# Will Clear Creek run?



## CBrown (Oct 28, 2004)

Maybe I am just being paranoid but it's been pretty warm and nothing seems to be happening. I was just driving up on Squaw Pass and it looks pretty bleak as far as the eye could see. Somebody, say it ain't so!


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## twitch (Oct 16, 2003)

*No snow = No go*

Just checked a variety of snotel sites for the Clear Creek drainage. Most are reporting less than 1" of snow remaining...or less. She might hit recommended minimums depending on weather patterns (Leif can disregard the minimums part), but if it gets there it'll likely be short lived. Don't count on any fast boogie runs on CC this year, but there's likely going to be enough water coming though the west fork to at least keep the creek from drying up entirely.

Man, that sounds Debbie Doomsday. Sorry, but it's the way this season will be. Been b/c skiing a lot of late and at high elevation you're hiking more than skinning. Most alpine MTB trails are already good to go 

Low water black rock laps...Yeeeehaw!


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

The park was Crowded at 100 cfs wednesday night...


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

This year is looking very similar to 2002. In 02 Clear Creek @ Golden peaked at 312 cfs on May 31st........


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

I believe Huckin Heise runs Black Rock at 100 cfs, so yes, it will run. Good thing you live close to Bailey Campbell.


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## peterholcombe (Mar 8, 2006)

I just hear that the Clear Creek Canyon road will be closed on weekdays beginning 5/12 until 6/29. Anyone know if this just at night, day or all?

Here is a link to CDOT. 
http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/constmap.pdf


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## sfornst (Mar 31, 2009)

We're meeting at the culvert below Narrows today at 5:15 if anyone else without enough time to make it to Bailey wants to join.


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## Miller Time (Apr 3, 2009)

The legend on the CDOT contruction map implies the road will be closed during night hours only.


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## CBrown (Oct 28, 2004)

It really makes you smile thinking about how fortunate we were to have such a stellar season last year. Living in Evergreen and having Clear Creek raging down the road for months on end-ahhhhh. I will miss the take out parties we all shared in multiple times a week in CC Canyon. I won't miss Dr. John almost driving into the river running shuttle at 10pm after libations at the takeout! 
Anyhow, we are headed to Gore on Sunday if anyone wants to join.


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## deepstroke (Apr 3, 2005)

There's a sign at the mouth of the canyon stating that 6 will be closed from this Sunday to next Saturday.


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## coloclimber512 (Aug 29, 2009)

Checked out the sign yesterday at the mouth of the canyon. It read that hwy 6 will be closed from Hwy 119 to I-70. So the only section affected should be upper clear creek. Black Rock and lower should be accessible. Then after checking that Cdot link it says closed between Golden and 119, which is it?


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## Ture (Apr 12, 2004)

Wow. Just read in the Denver Post this AM that CC is going to be closed Sun. at 11 pm through May 11 at 10 AM (between 119 and US 40/I70)

THEN, it will be CLOSED BETWEEN GOLDEN AND 119 Sundays 11 pm through Fridays at 10 AM..... MAY 11 THROUGH JUNE 29. We can paddle Black Rock on the weekends this year. Those pothole-filling, slow-sign-holding idiots.

So, the folks at CDOT are closing one of the most popular expert after work runs in the state.... the only one that is practical for afternoon for many metro area paddlers, for the duration of the season. They could not have picked a worse window to shut down Black Rock.

If they would have waited for July or August the season would have been over but they didn't stop to think or they don't care... these are project managers who worked their way up from running the paving machine to a management position... that is what is going on.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

So you just have to float the whole thing. Shouldn't take too long at 150 cfs.


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## deepstroke (Apr 3, 2005)

It's over 200. Low, but running.


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## twitch (Oct 16, 2003)

> So you just have to float the whole thing. Shouldn't take too long at 150 cfs.


 Bless you Dave, for humor is a great asset.

It's my understanding, and I could be wrong, that the work will take place between the hours of 11pm and 10am daily - meaning the road will be open during daylight hours. We will see.

Maybe a supermoon full length descent of the canyon is in order tonight...


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## Phillips (Feb 19, 2004)

Maybe they will give us access like they did in 06. Remember when it was closed to everyone but blackrock boaters?



twitch said:


> Bless you Dave, for humor is a great asset.
> 
> It's my understanding, and I could be wrong, that the work will take place between the hours of 11pm and 10am daily - meaning the road will be open during daylight hours. We will see.
> 
> Maybe a supermoon full length descent of the canyon is in order tonight...


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## Outlaw (Mar 8, 2010)

Hearing all this bullshit makes me so VERY happy not to live in Colorado anymore! Good Luck! 

Cheers,


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## Phillips (Feb 19, 2004)

Well I think thats a little dramatic. . . 




Outlaw said:


> Hearing all this bullshit makes me so VERY happy not to live in Colorado anymore! Good Luck!
> 
> Cheers,


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## Miller Time (Apr 3, 2009)

1 - just ran entire BR section with minimal scraping. Low level for intermediates looking to make a 1st trip. good level for Rigo Nx the narrows!! Go get some

2 - the signs did imply the canyon would only close at night between 10 pm and 7 am.

SYOTR


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## Ricky NM (Jun 28, 2008)

Tryin to go ride White Ranch and then run Black Rock tomorrow afternoon. Anyone in for one or both?


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## JC5921 (Apr 27, 2012)

The road will not be open during the day. The closure is from Sunday night through Friday mornings. They are bending over for the casinos and screwing other businesses and rec users of the canyon. The cell service will be nice but May through June is the worst possible 6 weeks they could have picked.


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

Hey Ture,

Is this beginning today? F*$#!!!



> Wow. Just read in the Denver Post this AM that CC is going to be closed Sun. at 11 pm through May 11 at 10 AM (between 119 and US 40/I70).


This is no good. 

What was the deal with Clear Creek canyon only being open to BR boaters a few years back that someone wrote up there? That's awesome, how do we make that happen again?


Kent, this made me laugh! Tiz a touch on the dramatic side: )



> Well I think thats a little dramatic. . .


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## Don (Oct 16, 2003)

*Question*

If you break you boat paddling Clear Creek at 200 cfs, is that covered in a boat warranty? Or, do you need to be paddling in actual water to be covered for breakage? I would guess that no one will be saying that they "didn't feel a thing, don't know how it broke".


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

> If you break you boat paddling Clear Creek at 200 cfs, is that covered in a boat warranty?


Yes, I have it on good authority that if you buy a new boat in a low water year, there is a special, "low water, boat breakage" clause that goes into effect. 

SYOT(nomatterhowlow)R.


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## Phillips (Feb 19, 2004)

Have a lingering flu had to bail on bailey today. Anybody up for tuesday?


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## ski_kayak365 (Dec 7, 2003)

Hucking Heise will run the narrows at 80 in a playboat, not the whole thing. Hope for rain and find someone to drop a crew off at the light from Central City and pick up in Golden.

Outlaw, we don't care what you think. You wouldn't run clear creek if it had 200 or 600. Us Arrogant sandbagging kayakers will be on it at whatever level!


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

Heise, don't lie, u ran all of BR at 80, well almost all of it...I remember because you pinned and I think u had to vacate your boat as a result of said pin....but my memory is terrible....


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## ski_kayak365 (Dec 7, 2003)

No, WE (you were there too!), only ran the narrows. Yes I got trashed in Bills and flat pinned somewhere below the overhanging climbing wall, but I made Jason get out of his boat to get me instead of swimming! 

I've only run the full thing at 200 as my lowest.


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## CBrown (Oct 28, 2004)

I've done the whole thing at 175. It was fun. I didn't break my boat. I smiled large and consumed beer post paddle. I have a low water paddling problem.


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## DanOrion (Jun 8, 2004)

It's worse than we thought...USGS has recalibrated gages, cutting a good 50 cfs off what they were showing this morning.

CC golden:
USGS Current Conditions for USGS 06719505 CLEAR CREEK AT GOLDEN, CO
CC lawson:
USGS Current Conditions for USGS 06716500 CLEAR CREEK NEAR LAWSON, CO

Now I'm not feeling so bad for working too much and boating too little.

On a side note, flows were perfect for mountain biking this evening. The trails were "tacky" without being wet or loose and dry. Ah, that perfect medium, where your not swimming, but not rubbing your dick raw.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

DanOrion said:


> It's worse than we thought...USGS has recalibrated gages, cutting a good 50 cfs off what they were showing this morning.


Yeah, Dan, it's always a bummer when you find out that what you thought was just above minimum boatable flow was actually less than minimum boatable flow. You have to recalibrate your experience to match the flow and retroactively downgrade the enjoyment you had.


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## H2UhOh (Jul 27, 2010)

Well, that explains something I noticed after seeing CC at what was supposedly 177 cfs. It looked like what I used to see when it was between 125 and 140!




DanOrion said:


> It's worse than we thought...USGS has recalibrated gages, cutting a good 50 cfs off what they were showing this morning.
> 
> CC golden:
> USGS Current Conditions for USGS 06719505 CLEAR CREEK AT GOLDEN, CO
> ...


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

Where in the world did the "Clear Creek Closure" thread go? I wanted to call the number on there to explain that we have no problem with the road closure as long as its open to kayakers....I'm sure with a little diplomacy we can work it out...
Also, I wanted to confirm, or not, that the road is closed this eve (5/9) because I have a hankerin' to boat 150 cfs. 
I'll search for that thread a little better, but if you know with 100% certainty that the road is open or closed, post back. Thanks!


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

DanOrion said:


> It's worse than we thought...USGS has recalibrated gages, cutting a good 50 cfs off what they were showing this morning.


I'm no hydrologist, so I guess I need some extra hand holding. What indicates this recalibration? I thought they usually marked a recalibration point on the graph. Nor do I see any shift in the historical data from what I recall seeing the last few days.


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## glcasson21 (Apr 16, 2009)

Beth,
US-6 is only closed from 119 to I-70 this week...you can still run Black Rock this evening...might even see you there!!

Later,
Gavin


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## coloclimber512 (Aug 29, 2009)

Beth,

As long as you're going to run something from Hwy 119 down to Golden you should be good to go until next week. Next week I think Hwy 6 closes from Golden to Hwy 119. Back a few years ago, they closed the canyon for some kind of work that was going on quite a ways up, I remember they had left the canyon open to Recreational use....Kayaking, Climbing, etc...So it may be worth a shot to phone them up.


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

Gavin, Can you meet at 5 or is 5:30 better?

Josh, I'll definitely call and/or send an email. Sounds like that the negotiation from years past worked out well for recreational use.


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## glcasson21 (Apr 16, 2009)

Beth,
I think a handful of us are meeting at Rigo at 530...if flows continue to drop out this evening, we may just do some Rigo or narrows laps but we plan to beat down the whole thing. 

not sure if you can keep up with us at these flows but you're welcome to try!! bwahahaha!

Later, 
Gavin


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## DanOrion (Jun 8, 2004)

KSC said:


> I'm no hydrologist, so I guess I need some extra hand holding. What indicates this recalibration? I thought they usually marked a recalibration point on the graph. Nor do I see any shift in the historical data from what I recall seeing the last few days.


Last night the graph looked different with measurement points in the last few days about 50 cfs below observed flows. That's gone now, but I couldn't say why.


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

DanOrion said:


> Last night the graph looked different with measurement points in the last few days about 50 cfs below observed flows. That's gone now, but I couldn't say why.


Maybe because you finally sobered up?


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## DanOrion (Jun 8, 2004)

KSC said:


> Maybe because you finally sobered up?


Nope, not yet.


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## buckmanriver (Apr 2, 2008)

Its a boat breaking level literally.


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

> Its a boat breaking level literally.


Don't harsh on my low water mellow, man.


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

Gavin, I'll be there for sure, but I might be running a couple minutes late, but I'll be there FOR SURE.


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