Colorado whitewater - Lake Creek, Sawatch Range, Lake County

Lake county, Graham Gulch to 1/4 mi east of Monitor Gulch section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS V+     9 miles
  Whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state is often more difficult than elsewhere, so if you're not from around here don't forget that rivers here are less forgiving. The scenic beauty of Colorado and the sparkling of the sunlight on the water have people coming here. Some people prefer whitewater rafting and some kayaking, either way this is an area with plenty of rivers for that. The wild scenery of the Sawatch Range is great. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. This is a pretty decent length section, it's good length
    for a morning trip. If you're coming from Edwards it's not a long drive at all to the starting location, as you can see on the road map further down. The Graham Gulch to 1/4 mi east of Monitor Gulch stretch of Lake Creek in Colorado is 9 miles long and has been rated as a class
V+ section by American Whitewater. The Graham Gulch to 1/4 mi east of Monitor Gulch stretch is the only paddling stretch along Lake Creek. Not too many hotels nearby, you'll have to drive a bit to get to one, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Getting your paddling muscles activated and just hanging out with mother nature have a lot of people coming here.

Briefly about the general area:
Hayden Gulch is a delightful spot to have a look at nearby, and there is a fine hiking trail nearby called the Mount
 
Elbert Trail. There's no way somebody can get bored here in the Sawatch Range.
Around Lake Creek you don’t get a lot of precipitation; August is when you get the most rain here while February is the month with the least amount of precipitation. For the duration of the summer months, highs usually are in the 70's at Lake Creek. Through the dark hours of summer temperatures descend down into the 40's. During the winter highs are commonly in the 30's; overnight lows during the wintertime for Lake Creek tend to be in the 0's.

Lake Creek, Graham Gulch to 1/4 mi east of Monitor Gulch road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: V+
Length: 9 miles
Average Gradient: 137 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 39.0815
Longitude: -106.5374

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 39.06909
Longitude: -106.4413

Paddler input for Lake Creek, Colorado:

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

Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines




Current weather conditions at Lake Creek, Sawatch Range, Colorado
WXPort

Local climate location: MEREDITH 8 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Super 8 Motel - Leadville, Leadville
15 miles away
The Pride of Super 8 Motel Leadville welcomes you to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We are located 24 miles south of I-70, and centrally located to 5 of Colorados top ski resorts. After you have...

Delaware Hotel, Leadville
17 miles away
The Delaware hotels 40 antique and Victirian furnished rooms, in downtown Leadville, feature: high speed internet, private baths, cable TV and breakfast bar. The hotel gift shop features antiques, exp...

Silver King Inn, Leadville
17 miles away
Located on Poplar Street -Highway 24- the main entry to the Historic Town of Leadville. Deluxe Rooms and Suites. Two Story buildings, main building has outdoor hallways and direct entry first floor. A...



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

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

All Colorado Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Colorado.
Books about whitewater paddling on Lake Creek, Colorado
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Lake 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 Edwards, Colorado
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Edwards, Colorado, the metro area neareast to Lake Creek. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Lake Creek.
 Whitewater Near Lake Creek:
Clear Creek, Chaffee County , 9 miles away, Class V - 3.3 miles long (to Arkansas River)
Arkansas River, Lake/ Chaffee County , 15 miles away, Class I-II - 18 miles long (Leadville to Granite)
Roaring Fork, Pitkin County , 18 miles away, Class V+ - 3.2 miles long (Weller Lake to Difficult Campground)
Fryingpan River, Eagle County , 19 miles away, Class IV-V - 5.7 miles long (Upper)
Homestake Creek, Eagle County , 24 miles away, Class V - 0.25 miles long (1/4 mile above confluence with Eagle River)
Roaring Fork, Pitkin County , 24 miles away, Class IV+ - 2 miles long (Aspen Music School to Slaughterhouse Bridge)
Taylor River, Gunnison County , 25 miles away, Class II-IV - 18 miles long (Taylor Park Reservoir to Almont)
Arkansas River, Chaffee County , 26 miles away, Class III - 7 miles long (Railroad Bridge Launch to Buena Vista)
Eagle River, Eagle County , 26 miles away, Class IV-V(V+) - 4 miles long (Redcliff to Tigiwan Rd)
Roaring Fork, Pitkin County , 27 miles away, Class IV-V - 4.5 miles long (Aspen to Upper Woody Creek Bridge)
 Ski Areas Near Lake Creek:
Ski Cooper, Colorado , 20 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
Snowmass, Colorado , 21 miles away, 4406 vertical feet
Aspen Mountain, Colorado , 24 miles away, 3267 vertical feet
Aspen Highlands, Colorado , 26 miles away, 3635 vertical feet
Buttermilk, Colorado , 27 miles away, 2030 vertical feet
Beaver Creek, Colorado , 28 miles away, 4040 vertical feet
Vail, Colorado , 31 miles away, 3450 vertical feet
Monarch, Colorado , 32 miles away, 1171 vertical feet
Copper Mountain, Colorado , 33 miles away, 2601 vertical feet
Crested Butte, Colorado , 34 miles away, 3062 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Lake Creek:
Super 8 Motel - Leadville, Leadville , 15 miles away
Delaware Hotel, Leadville , 17 miles away
Silver King Inn, Leadville , 17 miles away
The Alpenblick By Aspen Lodging Company, Aspen , 17 miles away
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Avon , 18 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Lake Creek:
Twin Peaks Campground, Lake County, 5 miles away
Parry Peak Campground, Lake County, 6 miles away
Elbert Creek Campground, Lake County, 7 miles away
 Trails Near Lake Creek:
Mount Elbert Trail, Lake County , 5 miles away
Mount Massive Trail, Lake County , 7 miles away
Main Range Trail, Lake County , 7 miles away
Timberline Trail, Gunnison County , 9 miles away
Highline Trail, Lake County , 9 miles away
 National Parks Near Lake Creek:
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Gunnison - CO , 35 miles away
Curecanti National Recreation Area, Gunnison - CO , 35 miles away
 Lakes Near Lake 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