| Granite Gorge |
| Put-in: |
Granite, CO |
| Take-out: |
Numbers put-in |
| Difficulty: |
Class III-V
|
| Length: |
5.5 miles |
| Lake Creek Tributary |
| Put-in: |
Diversion Tunnel |
| Take-out: |
Willis Gulch Picnic Area |
| Difficulty: |
Class IV, V+
|
| Length: |
9 miles |
| Clear Creek Tributary |
| Put-in: |
Missouri Gulch Trailhead |
| Take-out: |
Above Clear Creek Ranch |
| Difficulty: |
Class V-
|
| Length: |
3.3 miles |
| The Numbers |
| Put-in: |
Numbers Put-in |
| Take-out: |
Railroad Bridge |
| Difficulty: |
Class III+ < 1000cfs
Class IV: 1000 cfs to 22
|
| Length: |
5 miles |
| Narrows-Frog Rock |
| Put-in: |
Railroad Bridge |
| Take-out: |
Buena Vista baseball fields |
| Difficulty: |
Class III < 2200 cfs
Class IV > 2200 cfs
|
| Length: |
7 miles |
| Buena Vista Whitewater Park |
| Put-in: |
Buena Vista Ballpark Access |
| Take-out: |
River Trail next to Downtown Hole |
| Difficulty: |
Class
|
| Length: |
1 Mile |
| Buena Vista Town Run |
| Put-in: |
Buena Vista baseball fields |
| Take-out: |
Johnson's Village |
| Difficulty: |
Class III
|
| Length: |
2.5 miles |
| Milk Run |
| Put-in: |
Johnson Village Bridge |
| Take-out: |
Fisherman's Bridge |
| Difficulty: |
Class II
|
| Length: |
6 miles |
| Browns Canyon |
| Put-in: |
Fisherman's Bridge |
| Take-out: |
Stone Bridge |
| Difficulty: |
Class III-IV
|
| Length: |
12 miles |
| Salida West |
| Put-in: |
Stone Bridge |
| Take-out: |
Salida Whitewater Park |
| Difficulty: |
Class II, III
|
| Length: |
9.3 miles |
| Salida East |
| Put-in: |
Salida Whitewater Park |
| Take-out: |
Rincon |
| Difficulty: |
Class II, III
|
| Length: |
9.4 miles |
| Rincon to Pinnacle Rock |
| Put-in: |
Rincon |
| Take-out: |
Pinnacle Rock Recreation Area |
| Difficulty: |
Class II, III
|
| Length: |
27.9 miles |
| Pinnacle Rock to Parkdale |
| Put-in: |
Pinnacle Rock Recreation Area |
| Take-out: |
Parkdale Recreation Area |
| Difficulty: |
Class III-IV
|
| Length: |
7.7 miles |
| Royal Gorge |
| Put-in: |
Parkdale Recreation Area |
| Take-out: |
Centennial Park |
| Difficulty: |
Class III-IV
|
| Length: |
11.5 miles |
|
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Kayak & Canoe Stores near Arkansas River
|
|
Paddling Schools near Arkansas River
|
 |
|
The Mighty "Ark"
The Arkansas River stretches across America for 1450 miles from the
Continental Divide in Colorado to the mouth of the Mississippi River at the
Mississippi-Arkansas state line. From its source below Mount Elbert
(14431ft), the highest peak in the state, the Arkansas drops a satisfying
1500 ft in the first 125 miles as it courses through Lake, Chaffee and
Fremont Counties. This mountainous section of clear water creates a
playground for paddlers as they make their way down some of Colorado's best
known whitewater -- Granite Gorge, the Numbers, Browns Canyon and the Royal
Gorge.
Yet before it became a paddling destination, the Arkansas already had a
colorful history as big and wild as the American West itself. The first
European to see the river was a Spaniard named Juan de Ulibarri who came
across the river in 1706 near present day Canon City. He arrived during the
spring runoff when the river filled its banks with a swirling mass of
chocolate brown water carried down from the mountains above. He quickly
dubbed the river "Napestle" -- a Native American word that means "red water".
Nearly a century later Zebulon Pike and his men traveled the rugged upper
reaches of the Arkansas Valley on their mission to explore the southern
sections of the Louisiana Purchase.
Written by Nathan Taylor Ward
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