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Colorado whitewater, Animas River

La Plata county, 32nd St. Park to Purple Cliffs section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III     6.5 miles
  The beautiful scenery of Colorado and the water flowing gracefully down Animas River make the trip here worthwhile. The starting location is a short drive from Durango, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. There are nice comfortable hotels here, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either
    way this is an area with plenty of rivers for that. Getting your paddling muscles activated and spending some quality time in nature have people coming from far and near. The 32nd St. Park to Purple Cliffs section of Animas
River in Colorado is 6.5 miles long and has been determined by American Whitewater to be a class III section. This stretch is mid length, good for a one day paddling trip. There are so many stretches to paddle in this river system, the 32nd St. Park to Purple Cliffs stretch is just one of many. The campgrounds here at Animas River are pretty good. Whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state is often more difficult than elsewhere, so don't  
forget that rivers here are not as easy as elsewhere.

Briefly about the general area:
At Animas River you always meet someone from Durango, and if you like skiing, you're in luck; Hesperus Ski Center is pretty near. A good place to pop by next to Animas River is Horse Gulch, and don't leave Animas River without first going for a hike along the Highline Trail. This is such a fun river. During the summer months at Animas River temperatures are usually in the 80's, and the night is a little colder of course, regularly in the 40's. Highs through the wintertime are typically in the 30's with winter lows in the 0's overnight here at Animas River.

Animas River, 32nd St. Park to Purple Cliffs road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

   

Map
map
Detailed Map


Stats
map
Stats for this river stretch


Weather
weather
Local weather forecast


OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Animas River.
 Whitewater Near Animas River:
Whitewater Outfitter - Outlaw Rivers & Jeep Tours, La Plata County, 1 miles away
      Whitewater outfitter
Whitewater Outfitter - 4 Corners Whitewater, La Plata County, 1 miles away
      Whitewater outfitter
Whitewater Outfitter - Durango Rafting, La Plata County, 1 miles away
      Whitewater outfitter
Animas River, La Plata County, 2 miles away
      Class III - 6.5 miles long (32nd St. Park to Purple Cliffs)
Animas River, La Plata County, 2 miles away
      Class II-III - 12 miles long (Purple Cliffs to State line)
Whitewater Outfitter - Flexible Flyers Rafting, La Plata County, 6 miles away
      Whitewater outfitter
Animas River, San Juan/ La Plata County, 15 miles away
      Class IV-V - 2.6 miles long (Tacoma to Rockwood Rail Yard)
Canyon Creek, La Plata County, 16 miles away
      Class V+ - 3 miles long (to Animas River)
Animas River, San Juan County, 19 miles away
      Class I-II - 25 miles long (Cedar Hill to Farmington City Park)
Hermosa Creek, La Plata County, 20 miles away
      Class IV-V - 24 miles long (Hermosa Park to US 550)
 Ski Areas Near Animas River:
Hesperus Ski Center, Colorado , 13 miles away, 700 foot drop, 2 lifts, 5 runs
Purgatory, Colorado , 20 miles away, 2029 foot drop, 11 lifts, 85 runs
Silverton, Colorado , 32 miles away, 3200 foot drop, 1 lifts, 1 runs
Kendall Mountain, Colorado , 33 miles away, 400 foot drop, 1 lifts, 3 runs
Telluride, Colorado , 36 miles away, 3845 foot drop, 18 lifts, 115 runs
Wolf Creek, Colorado , 75 miles away, 1604 foot drop, 7 lifts, 77 runs
 Hotels Near Animas River:
Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn, Durango , 1 miles away
Historic Strater Hotel, Durango , 1 miles away
The General Palmer Hotel, Durango , 1 miles away
Econo Lodge Inn & Suites, Durango , 1 miles away
Comfort Inn & Suites Durango, Durango , 1 miles away
 Campgrounds Near Animas River:
La Plata County Fairgrounds, Durango, 1 miles away
Cotton wood RV Park, Durango, 2 miles away
United Campgrounds Of Durango, Durango, 3 miles away
 Trails Near Animas River:
Highline Trail, La Plata , 15 miles away
Goodhope Stock Driveway, La Plata , 16 miles away
Highline Loop Trail, Montezuma , 17 miles away
 Public Lands Near Animas River:
Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec - NM , 25 miles away
Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde National Park - CO , 38 miles away
Navajo State Park, Colorado , 29 miles away
Mancos State Park, Colorado , 29 miles away
Navajo Lake State Park, New Mexico , 29 miles away
 Golf Courses Near Animas River:
Hillcrest Golf Club, Durango , 1 miles away
Dalton Ranch Golf Club, Durango , 7 miles away
Hunter's Run Golf Course, Ignacio , 12 miles away
 Lakes Near Animas River
Pastorius Reservoir, La Plata , 5 miles away
Mormon Reservoir, La Plata , 20 miles away

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Some content, including Reach Name, Class, Coordinates, and Length, comes from American Whitewater with permission.