretch below you will be pushing your luck, only to paddle flatwater with a likely headwind at the end...

Lower Taylor - Taylor River | EddyFlower

oh, and use a quality PFD and helmet please.


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

Super, thanks.. Is my location called west of gunni WW park actually "McCabe Lane".?


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Couldn't tell ya. I haven't personally ran the stretch. I have a couple friends in Gunny who run it and also use the Buzz, but obviously they haven't seen this thread. You could probably run down to McCabe's in your boat, but would likely need to make a portage....


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## HalJ (Apr 9, 2013)

*Gunny Run*

There is a bit of a nasty diversion dam below the play park also that you need to look at closely. If you decide to go further, be advised the land owner before you get to McCabe lane, is very touchy about setting foot on "his" river frontage.


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

HalJ said:


> There is a bit of a nasty diversion dam below the play park also that you need to look at closely. If you decide to go further, be advised the land owner before you get to McCabe lane, is very touchy about setting foot on "his" river frontage.


Thanks for the heads up HalJ.. 
Never having floated the gunni, I hoped there would be a path to portage around these nasty diversion dam's if I didn't feel comfortable shooting them right down the middle.


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

I float this stretch quite a bit- The whitewater play park is really right at the Rte 50 bridge- Immediately downstream- but there's a place to take out a kayak on river right above the first drop. The drops of the play park go down river for quite a ways. i wouldn't want to run those in a sea kayak- You can portage each of them easily (slippery rocks, but not too deep to get it done). Between the bridge north of Gunnison and the Rte 50 bridge is good water for you- nothing too big to worry about. Below the play park you have a few options for takeouts. You can paddle all the way to the reservoir and take out at the popular fishing beach- there's parking and a marked pull out that you can't miss. There can be ENORMOUS wind getting from the bottom of the flow to the fishing beach- I've had to row this in my cat before and it was NOT fun. Just upstream of the fishing beach on the reservoir there is a take out with a parking area and signage. This is away from the main channel of the river- but there is access to the flow down a shallow channel. I don't recall the name- but you'll see it if you drive down to check out Blue Mesa. If you elect to use this takeout, realize that the entrance (channel) off the main flow is not marked, angles slightly back upstream (!) and is easily missed. (see my statement above about rowing my cat against that hellacious wind? That's what happened to me that day- missed the channel to the takeout and floated all the way to Blue Mesa) You can park there and wade down the channel (to the RIGHT of the parking area) until you reach the main flow of the river- take some mental notes of where you want to catch that turnoff during your float. It's a great river- hope you have a good time!

Edit: I don't recall any diversion dams downstream of the 50 bridge.... there are structured drops for whitewater play for a good ways (further than you'd want to carry a boat), but no diversions that I can picture?....


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanks..

I'm not quite pinpointing your suggested take out location Osseous.. If you right click on the spot on google maps it will give you cords..

That said.. Am I missing much not floating past the WW park? The WW park looks like a nice big secure place to leave my motorcycle while I float and joke. Also a secure place to lock my kayak while I run back upstream to get the other vehicle.


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

Google maps suck for this kind of thing- I just looked and it doesn't show the pull outs I'm talking about. If you drive from the WW park west to Blue Mesa reservoir on 50 you will pass several turn outs (state signs marking each). The last three are:

1st: a fishing access for waders- the river is channelized here and you can walk thru those channels to access the main flow, but it's not right there where you park.
2nd: the take out I'm referring to- walk the channel to the right until you reach the river or you will float right past it when you're on the river itself. When you are at this take out it looks as though people would enter from the left (upriver) to the take out, but they are actually paddling back up the channel from your right. 
3rd: an elevated picnic spot with views of the river, but difficult access. 

If you drive just a little further to the reservoir itself, you will see an exposed beach on the left with a turnout and parking. Usually has bank fishermen hanging around. You could paddle all the way here and easily take out. Any of these are suitable places to leave your vehicle and run shuttle. The 2nd one I listed is frequently used by the local fishing guides as a take out and I'm sure you'll see raft trailers in that lot. 

Below the whitewater park the river changes character several times- it is interesting water, but there's nothing earth shattering that you wouldn't want to miss. I'd argue that the prettiest stretches are above the WW park and you could focus your time in that stretch and have a great trip.


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanks again.. I will have to drive down past the WW park to check it out.

Here's the link to a Google Map of the locations _looking_ like good take out points.


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

That map sucks- just drive down there and check it out. What I said will make sense once you see it in person.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

The top put in is in the town Almont, south side of US 135, right before you cross the east river. From here to North Bridge (the CO135 bridge just north of Gunny) is all rambling class I and II. Easy gravel bar rapids, but be aware of a new, awkward diversion dam on private property about half way down. Stealth portage is only option to running it. From N Bridge to the WW park is all class II, no rapids. The park has three drops in it. A sea kayak could run the first two but id skip the 3rd. Psychedelic Falls is a diversion dam 200 yards downstream. Its been rebuilt in the last five years, its a three stage fish drop that is runnable by most craft down the middle. Portage left, but hurry and be discreet. From here to McCabes Lane is mostly class II with a few small features. You cannot see this section from the road. Mccabes is on public land. Below McCabes is flat with multiple braided, low flow channels and lots of cutbanks. Not really that pleasant. Also not visible from the highway. Usually would recommend Almont to McCabes but with the new dam on priv prop in the middle of the upper I dont know if its still good. No camping anywhere really on the river....all access points are public and reasonably straight forward.


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

yetigonecrazy said:


> The top put in is in the town Almont, south side of US 135, ....all access points are public and reasonably straight forward.


Wow.. Thanks for the detailed description.. This will be different. Stealth portage? lol Is that by the *cult* watch towers? google cords?



yetigonecrazy said:


> Usually would recommend Almont to McCabes, but with the new dam on priv prop in the middle of the upper I don't know if its still good.


Man, you just took the wind out of my sails yeti.. I'm imagining multiple stealth portage's, but its not pretty with a 17' boat


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

Its not a cult, its a religious group called The Way International, and this is their mountain stronghold for when the world will end as told by their religion. And no, the stealth portage isn't for them. The new dam is for some irrigation ditches a half a mile or so below the Way. The word is as long as you gut it you will be fine, but the shoulders have been flipping smaller craft pretty easily. A stealth portage here should be just fine; you can pull up to the dam on river left, walk fifteen feet, put back in, and completely bypass it. My reasoning is also this: when you build a new irrigation dam on a stretch of river that has LONG been known for it's gentle water, then you had better damn well expect people to portage. Just keep your head down, be quick, and it wont even be worth remembering. I'm too lazy to give coordinates right now so just find County Road 10 on Google Earth, find where it crosses the river, and go upstream about 200 yards. Can't miss it. And at Psychadelic you don't need to be ultra stealth, as it is a common portage, just don't dally, hang out, drink a beer, etc. The Park is obviously public so stealth portaging isn't necessary. The hardest part will be getting through all the drunk pieces of shit who mob the river side in the park.

From Almont to North Bridge it's around 8 river miles. From North Bridge to the Park is 5 miles, and from the Park to McCabe's is 3.5 Given the flows I would expect a long, tiring day from Almont to McCabe's with a large lake kayak. 6 hours at least if you stop for safety or water up/down. Hope you got some thicker plastic on the bottom, because you will slide over some rocks in places. But beyond portaging the new dam, the 3rd WW drop, and Psycho, everything is super easy.


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

I do believe *this* might be the irrigation dam mentioned a few times.

*This* is the The Way International just upstream. Did I mention I love Google maps.

My tandem Loon is a used and abused fantastic plastic beater.. As long as I don't puncture it, I'm good. 

I have to thank everyone here who has given me info on the upper gunni river.
I don't think this float would have happened or been possible without your support.


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

Did almont to the WW park the other day.. Holy cow, kept me busy, almost needed med attention . More to Come


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

??


It is a pretty wild class II- stretch....


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## rebar (Aug 20, 2013)

After a turbo fire on monarch pass.. A "should I unhook the trailer and save it kind of moment". and almost catastrophic engine failure.. I arrived in almont CG. Found a pair of strange prescription eye glasses in the trailer after a short walk.. FREAKY! 

I set up a shuttle, but then met a few locals at the almont put-in who made me feel quite at home. Pretty sure we exercised some state laws. But after I set out, the pace became to demanding for my 48 year old blown out shoulder and 11 screws in the other elbow, and I began to fatigue enough to almost pass out. Boy, is that whats its like when life slaps you in the face and reminds you you haven't been taking very good care of yourself? I imagined myself floating backwards into one of the class II rifles just below almont _out cold_. But I held it together. lol

Then there was another hole I didn't like where I frantically paddled my tandem lake kayak backwards to no avail. Imagine it.. some flatlander in carharts and a orange hunting cap flailing about in a itty bitty brook trying to stay dry, lol just kidding, which I did stay fairly dry , even after numerous boulder hits and swells well over the coaming the gunnison threw at me.

Then a sign stating to "not even touch the bottom of the river" let alone the shore. A few owners who wouldn't acknowledge me when greeted.

The described diversion dam I quickly portaged by on the left..

And the slower pace toward the bottom. But some of the corners were a bit brutal and my iphone was zipped tight for any "events".

So all in all. Had a great, once in a lifetime 5 hour experience. My only regret was no one was at the WW park to spot me. I was ready to run what ever the WW park had to offer without my phone and gear. To bad, because I doubt there will be a next time.

Thanks miss's gunnison river. and to all who gave me advice. I wont ever forget my trip down her.


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