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Other Whitewater Trips on the South Platte River-North Fork
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 Lodging in Colorado
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:: Bailey Canyon Whitewater Kayaking Trip
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Bailey Canyon Whitewater Kayaking Trip on the South Platte River-North Fork |
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Related River Guidebooks on AllAboutRivers |
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Bailey Canyon Info
Use this information at your own risk. See our legal notices. |
| Put In: |
Bailey, CO |
| Take Out: |
Pine, CO |
| Difficulty: |
Class IV
+ , Class V
-
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| Gradient: |
80 ft/mi |
| Run Length: |
12 miles |
| Flow Information (phone): |
Watertalk 303-731-8135; 1*, 42*. North Fork of the South Platte River at Bailey, CO. |
| Good Level: |
150-600 cfs |
| Season Comments: |
March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October
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| Primary Season: |
Flows depend upon releases, so check flows before you go. |
| Permit: |
No permit required |
| Hazards: |
Multiple portages that are difficult to recognize. You should make your first trip with an experienced boater who knows this run. |
| Water Craft: |
kayak,wwcan |
| Land Ownership: |
Mixed |
| Wilderness: |
Yes |
| Camping on River: |
No |
| Location: |
In the Rocky Mtn Region (CO), 114 miles southwest of Denver |
| Shuttle Logistics: |
Put-in: Take US 285 southwest from Denver to Bailey, turn east on Wellington Lake Road and drive a half mile downstream to the bridge over the river.
Take-out: Turn off US 285 at Pine Junction, then drive southeast on CO Hwy 126 to Pine. Boaters usually park on the wide shoulder of the road just before the intersection with 6th Street. |
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| Bailey Canyon on the South Platte River-North Fork |
Bailey Canyon starts out very mellow but quickly gorges up and starts dropping. This is one of my favorite runs in Colorado. The canyon is beautiful and the whitewater is virtually non-stop.
There are 3 named rapids with lots of class III and IV in between. The first big rapid is Four Falls. We scouted on the right. It is class IV+ with a big first drop. The current looks to push into the wall on river left but that didn't seem to be a problem. This drop ends in a large pool. Below the pool is some fun class IV with several possible lines.
The next major rapid is SuperMax, class V. Scout river left. Many people walk the top part because of two undercut rocks on either side of the flat boof rock in the middle. We saw people run it but we walked it.
The bottom part of Supermax consists of several 3-6 foot drops. There are several lines through here. This part ends with a 9 foot drop on the left side of the river that has a sticky hole.
Class IV boogy water continues for quite a while leading up to Deer Creek Rapid. This one is long with fairly straight forward lines that I would call read and run. We didn't scout it. It was a blast.
After Deer Creek Rapid, the canyon opens up a bit and the gradient eases. There is more class III and IV until a couple of miles from the take-out.
The take-out is a totally developed access point with bathrooms, large parking lot, picnic areas, and hiking/biking trails.
--Brad Goettemoeller |
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