Colorado whitewater - Bear Creek, Front Range, Jefferson County

Jefferson county, Idledale to Morrison section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III-V     6 miles
 
There are plenty of sections from Upper Bear and from the Evergreen Lake down to Ideldale. Says William

This stretch of Bear Creek in Colorado is 6 miles long and has been determined by American Whitewater to be a class III-V section. The average Colorado whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be a bit harder to master than those in other states, so don't forget that a large number of rivers in this state are not easy. The scenic beauty of Jefferson County and the playfulness of the water make the trip here worthwhile. Getting a good workout
    and a chance to spend some time outdoors are great attractions for lots of people. The Idledale to Morrison stretch is the only paddling stretch along Bear Creek. If you'll be staying in a hotel you're in luck, lodging is available very near the river, but you'd better reserve
in advance because these hotels fill up quick. This section is long enough to enjoy a good non stop paddle, suitable for an afternoon trip. The river winds through the Front Range and you get great scenery. The starting location is a short drive from Boulder, please print out a copy of the road map further down the page so you won’t get lost. No matter if you're whitewater rafting or kayaking around here you'll find a large number of good rivers. The campgrounds here at Bear Creek are pretty good.

Briefly about the general area:
If the weather
 
is glorious here at Bear Creek, you can go for a hike along the Beaver Brook Trail, and while you're here at Bear Creek, checking out Half Way Rock is a must. Bear Creek gets very little rain; most of the rain falls through May while January is usually the driest month. Throughout the months of summer here at Bear Creek, high temperatures usually get into the 80's. Once the sun is down it descends down to the 40's. The wintertime brings highs down to the 40's with temperatures at Bear Creek dipping down into the 0's during winter nights.
You just can't envision the amount of outdoors fun things the Front Range has to offer. Devils Gulch is a pleasant site to spend some time at.

Bear Creek, Idledale to Morrison road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III-V
Length: 6 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 39.65666
Longitude: -105.29001

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 39.65333
Longitude: -105.19528

Paddler input for Bear Creek, Colorado:

Submit Input:
Your Name:
Write or Paste Input here:

Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines




Current weather conditions at Bear Creek, Front Range, Colorado
WXPort

Local climate location: EVERGREEN 15 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Hampton Inn DenverWest/Golden, Golden
4 miles away
Welcome to the Rocky Mountains. **Make It Hampton** at the Hampton Inn Denver-West/Golden hotel. We are 15 minutes from downtown Denver Colorado with easy access to I-70 the Rocky Mountains and numero...

Table Mountain Inn, Golden
6 miles away
The Spirit of the West, the Splendor of the Rockies, both find home at the Table Mountain Inn. Tucked between North and South Table Mountains in the Colorado Front Range is a place that captures all t...

Clarion Collection The Golden Hotel, Golden
6 miles away
Located in historic downtown Golden, CO near Coors Brewery and Colorado School of Mines. While traveling on business or pleasure, we would like to invite you to experience The Golden Hotel a Clarion C...



OTHER_INFO
  Front Range Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Front Range.

Front Range Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Front Range.

All Colorado Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Colorado.
Books about whitewater paddling on Bear Creek, Colorado
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Bear Creek, Colorado.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Colorado

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Boulder, Colorado
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Boulder, Colorado, the metro area neareast to Bear Creek. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Bear Creek.
 Whitewater Near Bear Creek:
Clear Creek, Clear Creek County , 5 miles away, Class IV - 5.5 miles long (mile 267 to Golden)
Clear Creek, Clear Creek County , 6 miles away, Class IV-V(V+) - 5.5 miles long (Green Bay Rock)
South Platte River - North Fork, Jefferson County , 13 miles away, Class III-IV - 7 miles long (Buffalo Creek to South Platte)
South Platte River, Jefferson/ Douglas County , 14 miles away, Class III-IV - 1 miles long (Confluence to Strontia Springs Reservoir)
Boulder Creek - South, Boulder County , 15 miles away, Class V+ - 0.75 miles long (Eldorado Canyon)
South Platte River, Jefferson/ Denver County , 15 miles away, Class II-III - 0.5 miles long (Confluence of Cherry Creek and South Platte)
Boulder Creek - South, Boulder County , 16 miles away, Class IV(V+) - 7.2 miles long (Gross Mountain Reservoir to Eldorado State Park)
South Platte River - North Fork, Park/Jefferson County , 17 miles away, Class IV-V - 10.5 miles long (Bailey to Pine)
South Platte River, Jefferson/ Douglas County , 17 miles away, Class I-III - 12 miles long (Deckers to confluence with North Fork)
Boulder Creek - South, Boulder County , 19 miles away, Class V+ - 2.6 miles long (Pinecliffe to Gross Mountain Reservoir)
 Ski Areas Near Bear Creek:
Eldora, Colorado , 28 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Winter Park, Colorado , 38 miles away, 3060 vertical feet
Arapahoe Basin, Colorado , 43 miles away, 2270 vertical feet
Loveland, Colorado , 45 miles away, 2410 vertical feet
Keystone, Colorado , 49 miles away, 3128 vertical feet
SolVista Basin, Colorado , 50 miles away, 1000 vertical feet
Breckenridge, Colorado , 57 miles away, 3398 vertical feet
Copper Mountain, Colorado , 63 miles away, 2601 vertical feet
Ski Cooper, Colorado , 75 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
Vail, Colorado , 78 miles away, 3450 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Bear Creek:
Hampton Inn DenverWest/Golden, Golden , 4 miles away
Table Mountain Inn, Golden , 6 miles away
Clarion Collection The Golden Hotel, Golden , 6 miles away
Courtyard Denver West/Golden, Golden , 7 miles away
Days Inn & Suites Golden/West Denver, Golden , 7 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Bear Creek:
Camp Coy, Indian Hills, 2 miles away
Geneva Glen Camp, Indian Hills, 2 miles away
Dakota Ridge RV Park, Golden, 4 miles away
 Trails Near Bear Creek:
Beaver Brook Trail, Jefferson County , 5 miles away
Mesa Trail, Boulder County , 16 miles away
Bear Peak Trail, Boulder County , 17 miles away
Bolling Gulch Trail, Gilpin County , 18 miles away
Mount Thorodin Trail, Gilpin County , 18 miles away
 National Parks Near Bear Creek:
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Florissant - CO , 41 miles away
Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park - CO , 42 miles away
 Golf Courses Near Bear Creek:
Red Rocks Country Club, Morrison , 5 miles away
Fossil Trace Golf Club, Golden , 5 miles away
Evergreen Golf Course, Evergreen , 7 miles away
 Lakes Near Bear Creek

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater