# Colorado trip advice



## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

Some friends and I are heading to Colorado for a rafting trip. Was thinking of rafting Browns on the Arkansas river. We don't have a lot of experience since we live in Iowa and raft 1 or 2 times a year so don't want anything too harry.

We did the Gauley a couple of years ago and that was a little over our head but we survived.

Any suggestions on what to look out for or other nice runs? Where we can put in and take out etc would be appreciated. We will be running our super puma.


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

Lots of good options nearby if you find Browns a little too much- or too little. Really depends on water level. When are you planning to come?

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## kayakfreakus (Mar 3, 2006)

Although the authors are kayakers, this would be a great investment:

Whitewater of the Southern Rockies


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## k2andcannoli (Feb 28, 2012)

Don't smoke weed in your car if you're driving back to Iowa. If you can get on a westwater canyon trip do it! Easy permit, fairly easy run if it's not high, just bring all the required gear (it's a bit much). Very nice overnight trip and a great western river experience.


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

I second the Westwater idea- BUT, a solo boat down there raises the stakes quite a bit. Browns is full of boats and help is always near. A solo boat with relatively low experienced boaters might not be a smart plan on Westwater. Whole different deal when it comes to consequences. Put together a group and do it right.

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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

We are coming out the 30th of April. Going to raft the 1st and 2nd of May.


Our family did a commercial trip on Browns 4 or 5 years ago and that is what got me hooked on whitewater rafting. I don't recall it being extremely difficult. The Gauley was worse. The upper kicked our butt and the new river was great and the Lower we handled without much problems.

Any other suggestions while we are out there? We are meeting up with my 2 cousins who live in Denver but have only rafted the one time on the commercial trip. I don't smoke but my cousin and the other guy going are pretty heavy so I will give them a heads up.

Thanks for the feedback!


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

k2andcannoli said:


> Don't smoke weed in your car if you're driving back to Iowa. If you can get on a westwater canyon trip do it! Easy permit, fairly easy run if it's not high, just bring all the required gear (it's a bit much). Very nice overnight trip and a great western river experience.



That sounds great but I don't think we will do an overnight trip on this go around.


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## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

Grizzly Creek to New Castle

Colorado River, Colorado


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Osseous said:


> Browns is full of boats and help is always near.


As true as this often is, it's bad advice. Make sure you know how to rescue yourselves. 

You guys took your raft down the Upper Gauley?

Something seems fishy about this whole thing....


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## GratefulOne (Jun 12, 2010)

guessing they mean lower gauley....


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Randaddy said:


> As true as this often is, it's bad advice. Make sure you know how to rescue yourselves.
> 
> You guys took your raft down the Upper Gauley?
> 
> Something seems fishy about this whole thing....


Agreed. I have seen private rafts wrapped for hours while commercials just float by...

If you can run the Upper Gauley you can handle the majority of commercially boated stretches in CO. 

Other runs/rivers to look at include the Roaring Fork, Shoshone on the Colorado, the Taylor, and the Eagle...but if your coming end of April/early May runoff may not have started yet.


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## Panama Red (Feb 10, 2015)

Stick to a comm. Guided trip, don't be a statistic.

Nonsense, I have not yet begun to defile myself


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

I'm not advising anybody to go unprepared- the reality is that you can walk out of Browns. Westwater is isolated wilderness where any kind of extraction is going to be a major endeavor.

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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Osseous said:


> I'm not advising anybody to go unprepared- the reality is that you can walk out of Browns. Westwater is isolated wilderness where any kind of extraction is going to be a major endeavor.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


True - and it is fairly beginner friendly. There probably won't be many other people down there to help the first week of May either. 

Do you Hawkeyes have drysuits? If not you'll be shivering and crying the whole time...

A commercial trip on the Upper Colorado seems like the best choice for you. Call Mad Adventures.


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

Randaddy said:


> As true as this often is, it's bad advice. Make sure you know how to rescue yourselves.
> 
> You guys took your raft down the Upper Gauley?
> 
> Something seems fishy about this whole thing....



Yes we went to W Virginia and did the Upper Gauley. Got our butts kicked but made it and we had a generic raft at the time. Have since upgraded to the super puma. I have pictures to prove it. Including our generic raft on top of pillow rock


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

GratefulOne said:


> guessing they mean lower gauley....



We did Upper Gauley first. It was the 1st time rafting for two of us and 3rd time for me. After the upper kicked our butts we did the New river the next day. The following year 2 of us went to Gauley fest and did the lower Gauley. The 3rd guy in our group was too scared to ever do the Gauley again and hasn't rafted since.


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

Randaddy said:


> True - and it is fairly beginner friendly. There probably won't be many other people down there to help the first week of May either.
> 
> Do you Hawkeyes have drysuits? If not you'll be shivering and crying the whole time...
> 
> A commercial trip on the Upper Colorado seems like the best choice for you. Call Mad Adventures.


Yes we will all have dry suits. We did Browns the first week of June and the water was cold but felt good since it was so nice out. The outfitter fitted us with suits. 

We got lucky at Upper Gauley I got on the Gauley fest facebook page and a guy was on there wanting to join a group. He used to guide in California and ended up being the reason we made it. The generic raft made it really difficult because it didn't bail quick enough to maneuver and it is too flat and took on a lot of water.


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

2tomcat2 said:


> Grizzly Creek to New Castle
> 
> Colorado River, Colorado



That section sounds appealing. How does it compare to Browns?


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Sounds like you'll enjoy Browns. If it goes well check out Numbers. Put in at Numbers Launch and either take out at Railroad Bridge or Buena Vista. If that goes well drive downstream to the Royal Gorge. Launch at Parkdale and takeout at Centennial Park in Canon City.

Not a whole lot else is likely to be running then, but you may want to look at some stuff around Pagosa Springs and or northern New Mexico.


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

lmyers said:


> Sounds like you'll enjoy Browns. If it goes well check out Numbers. Put in at Numbers Launch and either take out at Railroad Bridge or Buena Vista. If that goes well drive downstream to the Royal Gorge. Launch at Parkdale and takeout at Centennial Park in Canon City.
> 
> Not a whole lot else is likely to be running then, but you may want to look at some stuff around Pagosa Springs and or northern New Mexico.


Thank you. Right now I am leaning towards Browns one day and possibly the Grizzly Creek run the other day if I can find more information on it.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Shoshone/Grizzly will likely be easier to you than Browns. So I would do it first...

Colorado River - Shoshone (Power Plant to Grizzly Creek) - River Brain

Colorado River - Grizzly Creek to Two Rivers Park - River Brain

Arkansas River - Browns Canyon (Fisherman's Bridge to Stone Bridge) - River Brain

Arkansas River - Numbers - River Brain

Mesa Canyon - San Juan River - Pagosa Trails

Rio Grande, New Mexico

Rio Grande, New Mexico


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

lmyers said:


> Shoshone/Grizzly will likely be easier to you than Browns. So I would do it first...
> 
> Colorado River - Shoshone (Power Plant to Grizzly Creek) - River Brain
> 
> ...


Hey thanks for the info. That sounds like a good plan if we handle Grizzly with no probs we will do Browns. Any hotel recommendations for Browns and Grizzly? Would prefer one with a nice hot tub to warm up after our runs.

edit: Approximately how long does the Grizzly run take?


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Pretty hard to beat the natural hot springs for an after paddle soak...

Glenwood Springs Colorado Hotels | Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge

Hot Springs Lodging in Buena Vista, Colorado | Cottonwood Hot Springs Inn & Spa

STAY. | Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Grizzly is 6 miles. Shoshone is 1.7

Probably take 2-3 hours. Depends on how many times you stop and how much you paddle...


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

There are natural hot springs on the Grizzly section-

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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

Osseous said:


> There are natural hot springs on the Grizzly section-
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app



That is really cool. Where can I get more information on this? I can't wait for April 30th to get here.


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

lmyers said:


> Pretty hard to beat the natural hot springs for an after paddle soak...
> 
> Glenwood Springs Colorado Hotels | Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge
> 
> ...



Thanks!


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

Grizzly is an easy section of water- immediately below Shoshone. You can run Grizzly and scout Shoshone from the paved bike path beneath I70. It is a somewhat technical run- and I would agree that it is a step below Browns in difficulty- but still requires some challenging moves and should be respected. On the Grizzly section, once the river completes its broad turn to the south and returns to the side of I70, the first hot spring is on river left- marked by a large boulder. The outflow from the Glenwood Hotsprings (commercial) on river right is another place to soak. It is beneath a highway sign and sits up among the rocks that border the highway.

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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

Osseous said:


> Grizzly is an easy section of water- immediately below Shoshone. You can run Grizzly and scout Shoshone from the paved bike path beneath I70. It is a somewhat technical run- and I would agree that it is a step below Browns in difficulty- but still requires some challenging moves and should be respected. On the Grizzly section, once the river completes its broad turn to the south and returns to the side of I70, the first hot spring is on river left- marked by a large boulder. The outflow from the Glenwood Hotsprings (commercial) on river right is another place to soak. It is beneath a highway sign and sits up among the rocks that border the highway.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


Thanks!


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## jaffy (Feb 4, 2004)

If you're looking for whitewater, I wouldn't recommend Shoshone/Grizzly creek. Shoshone can be fun, but it's really short. Grizzly to Two Rivers park is a flatwater booze cruise. Usually there is not much running that early in the season, though, so it might still be your best option. This season has been so warm though that it very well could come up and peak early.


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## whip (Oct 23, 2003)

The third drop in Shoshone (Marty's Diner I think) converts to a recirculating hole somewhere above 5K has claimed more than a few lives. Easy scout but the rookie line is left below the house rock after the first little rapid..Entry Exam.


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

whip said:


> The third drop in Shoshone (Marty's Diner I think) converts to a recirculating hole somewhere above 5K has claimed more than a few lives. Easy scout but the rookie line is left below the house rock after the first little rapid..Entry Exam.



Thanks. My cold water gear arrived today. Getting excited


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

I was off on my dates. We arrived in Denver tonight. It sounds like we are going to check out Shoshone and Grizzly Creek tomorrow. Is there any issue with starting at Shoshone and running straight through to 2 rivers park? Plan on about 3 hours?


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## BmfnL (May 23, 2009)

That sounds right. In 3 or 3and1/2 hours you could also push your takeout below town to South Canyon for a couple extra thrills including the play wave at the lower end of town. Don't look for any hot springs until right above town as the canyon walls are diving down - that's where they are, river left. Enjoy!


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

Thanks BM. We decided to hike and check out Colorado today and catch a maybe head to a Rockies game. Gonna raft tomorrow and Monday.




BmfnL said:


> That sounds right. In 3 or 3and1/2 hours you could also push your takeout below town to South Canyon for a couple extra thrills including the play wave at the lower end of town. Don't look for any hot springs until right above town as the canyon walls are diving down - that's where they are, river left. Enjoy!


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## k2andcannoli (Feb 28, 2012)

Remember to practice throwing your rope, and tell those other two no edibles till after the boating. Enjoy and be safe.


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

k2andcannoli said:


> Remember to practice throwing your rope, and tell those other two no edibles till after the boating. Enjoy and be safe.


Will do thank you. Part of me is questioning the hot springs on river left wondering if it is some mean land owner and you guys are pulling a newbie prank. I am 50/50 on whether to check that out.


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## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

get yourself a map if you are worried.

grizzly creek at these current levels is nothing. i used to run it in my 17' aluminum flat water canoe. i run it in the winter with full on street clothes while duck hunting. even shoshone at these levels is nothing, unless you have NO skills what so ever.

funny, there are people recommending the numbers, but others cautioning about shoshone. that makes no sense.


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## BeaterBoater (Sep 29, 2014)

I would not drive from Denver to boat shoshone let alone Iowa. Hope you guys figure out a plan and have fun.


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## cschmidt1023 (Jan 27, 2015)

^^^ This is why I recommended Westwater. About the only fun run you are going to find this time of year.


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

What's the name of the town again?........Glenwood WHAT?

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## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

a trip to the "west" to raft would be much better if done closer to peak runoff. like late may or early june.

i have plenty of experience with shoshone, it is close and is runnable all summer. but, it is very short, you can't park a trailer at the put in, if by yourself the put in is a pain, and you have the interstate within 100 yards the entire way. it is a scenic canyon, and if you have never seen it you should run it, but i would not drive any great distance just to do it. 
go hit cross mountain if you have the skills, that is a good run!


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## D-Sieve (Mar 15, 2012)

I'm expecting Hawkeye's next post to be something along the lines of "Why the hell do I live in Iowa?" - at least that's how it was for me.
Be safe Hawkeye!


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## hawkiirock (Jun 19, 2010)

BeaterBoater said:


> I would not drive from Denver to boat shoshone let alone Iowa. Hope you guys figure out a plan and have fun.



Unfortunately this was the only week my friend could get off so we had to go with it. We had a great time hiking yesterday and headed downtown by coors field last night. I have two cousins that moved out here so I am getting to hang out with them tonight. Thankfully the trip wasn't all about finding whitewater.


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## LeadvegasPaddler (Apr 15, 2008)

Do it!!!! Definitely plan for self rescue, always!! Timing is everything!!! Level changes through out the year, along with temperature! Pools at the bottom of most rapids make for limited consequences. I run this quite a bit and there are usually several boats on the river every day!


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## LeadvegasPaddler (Apr 15, 2008)

Hey Hawkeyes! I'm from Bettendorf, started on the Mississippi, currently guide the Arkansas, and the Colorado!! Do them both! It's all a blast and doable!! Browns on the Ark, and Shashone to Two Rivers on the Colorado. These can each be day trips if you choose!


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