Colorado whitewater, Hermosa Creek La Plata county, Hermosa Park to US 550 section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS IV-V     24 miles   The wonderful Colorado scenery and the cool fresh water attract people from near and far. The put-in location is a short drive from Durango, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. There are plenty of hotels here if you want to spend a night, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Getting your paddling muscles activated and just being out on the river for a while are sure to keep     you coming back for more. You might be into whitewater rafting or kayaking or both, doesn't matter, there are lots of good places for that around here. Whitewater rafting and kayaking in Colorado is often tougher than elsewhere, so keep in mind that rivers here are less forgiving. For all you camping people there are campgrounds nearby. If you hurry you can run this stretch in a day but why not make it an overnighter, so go ahead and pack your camp stove. This is one of a small number of paddling stretches in this river system, there are a few others too. Briefly about the general area: Hit the slopes at Purgatory close at hand, and going for a hike on the   Highline Trail is always a good adventure. A nice site to explore right next door to Hermosa Creek is Stag Draw, and there is a perfect hiking trail nearby called the Goodhope Stock Driveway. A river like this is too good to miss. Hermosa Creek gets a common amount of annual precipitation. August is the wettest month with most rain while June is the month with the least amount of precipitation. Throughout the days of summer at Hermosa Creek highs are mostly in the 70's. All through the dark hours of summer temperatures sink down into the 30's. During the winter this place gets highs in the 30's; winter nights come with lows in the 0's to Hermosa Creek. Hermosa Creek, Hermosa Park to US 550 road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Hermosa Creek.   Whitewater Near Hermosa Creek: Hermosa Creek, La Plata County, 7 miles away       Class IV-V - 24 miles long (Hermosa Park to US 550) Animas River, San Juan/ La Plata County, 7 miles away       Class IV-V - 2.6 miles long (Tacoma to Rockwood Rail Yard) Canyon Creek, La Plata County, 9 miles away       Class V+ - 3 miles long (to Animas River) Animas River, La Plata County, 12 miles away       Class III - 6.5 miles long (32nd St. Park to Purple Cliffs) Whitewater Outfitter - Durango Rafting, La Plata County, 13 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Whitewater Outfitter - Outlaw Rivers & Jeep Tours, La Plata County, 14 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Dolores River, Dolores / Montezuma County, 14 miles away       Class II-III - 39 miles long (Rico to McPhee Reservoir) Lime Creek, -blank- County, 14 miles away       Class V+ - 3 miles long (1st Gorge) Whitewater Outfitter - 4 Corners Whitewater, La Plata County, 15 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Animas River, La Plata County, 16 miles away       Class II-III - 12 miles long (Purple Cliffs to State line)   Ski Areas Near Hermosa Creek: Purgatory, Colorado , 7 miles away, 2029 foot drop, 11 lifts, 85 runs Hesperus Ski Center, Colorado , 17 miles away, 700 foot drop, 2 lifts, 5 runs Silverton, Colorado , 21 miles away, 3200 foot drop, 1 lifts, 1 runs Kendall Mountain, Colorado , 22 miles away, 400 foot drop, 1 lifts, 3 runs Telluride, Colorado , 22 miles away, 3845 foot drop, 18 lifts, 115 runs Wolf Creek, Colorado , 75 miles away, 1604 foot drop, 7 lifts, 77 runs Powderhorn, Colorado , 87 miles away, 1650 foot drop, 4 lifts, 44 runs Irwin Lodge, Colorado , 97 miles away, 2100 foot drop, 3 lifts, 15 runs Crested Butte, Colorado , 99 miles away, 2775 foot drop, 16 lifts, 121 runs   Hotels Near Hermosa Creek: Iron Horse Inn, Durango , 12 miles away Best Western Mountain Shadows, Durango , 12 miles away Days Inn Durango, Durango , 12 miles away Durango Travelodge, Durango , 12 miles away Quality Inn Durango, Durango , 12 miles away   Campgrounds Near Hermosa Creek: Lower Hermosa, Durango, 4 miles away Haviland Lake Campground, La Plata County, 5 miles away Chris Park Group, Durango, 5 miles away   Trails Near Hermosa Creek: Goodhope Stock Driveway, La Plata , 8 miles away Highline Trail, La Plata , 11 miles away Circle Trail, Dolores , 11 miles away Ryman Trail, Montezuma , 11 miles away Highline Loop Trail, Montezuma , 12 miles away   Public Lands Near Hermosa Creek: Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec - NM , 38 miles away Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde National Park - CO , 39 miles away Mancos State Park, Colorado , 28 miles away San Juan National Forest, Colorado , 29 miles away Navajo Lake State Park, New Mexico , 39 miles away   Golf Courses Near Hermosa Creek: Glacier Club At Tamarron, Durango , 5 miles away Dalton Ranch Golf Club, Durango , 8 miles away Hillcrest Golf Club, Durango , 13 miles away   Lakes Near Hermosa Creek Pastorius Reservoir, La Plata , 18 miles away