Colorado whitewater - Rio Grande, San Juan and Jemez Mountains, Hinsdale County
Hinsdale
county,
Rio Grande Reservoir to 12 miles above Creede section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
CLASS III-IV 8 miles
The wonderful Colorado scenery and the cool fresh water are reasons enough to come here and paddle. This section of Rio Grande is 8 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class III-IV section. If you've been out of state whitewater rafting and kayaking you might find the rivers here more demanding, so you'd better keep in mind that a lot of the rivers here are not suitable for beginners. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. Some people prefer whitewater rafting and some kayaking, either way this is an area with
plenty of places for that. The Rio Grande Reservoir to 12 miles above Creede stretch is the only paddling stretch along Rio Grande. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, but do book a room before you come because it is a very
popular destination. When you're paddling down a San Juan and Jemez Mountains river like this one you always get great scenery along the way too. This is a pretty decent length section, suitable for an afternoon trip. Great exercise and spending some quality time in nature will make you glad you came.
Briefly about the general area: At Rio Grande you don’t see much rain; of all the months in a year August is the one with the most rain, and the driest month of the year is February. For the duration of the summer months, highs commonly are in
the 70's at Rio Grande. Once the sun is down it drops down to the 40's. The cold days of the wintertime come with highs in the 30's, and nighttime lows during the wintertime for Rio Grande tend to be in the-10's. Long Canyon is a tremendous location to check out close by; on
a good day you can take a hike along the Fern Creek Stock Driveway. All year is a good time in the San Juan and Jemez Mountains if you go for the outdoors.
27 miles away
Fairfield Pagosa gives you an incredible 18,000 acres to discover. Its lakes, golf course, trout streams and other natural wonders give you a million places to hide away among the magnificent Rockies....
28 miles away
Pagosa Springs derives its name from the Ute Indian name -Pagosah- which roughly translated means healing or boiling waters. The Utes discovered the healing power of the Hot Springs, and to this day, ...
28 miles away
Pagosa Lodge is located on the west side of town with beautiful views of the San Juan Mountains and Pinon Lake. Pagosa Lodge is a 3 diamond facility just one mile from the Pagosa Springs Golf Course ...
All Colorado Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Colorado.Books about whitewater paddling on Rio Grande, Colorado List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Rio Grande, Colorado.Find a whitewater outfitter in ColoradoWhitewater Basics If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.Outdoors Recreation Near Durango, Colorado Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Durango, Colorado, the metro area neareast to Rio Grande. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
These outdoors activities are available near Rio Grande.