# co springs creeks



## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

hey, someone posted this a while ago but i dont think there was any followup, and ive be getting curious.....Ive been looking at pics, new and old, satellite photos, and some maps and ive basically come up with these as possible runs...my question is has anyone scouted/ran any of these?

Fountain Creek from Woodland Park/Cascade area to Manitou
West Beaver Creek from Skaguay Res.
East Beaver Creek from Rosemont Res.
Fourmile Creek (Shelf Road)

also, on the eastern/northeastern side of the pikes peak massif there is a lot of exposed pikes peak granite, and in some places (st marys falls, seven falls) it makes bitchin ass waterfalls, and from looking at pics of those, is there any in that area that are more manageable? theres a lot of canyons there and if at least a couple have exposed granite streambeds, there might be some potential for california style drops....anybody know anything about this?


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## cayo (Mar 20, 2005)

HEY YETI,
There was an article in Paddler sometime ago about some guides from the ark tried to 1st D Beaver creek the ended up being rescued by ahelicopter from Fort Carson.
on a previous thread ,I think the one called 
'creeker topo challenge' by Tim Walker? someone mentioned some falls being dropped near Manitou spgs.


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## bjett (Jun 30, 2005)

I've hiked both the west and east forks of Beaver Creek. Beautiful, wild places full of mountain lions, bears, and rattlesnakes. I wouldnt go near those with a boat though, the hiking alone took 11 hours to hike the 11 mile west fork. 2 rattlesnake encounters, and one pool we had to jump in to get past.

Both forks have some serious gradient. Great fishing though, no one goes down there.


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## chadmckenzie26 (Jun 23, 2005)

*Fountain Creek*

I wouldn't run Fountain Creek. Colorado Springs has a sewage plant on it and it has a reputation for spewing out raw sewage. :wink:


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

im not talking about fountain creek below the springs, it would be hard for the sewage to flow UPHILL into fountain creek, although that would be fresh...so thats cool about the beav's, i figured as much, but im still curious to hear about Fountain Creek between cascade and manitou, and some of the potential for falls in the seven falls area, but i may just have to hike and scout i guess.....any info would be stellar! fankx


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## Mike Harvey (Oct 10, 2003)

Some guys from the Ark did a first D of Beaver Creek a few seasons ago and got fully epiced. Two or three days out trying to get help. People stuck down in the gorge. I can't remember all the details but basically it was full of wood and ginormous Class 8 drops. That said I have no first hand knowledge of the run so you could classify what I just said as heresay.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

I have seen st. marys and seven falls and fountain during most times of the year and never seen enough water to do anything with. I would think that it would take flood stage to have enough water in these to be runnable.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

is there any other canyons in that area that drop through the granite? it looks like theres a few canyons in that area that drop through that topography......does anyone know how to get in touch with boaters/information about the beaver creek trip? also has anyone looked at the florida river waaaay above lemon, in the weminuche? serious hike in but it looks like possible san juan gorge topography


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## deepstroke (Apr 3, 2005)

Kudos to yetigonecrazy for his obsession with seeking out new runs. Keep up the good work!


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## ToddG (Nov 29, 2003)

> boaters/information about the beaver creek trip? also has anyone looked at the florida river waaaay above lemon, in the weminuche?


1. John Weatherford's yer man .. good luck with that. He's likely on the east coast.

2. Yes .. matter of fact, there was a first d. done within the last week on the upper FLA ... I'll defer to the ruling party on that one. I hear it was pretty OK.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

yeah i figured, it looked too good to not be hit....

as for my obsession, i just dont like to see the same stuff over and over.....im crazy about maps and when i see something promising, i hunt out picturs, hiking reports, nps info, whatever i can that may have info on it. on some runs ill read an entire backpacker's story thats like 4 pages just to read two sentences about the creek....ive got a list going of creeks that look promising...this is it so far:


Slater C NE of Craig
Bear River of the Yampa R
Deep Creek NE of Glenwood Springs
Upper Snake River above Keystone Ski Area
Blue River above Breck
NF Clear Creek
Divide Creek S of Silt (above all the diversions)
Lincoln Creek SE of Aspen
Tarryall Creek to the S Platte ("Carryall" Creek- its a 285 fpm gradient, any info?)
Horsefly Creek of the San Miguel
Badger Creek E of Salida
Cow Creek above Ridgway Res
Upper Cebolla Creek
Kerber Creek S of Salida
Needle Creek of the Animas
Florida R above Lemon Res
Los Pinos R above Valliceto (big potential i think...huge drainage basin, gradient shows flat-gorge-flat topography)
Rio Grande R above Rio Grande Res
Pole Creek of the Rio Grande
Bear Creek of the Rio Grande
Ute Creek of the Rio Grande
Bellows Creek SE of Creede
McElmo Creek W of Cortez
Junction Creek by Durango
La Plata River W of Durango
Rio Blanco R S of Pagosa Spgs
Upper Navajo R SE of Pagosa Spgs
Conejos R above Platoro Res

if anyone has any info let me know! thanks


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## badkins (Oct 30, 2003)

Hey Yeti, do you use some topo software or just regular old maps? I too am a topo junky, I've got the national geographic maps on cd-rom and they rock except they are $80 bucks a state so I've only got Colorado. You should add Clear Creek, a tributary of the upper Rio Grande to your list. It has two forks that look good on topo at least. Both forks start off with big waterfalls, probably unrunnable, but after that appear to have some good gradient for about a mile before they meet. I would have gone off to hike them myself if it wasn't a 6 hour drive.


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## sward (Dec 14, 2003)

The Upper F trip was postponed due to rain. It is about 4hours of hiking/4wd to get to the put-in and it was raining like a son of a ... Anyway we got into Bakers Box instead at 1000. Definetly one of the best runs in the state.
I've got numerous pics and a route to get into the upper F, found by lots of trial and error by me and local boaters. We just need the right window of time/flow and weather. There is lots of granite...

Steve.


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## sward (Dec 14, 2003)

The Upper F trip was postponed due to rain. It is about 4hours of hiking/4wd to get to the put-in and it was raining like a son of a ... Anyway we got into Bakers Box instead at 1000. Definetly one of the best runs in the state.
I've got numerous pics and a route to get into the upper F, found by lots of trial and error by me and local boaters. We just need the right window of time/flow and weather. There is lots of granite...

Steve.


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## stinginrivers (Oct 18, 2003)

Hey Yeti,

Another guy to look up is Bill Cody he was with John on that Beaver mission.

Last time I saw him he was in CB but that was a few years back.

From my understanding it was a true epic ending with them using a talk about radio to get rescued. 

Good luck


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## steven (Apr 2, 2004)

yeti-- i have looked at a few of those that are semi nearby. upper cow is manky and does not usually get high enough, but maybe a rapid or 2 would work. they ran turkey creek so you never know.horsefly into the san miguel has been run. lots of wood portages, some class 5 mank. mcelmo does not see enough water where the gradient is imo. maybe when it floods--which it does occasionally. the la plata has a big, weird falls that has been run, as has more of it i think. good luck with these--you could also add some of the tribs to the upper miguel and upper dolores. we have run the howards fk., lower bilk, and lower bear [town of t-ride] into the miguel, as well as keystone gorge of the miguel. upper bilk is massive world-class slides and falls--too big for me. the video boys should check this one out. the lake fork and deep ck. also look to have potential. into the dolores we have done the lower roaring fork as well as 2 miles of bear. [there are 3 bear ck.s in the area] these were nice, continuous class 4-4+ creeks. runoff window is small. stoner creek and the east fork look good--we just haven't gotten to them yet. rico falls is a nice, continuous class 5 section of the upper dolores that gets stompin' in mid-may.


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## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

I went and checked out Cow Creek this past spring after a Escalante run. There's a 4WD road (CR-12) leading up the river right side of the drainage for awhile, but the gradient doesn't start until well after the point where a big hike with a boat would start. We drove up for 15-20 minutes and there's not enough drops to make it worth it until much higher up, well past where the road stops. We ran out of daylight before exploring any further. Another problem: the road access begins after fjording Cow Creek way below, so any water levels above a trickle (which is the level we crossed) would mean that you're hiking at least 4-5 miles before you get any gradient. Not impossible by any stretch, but you could spend a few long days hiking a boat to get nothing. 

I think the upper-upper section has some potential, but it would require access from above- like from Engineer Pass, but the topos don't really give you any options. It does look like a few miles of high gradient action (200'+), and Cow definitely gets good flow. It would take a Sierra-style expedition to get in there and check it out, but probably worth doing. I wish the Google Earth maps were a little better in that area. To look at the area I'm talking about, the coordinates are around 38 05'10.01 N by 107 36'09.14 W.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

thanks for all the info from everyone, i had no idea so many of those had been run, its good to hear. 

badkins- i usually do a system to determine if a creek looks feasible. First, i find the run on a topo, look at the drainage basin and the elevation. next, gradient, and google earth. if it still looks promising, i do lots of research on the net- hiking reports, camping, hunting, etc, anything that might even have a two sentence blurb on the stretch im looking at. finally, if it looks really promising, i usually make a road trip out of it. 

ive got some other creeks in mind that i left off the list above, ill post those soon. any other info/creeks i left off?


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

badkins-

hey it just hit me, clear creek! ive been there a bunch of times....North and South clear creek falls are both unrunnable as they land on large rock piles. but there is good boating between the two falls, and below the south falls.

heres the runs from the gunnison drainage basin that i have:

-Unc Plateau creeks (Robideau namely; Tabeguache and parts of Little/Big Dominguez creeks interest me, all of these would have to be hit at or very near flood stage)
- Canyon Creek outside Ouray (V+)
- Unc River (Box from Mineral Creek to US 550 and the Pughkeepsie Gulch stretch) (V+)
- Clear Fork Red Mtn Creek or Commodore Gulch (V+)
- Upper Upper Henson Creek(V-V+)
- Upper Cebolla Creek (V)
- 3 Gorges Run of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison (IV-V-)
- N Beaver Creek (oh yeah, its runnable....its not very good, but its runnable) (III-IV/P)
- Upper Upper Taylor River (IV+)
- Lower (V-VI), Middle (V+) and Upper (III-IV) Spring Creek
- Lower (V-V+) and Upper (V-VI) Spring Creek
- West Brush Creek
- East River above Gothic

ive got a lot of info about most of these, but im looking for some further info on Canyon Creek, Upper Upper Uncompahgre (has anyone been down the Poughkeepsie Gulch 4WD road? if so, did you look at the river, and how much flow was there, and when?), and West Brush Creek. I havent been up to scout it yet, but on google earth you can see some sizeable waterfalls and slides. these are right underneath Teocalli Peak, thus, Teo Gorge. i mean, theres Teo Bowl, Teo Trees, Teo Two, and now Teo Gorge. if no one has been up there i will make an effort to get up there this weekend (hopefully with some snowmelt).


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## BastrdSonOfElvis (Mar 24, 2005)

I think the original post you were talking about was ours...some of us went looking for something new a while back...knowing that everything would be dry, just trying to scout something for next spring. We looked at rock creek and the lower end that we could see looked like a ditch. We couldn't go any further because it went through private property and the NO TRESSPASSING signs abounded. The residences lent the impression that the residents wouldn't take kindly to our intrusion, so we moved on. We then went down 115 trying to find a way west toward the beaver creeks. Again, everything was private and posted and even ignoring signs we couldn't find a rout that didn't deadend at a house. We asked one guy and he told us that the only way we could get over to that area was to go down to Canon City, across 50 a bit and then north. So we gave up. If fountain creek in the one that runs between the lanes of 24 down Ute pass, then I've looked at it. Even with water, I'm not sure it'd work. The channel is so tight and the vegetation so dense that in a lot of places you'd get stuck in shrubbery.

I think it's sweet you put so much energy into finding new shit. If you want some company to scout the beavers/other stuff in the area let me know, I'd be happy to hike.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

i just like to see new shit, not the same old falls and rapids year after year.....ive got a list of creeks i want to hike this offseason, if and when i go, ill let you know. im always down for a good hike.

im still convinced theres runnable CA-style drops in the granite around pikes peak...if seven falls does it and it's just a tiny drainage, then something should be there. im going to try and do some scouting before the year is out there if i can


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## BastrdSonOfElvis (Mar 24, 2005)

Cool..I'm down. I got a GPS if it helps. Not a whiz at using it yet.


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## lagoonia (Oct 21, 2004)

Yeti- I was the one that posted asking about west beaver creek a while back. Attached is the paddler article that talks about the guys that first attempted it. It sounds crazy steep, but would be a good hike none the less. I also attached a hiking description with some pictures of the waterfalls on Browns Creek. Don't know if you have checked this one out, but it looks like it might go. I kept meaning to hike up there this year to check it out, but never had a chance. 

http://www.paddlermagazine.com/issues/2000_2/article_9.shtml

http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/BrownsCreekFalls_0000.asp


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## d.e. (Apr 5, 2005)

we( jeremy,pizzuti,john placek,dave eckardt and myself)ran the upper florida from west virginia gulch down to the bridge at about a 100 cfs(could have used a little more water) in 97. non stop 250-300 fpm with one gorge with big drops(one 40 ft)we walked the gorge.it was getting kinda late and getting out before the big drop looked dicey,a little more time would have been better .beautiful place.i was in there last summer checking out the gorge and had a close encounter with a really big cat(170+lbs at 35 feet)i'm really glad he chose to take off.if you hike your boats into lower park,the creek coming out of missouri gulch is worth checking out.i think the upper section above west virginia is a portage fest(sections dropping at approx. 900 fpm).i love hiking around in the mtns and this is one of the hardest places i've tried to hike into and around in.once your in,your in and if you have problems,getting out is gonna be a mutha.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

d.e.- thanks man, that sounds like a blast.....were the gorges valliceto/bottom box style? or just deep deep canyons? and do you guys have any pics of that?

thats some crazy shit about the beaver creek trip....nuts


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## matts (Oct 29, 2003)

yeti-

there are two (sections) deep creeks out this way near glenwood. one (lower) flows south of sweetwater into the colorado upstream of dotsero. the lower portions of this creek are class III. the other (upper) is accessed from the flat tops. this is the steeper of the two and looks awesome. we did some fly over video of it and several others scouting for new options. it is (was) really really congested with wood, but looks like there are some fun slides and manky drops. there are also a few other options in the entire area that look good to go (little teaser for your mapping). anybody know a helicopter pilot that owns a chopper and wants to "loan" it out for a few days this spring????!! 

ms


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## matobs (Nov 26, 2003)

I scouted the Upper Rio Grande above the rez last weekend. Actually it is runnable now. There are definately some high quality drops (class 4/5) in there and I only scouted a small section approx. 2-3 miles. Not sure as it'll ever be classic as it is ridiculuosly remote, not close to other qaulity runs, and not long enough to make it worth while for most folks . . .unless there is more quality above the part that is flat for a mile or two, which I didn't get too as I was limping around on one good leg. 

But if your in the area holler I'll join you. 

I definately plan on hitting next year, but I'd be shocked if it hasn't been run before. Too obvious and more or less roadside.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

yeah, i had seen pictures of that section, so i figured it had to be runnable. it was probably running due to all of the recent snow in the Juans.....as for other runs in the area, theres a large chunk of land there with very few people in it. the drainage basin of the Rio Grande above the rez is quite huge, and theres a number of creeks up top that i think are worth checking out. 

Pole Creek should definetly have enough water to run, whether or not there are any quality drops on it however, i do not know.

Bear Creek from Kite Lake and Beartown down looks good both gradient and geology wise, again though, havent been there.

Trail Creek looks small, but it looks like after the confluence of E and W it has a small section of higher gradient.

and Ute Creek is the same, looks smaller in volume, but still possible.

I will definetly be scouting these hopefully this season, but if not, we should get a group together and go on a first descent madness mission next spring. Like you say, its in the middle of nowhere, but that also means the chances of them being run are low.


Also, randomly: has anyone seen La Sal Creek from CO 90 to the Dolores River at high water? my dad used to live there 20 years ago and said it got quite raging. the canyon from the highway to the river looks steep but doable. is this another western co/eastern ut style creek? (ie: escalante, san mig, horsefly) and does it ever get enough flow to run?


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## lagoonia (Oct 21, 2004)

Yeti- Here is a picture and a short story of fishing on Ute Creek I found on the web a while back while researching fishing up there. If that picture is really Ute Creek it looks like it would get pretty big. It sounds like the picture was taken in August. Looks difficult to get into, but like it would be a good one to check out.

http://www.watercolorpassion.com/sons.html


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

fucking sweet! 

"reading the words box canyon in the description of the stream"

i knew there had to be something like that there....i bet the other creeks in that area (bear, pole, maybe lost trail) have features like that too, its all similar geology.

I also checked out soap creek above blue mesa rez today.....doable. lots of potential is all i have to say.


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## cayo (Mar 20, 2005)

Yeti,
There is a video with Lost Trail Creek in it,if your'e talking about the one in upr. Crystal drainage.I saw a post card with a picture of Sneffels creek that looked sweet!
Ever topo'd the Spanish Peaks area? I have seen the Cucharas with runnable flows,Wahatoya'Guayatoya,and No. fk Purgatoire,have always interested me,if Turkey Crk. is the new benchmark for micro-creekin',then they're doable,if they ever have water.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

the lost trail creek outside of marble probably doesnt have enough flow......im talking about the one above Rio Grande Rez...easy mistake.

as for the spanish peaks area, i havent actually thought about it much...ive looked at the topos for that region and have quite a few runs in mind, but i have no idea what "typical" streambed geology is there....ive often looked at the Huerfano River, way high up, as well as the St Charles River and Hardscrabble Creek. I will look into the runs you gave me and see if i can find some information on it.


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## matobs (Nov 26, 2003)

yeah i've had ute creek on my radar too. have some others too over here in the rio grande basin. all require hiking and some require some chainsawing action. unfortunately i can't do much until my knee gets better. the upper reaches of the rio grande is easy access though and there are some small bax canyons in there too.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

next spring, or summer, or whenever, im down to come over for a couple days and do some major scouting. its not far of a drive for me and i would be way down for exploration. 

what creeks specifically are you talking about? are any of the creeks NW and S of Creede (ie: Goose, Trout, Park, etc) any good? ive always thought they looked possible, but i wasnt sure on flow.


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