Big South
Ask a seasoned Colorado kayaker what their favorite run in the state is, and more times than not you’ll hear the words “Big South” in their response. High up the Cache La Poudre river drainage, melting off the eastern slope of Rocky Mountain National Park, this gem funnels its way through relatively unspoiled high altitude forests and meadows. In California, this run might blend in with the crowd, but in Colorado, this stands out as a long stretch of quality whitewater in a wilderness setting. It’s not uncommon to find East coast boaters staked out at this run on a summer road trip and Fort Collins locals always abound.
Suggested river levels for paddling this section of the Cache La Poudre River are between a bare minimum of 150cfs and a high of 800cfs.
River conditions sourced from USGS 06716500, the Clear Creek Near Lawson
Remember only watercraft are permitted
at Big South.
Run Stats
| Status | Too Low |
| Class Level | V to V+ |
| Elevation | 8,091 ft |
| Run Length | 12.0 Mi |
| Streamflow Discharge | 39.9 cfs |
| Gage Height | 2.7 ft |
| Air Temperature | 30° |
| River | Cache La Poudre River |
| Reporting Streamgage |
Clear Creek Near Lawson
USGS 06716500 |
| Gauge | Streamflow | Stage |
|---|---|---|
|
Bear Creek Above Bear Creek Lake Near Morrison
USGS 06710605 |
7 cfs | 3.8 ft |
|
Boulder Creek Near Orodell
USGS 06727000 |
13 cfs | 1.7 ft |
|
Blue River Near Dillon
USGS 09046600 |
38 cfs | 4.4 ft |
|
North Clear Creek Above Mouth Nr Blackhawk
USGS 06718550 |
4 cfs | 3.9 ft |
|
Middle Boulder Creek At Nederland
USGS 06725500 |
9 cfs | 0.6 ft |
|
Grand River Ditch At La Poudre Pass
USGS 09010000 |
-999 cfs | 0.0 ft |
|
Blue River Below Dillon
USGS 09050700 |
56 cfs | 0.9 ft |
|
South Fork Of Williams Fork Near Leal
USGS 09035900 |
12 cfs | 2.3 ft |
|
Laramie R Bl Pioneer Canal Nr Woods Landing
USGS 06659502 |
1,010 cfs | 3.2 ft |
|
Fall River Near Idaho Springs
USGS 06717000 |
4 cfs | 3.7 ft |
| Snotel Site | Snowpack | 24hr Change |
|---|---|---|
|
Brooklyn Lake
SNOTEL 367 |
66" | 1" |
|
evergreen 1.3 nne, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-424 |
3.68" | 2.84" |
|
estes park 3.3 ssw, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-247 |
7.49" | 3.73" |
|
Phantom Valley
SNOTEL 688 |
20" | 3" |
|
North French Creek
SNOTEL 668 |
68" | 0" |
|
Copeland Lake
SNOTEL 412 |
10" | 4" |
|
amrad
SNOTEL CNRC2 |
5.56" | 3.34" |
|
boulder 2.1 w, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-437 |
1.53" | 1.22" |
|
Summit Ranch
SNOTEL 802 |
17" | 2" |
|
nathrop 1.9 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-CF-54 |
1.28" | -0.1" |
|
allens park 1.5 ese, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-22 |
12.21" | 7.12" |
|
estes park 1.8 s, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-767 |
6.5" | 3.31" |
|
Jones Pass
SNOTEL 970 |
39" | 6" |
|
Saint Elmo
SNOTEL 1100 |
26" | 0" |
|
rollinsville 1.7 e, co
SNOTEL CO-GL-25 |
3.69" | 2.36" |
|
gross reservoir
SNOTEL GRRC2 |
2.96" | 2.16" |
|
Michigan Creek
SNOTEL 937 |
36" | 0" |
|
co st forest st park
SNOTEL CSFC2 |
2.29" | 2.25" |
|
Laprele Creek
SNOTEL 571 |
31" | 2" |
|
estes park 1.7 w, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-1115 |
6.41" | 2.99" |
|
bailey
SNOTEL BLYC2 |
3.18" | 1.1" |
|
nathrop 3.3 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-CF-19 |
1.31" | -0.06" |
|
red feather 5.9 ne, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-329 |
5.57" | 3.71" |
|
glen haven 1.2 n, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-868 |
5.65" | 2.58" |
|
georgetown
SNOTEL GEOC2 |
4.14" | 2.84" |
|
evergreen 6.5 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-CC-1 |
6.02" | 4.06" |
|
nederland 5.8 e, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-57 |
4.54" | 2.66" |
|
Berthoud Summit
SNOTEL 335 |
59" | 6" |
|
estes park,co
SNOTEL ETSC2 |
5.8" | 2.92" |
|
Fremont Pass
SNOTEL 485 |
48" | 2" |
|
boulder 1.5 wnw, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-490 |
1.41" | 1.17" |
|
arvada 4.7 w, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-455 |
0.5" | 0" |
|
Willow Park
SNOTEL 870 |
58" | 3" |
|
Windy Peak
SNOTEL 872 |
34" | -1" |
|
tabernash 2.7 nw, co
SNOTEL CO-GR-68 |
0.36" | 0" |
|
florissant 5.0 n, co
SNOTEL CO-TL-19 |
0.62" | 0.09" |
|
longmont 3.3 sw, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-507 |
0.51" | 0" |
|
Arapaho Ridge
SNOTEL 1030 |
57" | 6" |
|
nederland 3.7 ene, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-296 |
5.43" | 2.94" |
|
boulder 2.2 nw, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-452 |
2.23" | 1.87" |
|
Hourglass Lake
SNOTEL 1122 |
41" | 6" |
|
silverthorne 21 nw, co
SNOTEL CO-SU-35 |
0.37" | 0" |
|
lyons 4.8 n, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-50 |
6.67" | 5.46" |
|
evergreen 2.0 ese, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-395 |
3.84" | 2.77" |
|
grant
SNOTEL GRTC2 |
7.58" | 2.98" |
|
ralston reservoir
SNOTEL GDNC2 |
2.39" | 2.25" |
|
Elliot Ridge
SNOTEL 1120 |
49" | 4" |
|
Vail Mountain
SNOTEL 842 |
28" | 1" |
|
boulder 1.5 nnw, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-496 |
1.01" | 0" |
|
Med Bow
SNOTEL 1196 |
94" | 4" |
|
Jackwhacker Gulch
SNOTEL 935 |
39" | 3" |
|
Bear Lake
SNOTEL 322 |
57" | 8" |
|
aspen springs amrad
SNOTEL ASIC2 |
3.7" | 2.65" |
|
berthoud 4.4 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-922 |
3.24" | 2.91" |
|
nederland 2.61 nne, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-75 |
6.13" | 3.25" |
|
boulder 2.9 s, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-4 |
0.96" | 0" |
|
boulder 2.0 w, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-380 |
1.43" | 1.13" |
|
Rawah
SNOTEL 1032 |
23" | 6" |
|
south platte river
SNOTEL ANTC2 |
2.42" | -0.32" |
|
evergreen 4.2 sse, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-157 |
4.54" | 3.17" |
|
boulder 4.7 e, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-67 |
0.64" | 0" |
|
Loveland Basin
SNOTEL 602 |
60" | 5" |
|
estes park 1.8 sse, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-987 |
6.43" | 3.25" |
|
Wild Basin
SNOTEL 1042 |
43" | 0" |
|
niwot 0.7 nnw, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-338 |
0.55" | 0" |
|
boulder 1.6 s, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-14 |
1.07" | 0.99" |
|
Buckskin Joe
SNOTEL 938 |
33" | -1" |
|
boulder 1.9 se, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-30 |
0.7" | 0" |
|
hygiene,co
SNOTEL HGIC2 |
0.66" | 0" |
|
buford 4se
SNOTEL BFDW4 |
2.6" | 2.07" |
|
buena vista,co
SNOTEL BNVC2 |
1.88" | -0.11" |
|
jamestown 2.5 sse, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-343 |
6.12" | 3.61" |
|
evergreen 3.4 wnw, co
SNOTEL CO-CC-22 |
5.47" | 3.88" |
|
evergreen
SNOTEL EVGC2 |
3.45" | 2.63" |
|
laramie 1se
SNOTEL ADFW4 |
0.79" | 0.21" |
|
nederland 0.4 wnw, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-322 |
5.74" | 3.27" |
|
fairplay 2.7 wnw, co
SNOTEL CO-PK-15 |
26.53" | 1.43" |
|
estes park 10.5 se, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-1019 |
9.48" | 6.28" |
|
Crow Creek
SNOTEL 1045 |
12" | 0" |
|
conifer 3.2 sw, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-53 |
4.5" | 2.5" |
|
ward 4.6 ne, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-202 |
11.48" | 6.42" |
|
University Camp
SNOTEL 838 |
55" | 4" |
|
lake george 7.2 wnw, co
SNOTEL CO-PK-39 |
1.35" | 0.15" |
|
climax coop
SNOTEL CLXC2 |
36.92" | 0.39" |
|
rollinsville 1.1 ssw, co
SNOTEL CO-GL-17 |
12.99" | 2.67" |
|
la porte 10.0 nnw, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-567 |
3.42" | 3.18" |
|
Hoosier Pass
SNOTEL 531 |
46" | 1" |
|
nederland 4.8 ene, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-110 |
4.98" | 2.77" |
|
evergreen 5 w, co
SNOTEL CO-CC-2 |
5.48" | 3.83" |
|
boulder 4.7 ene, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-220 |
0.55" | 0" |
|
arvada 3.5 wnw, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-457 |
0.53" | 0" |
|
vail 3.5 e, co
SNOTEL CO-EG-53 |
16.4" | 0.01" |
|
bellvue 5.9 w, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-4 |
5.28" | 3.53" |
|
niwot 2.3 w, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-248 |
0.67" | 0" |
|
fort collins 5.4 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-623 |
5.32" | 4.46" |
|
cheesman
SNOTEL CHEC2 |
1.02" | 0" |
|
laramie 7sse
SNOTEL CMBW4 |
0.93" | 0.33" |
|
golden 12.5 nw, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-331 |
3.71" | 2.56" |
|
virginia dale 7.2 ssw, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-672 |
4.86" | 3.73" |
|
cabin creek
SNOTEL GCRC2 |
20.91" | 4.1" |
|
nederland 4.2 e, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-233 |
4.68" | 2.68" |
|
conifer 5.7 sw, co
SNOTEL CO-JF-222 |
3.78" | 1.72" |
|
Never Summer
SNOTEL 1031 |
49" | 7" |
|
lyons 0.3 nne, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-146 |
4.7" | 4.13" |
|
livermore 9.9 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-LR-897 |
5.22" | 3.74" |
|
silverthorne 2.1 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-SU-6 |
13.4" | 0.36" |
|
boulder 1.8 w, co
SNOTEL CO-BO-491 |
1.53" | 1.22" |
|
Sawtooth
SNOTEL 1251 |
63" | 4" |
| Campground | Campsites | Reservations | Toilets | Showers | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Fork Poudre | 9 | 9,159 ft | |||
| Big Bend | 8 | 7,717 ft | |||
| Stillwater | 129 | 8,315 ft | |||
| The Crags - State Forest State Park | 26 | 9,917 ft | |||
| Chambers Lake | 44 | 9,166 ft | |||
| Timber Creek - Rocky Mountain National Park | 100 | 8,933 ft | |||
| Big South | 4 | 8,580 ft | |||
| Browns Park | 28 | 8,450 ft | |||
| Arapaho Bay | 84 | 8,337 ft | |||
| Tunnel | 49 | 8,608 ft | |||
| Sunset Point | 25 | 8,297 ft | |||
| Sleeping Elephant | 15 | 7,865 ft | |||
| Long Draw | 25 | 10,059 ft | |||
| Aspen Glen | 9 | 8,694 ft | |||
| Green Ridge | 78 | 8,360 ft | |||
| Grand View | 9 | 10,038 ft |
| Ski Area | Snowpack | Air Temperature | 5 Day Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ski Estes Park (Hidden Valley) | 57" | 27° | 14.19" |
| SolVista Basin at Granby Ranch | 42" | 26° | 11.52" |
| Eldora Mountain Resort | 26" | 26° | 14.44" |
| River Run | Streamflow | Length | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Heights | 56.4cfs | 2.5 Mi | V- to V |
| NSV | 55.4cfs | 13.0 Mi | V+ |
| Big South | 39.9cfs | 12.0 Mi | V to V+ |
| Upper Blue (Blue River CG to Columbine Landing) | 246.0cfs | 3.0 Mi | III to IV- |
| Upper North Fork | 69.7cfs | 9.0 Mi | IV+ to V- |
| Rustic (Upper) | 56.4cfs | 20.0 Mi | III to III+ |