Colorado whitewater - Rio Grande, San Juan 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
  This section of Rio Grande in Hinsdale County is 8 miles long and has been determined by American Whitewater to be 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 rivers here are less forgiving. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this is an area with plenty of rivers for that. The river winds through the San Juan Mountains and you get great scenery. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're willing to drive a short distance
    then no problem and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. This stretch has has enough mileage, you can easily run it on an afternoon. Great exercise and just being out on the river for a while are great attractions for lots of people. There are no other sections to
paddle along Rio Grande than the Rio Grande Reservoir to 12 miles above Creede section. If you're a camper you can camp at one of the great campgrounds nearby. The beautiful scenery of Colorado and the cool fresh water will make you feel great.

Briefly about the general area:
The warmest time of the year brings highs in the 70's to Rio Grande with nighttime lows in the 40's. For the period of the winter this place gets highs in the 30's with winter lows in the-10's overnight here at Rio Grande. Long Canyon is a nice site to stop at in the
 
vicinity of Rio Grande; hiking along the Fern Creek Stock Driveway is pleasant fun.
Rio Grande is pretty dried out mostly; August is the month that gets the most rain, and the driest of the months is February. So many exciting things in the San Juan Mountains, just inspiring.

Rio Grande, Rio Grande Reservoir to 12 miles above Creede road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III-IV
Length: 8 miles
Average Gradient: 38 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.72908
Longitude: -107.23381

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.77448
Longitude: -107.14028

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Current weather conditions at Rio Grande, San Juan Mountains, Colorado
WXPort

Local climate location: LAKE CITY 14 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Fairfield Pagosa Resort, Pagosa Springs
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....

Pagosa Lodge, Pagosa Springs
28 miles away
Nestled in Wolf Creek Valley at the basin of the San Juan Mountains, Pagosa Springs offers one of the largest and hottest mineral springs in the world. This quiet community is noted as the last 'natu...

Econo Lodge Pagosa Springs, Pagosa Springs
28 miles away
Indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, sundeck and picnic area. Microwaves and refrig. available. Free breakfast including fresh fruit, assorted cereals, oatmeal, bagels, danishes and muffins. All ro...



OTHER_INFO
  San Juan Mountains Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the San Juan Mountains.

San Juan Mountains Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the San Juan Mountains.

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 Colorado

Whitewater 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.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Rio Grande.
 Whitewater Near Rio Grande:
Lake Fork Gunnison River, Hinsdale/Gunnison County , 19 miles away, Class III - 3.6 miles long (Lake City Town Run)
Henson Creek, Hinsdale County , 19 miles away, Class IV-V - 6.7 miles long (Above Nellie Creek to 1/2 mile from Lake City)
Wolf Creek, Mineral County , 27 miles away, Class IV+ - 0.25 miles long (Downstream from Highway 160 Bridge)
Piedra River, Hinsdale/ Archuleta County , 27 miles away, Class II-IV - 12 miles long (Upper Piedra Campground to 1st Fork Bridge)
Vallecito Creek, La Plata County , 28 miles away, Class V+ - 1 miles long (1 mile above Vallecito Campground)
San Juan River, Archuleta County , 29 miles away, Class II-III - 1 miles long (Pagosa Springs Town Run)
San Juan River - East Fork, Archuleta County , 29 miles away, Class III-IV - 4 miles long (East Fork to 160 Bridge)
 Ski Areas Near Rio Grande:
Kendall Mountain, Colorado , 30 miles away, 400 vertical feet
Wolf Creek, Colorado , 31 miles away, 1604 vertical feet
Silverton, Colorado , 33 miles away, 3000 vertical feet
Durango, Colorado , 44 miles away, 2029 vertical feet
Telluride, Colorado , 47 miles away, 3530 vertical feet
Irwin Lodge, Colorado , 63 miles away, 2100 vertical feet
Crested Butte, Colorado , 65 miles away, 3062 vertical feet
Hesperus Ski Center, Colorado , 65 miles away, 700 vertical feet
Monarch, Colorado , 72 miles away, 1171 vertical feet
Aspen Highlands, Colorado , 81 miles away, 3635 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Rio Grande:
Fairfield Pagosa Resort, Pagosa Springs , 27 miles away
Pagosa Lodge, Pagosa Springs , 28 miles away
Econo Lodge Pagosa Springs, Pagosa Springs , 28 miles away
Oak Ridge Lodge, Pagosa Springs , 29 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Pagosa Springs, Co, Pagosa Springs , 30 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Rio Grande:
Road Canyon Campground, Hinsdale County, 0 miles away
River Hill Campground, Hinsdale County, 3 miles away
South Clear Creek Falls Campground, Hinsdale County, 5 miles away
 Trails Near Rio Grande:
Fern Creek Stock Driveway, Hinsdale County , 4 miles away
Long Ridge Stock Driveway, Mineral County , 8 miles away
Middle Creek Stock Driveway, Mineral County , 12 miles away
McKenzie Stock Driveway, Mineral County , 14 miles away
Cebolla Trail, Hinsdale County , 16 miles away
 National Parks Near Rio Grande:
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Gunnison - CO , 55 miles away
Curecanti National Recreation Area, Gunnison - CO , 55 miles away
 Lakes Near Rio Grande

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