# Yampa Low Water



## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

Never seen Yampa that low before, but from what I am told 1500 is the cut off mark for large boats on Yampa. Kelly (the person you get permits from) told me around 2k is still very doable. We are launching on the 8th of June, so you are sitting much better than us. Please let us know how it was.


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## nicho (Mar 18, 2009)

Last year we ran it early and were thinking it may be too low. In searching the site I talked to people and read threads that have run it as low 700 in rafts. The guide by Whitis recommends 1k for the min. Lower water will mean longer days if you're on a schedule. We did 6 days and was my favorite trip.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

I paddled it in march around 2k. Plenty of room, WS is really the only rapid at those flows until the confluence.


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

Dave, how was WS, the typical sneak on the right?


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## jfrishman (Mar 10, 2012)

My company has run it commercially as low as 800, though I definitely don't recommend it. 2,000 cfs is no problem, just a lot of time on the water. The run in Warm Springs is the same as usual, but with lots more time and rocks and fewer consequences.


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

Cool thanks! We will have a novice person running one of the boats, so that's why I was asking.


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## Flohotter (Jun 22, 2010)

We launched on May 3rd of this year, flows were similar to as they are now. All things were pretty straight forward and there were less rock showing than I thought we were going to see. Do bring a few pin kits just in case, the Ranger checked ours.

We ran WS down the middle hitting the holes on the upper portion then going left of Maytag. The line on the right was pretty thin lots of shitty pour overs and the run out below Maytag was pretty bony all the way around the corner especially river right.

Split Mt was a blast!!


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## johnovice (Jul 17, 2009)

I'll be on a trip starting on May24 -- bummer to hear maybe no rapids except WS!
Trip is scheduled for 4 days/3nights -- hope that's doable at the expected flows -- lotsa light this time of year, so that should help.


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## BarryDingle (Mar 13, 2008)

WARM springs was anticlimactic to say the least,at low flows.several people said "thats it?"

Imo...


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## wagonblast (Mar 1, 2011)

thanks for the input, think we'll stick with the 16 footers and leave the dutch oven at home! I'll take some photos and post a thread about our trip when we get back


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## BCJ (Mar 3, 2008)

You'll be Otay Panky. Really - - I've seen it high and low and on the low trip (2500) it was very doable. WS was simple, just pull around the rocks. Lots of time. Probably the rockiest rapid was SOB down in Split Mt. Very nice trip too. Take the dutch ovens!


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## runnerdoc (May 19, 2012)

experience with open canoes? Our scheduled trip early/mid June looks to put us around that 1000-1500 csf mark and obviously dropping. Debating whether to slog through with lightly loaded 13 -14 ft rafts vs open canoes (and a few duckys but I don't find duckys particularly enjoyable on a long trip)....that's fully loaded tandem canoes not playboats with extra flotation. How would the green/split mountain section be in open canoes? Lining or sneak options available? With low water and a lot of flatwater to cover an open canoe is a lot more elegant mode of travel but not if we spend all our time swamped and pinned.


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## johnovice (Jul 17, 2009)

I've been through Split Mtn. twice. First at 7K and waves were pretty big! Next time about 2200 and I didn't even know we had gone through Moonshine (based on memory of it). I don't recall anything at the latter level that would present a problem to experienced canoers, but I was not in a canoe, so you have to take this for what it's worth. I was in one of those inelegant duckies! So take this in the context of what you will hear from others in response. (I can't speak to the contrast with lightly loaded rafts; I don't think width is the issue, but I could be wrong.)


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

Yampa and even Green down to Split Mountain (my opinion for what it is worth) should be do able for reasonably loaded canoes at the current levels of the Yampa.

Split Mountain tho is gonna depend on how much water the Green has coming down.

Lowest I have done Yampa is around 3,000 cfs maybe a bit less and tandem canoes should have handled that pretty well. Even if you did fill up the canoe with water, reasonably competent boaters could recover after a swim and a bit of help. The Green on that trip bumped up the flow to around 5,000 cfs more or less. I remember Split Mountain rapids having some pretty big whoop de do wave trains at that level. Not a problem in any raft, ducky or kayak but (again my opinion ) in a loaded tandem canoe some long swims would be in order just from wave swamping over and into the tandem canoes.

You might consider a couple gear boat rafts for the heavy gear and lightly load the canoes with mostly personal gear dry bags that would easily float. My take on lining canoes in Split Mt is gonna be pretty sketchy if even possible on some drops. Split Mt is pretty big and wide normally but again I have not seen it lower than 5,000 cfs or so.

In any event, doing that float in a canoe would be a hoot if weather was nice and warm.


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## johnovice (Jul 17, 2009)

Edited completely, June 24, 2021.
Just to add a bit to the discission: Just got off a very low flow commercial trip; boney (some getting stuck) , but only real issue was Warm Springs (750 at Deerlodge when we did WS). They ran the gear boat first; it got stuck for a bit just below the entarnce. Some jumping around got it free, but they decided guests would walk (just to mid-rapid). Every boat (6) got stuck -- some for a few moments, one for at least 5 minutes with a line from shore to help. Seemed to me they choose a line that pretty much assured running up onto a rock, but in a pretty safe location to fiddle around. There was a cleaner line further left that would have required a crux move back to the right - if missed, more tricky. After folks back in, all went right at Maytag.


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