Buena Vista Whitewater Park
This park has 5 or so holes/waves. Found at the end of Main street in Buena Vista, CO. There are 2 main locations. The upper starts at the soccer field area adjacent to the Whipple Bridge which crosses the river. That is the Uptown Wave. The second access area is to the south and is accessable in the South Main Neighborhood. Both are public put ins and take outs. The park is fun at all levels. Anything 250 cfs plus makes it worth a trip to play in the park.
Suggested river levels for paddling this section of the Arkansas River are between a bare minimum of 200cfs and a high of 5,000cfs.
River conditions sourced from USGS 07087050, the Arkansas River Below Granite
Remember only watercraft are permitted
at Buena Vista Whitewater Park.
Run Stats
| Status | Runnable |
| Class Level | II+ to III+ |
| Elevation | 8,629 ft |
| Run Length | 1.0 Mi |
| Streamflow Discharge | 744 cfs |
| Gage Height | 5.0 ft |
| Air Temperature | 71° |
| River | Arkansas River |
| Reporting Streamgage |
Arkansas River Below Granite
USGS 07087050 |
| Gauge | Streamflow | Stage |
|---|---|---|
|
Williams Fork Above Darling Creek
USGS 09035700 |
107 cfs | 5.9 ft |
|
Kerber Cr Abv Little Kerber Cr Nr Villa Grove
USGS 08224500 |
18 cfs | 0.9 ft |
|
Twin-Lakes Tunnel At E Portl
USGS 09073000 |
158 cfs | 2.0 ft |
|
Fryingpan River At Meredith
USGS 09080100 |
411 cfs | 3.2 ft |
|
Arkansas River At Salida
USGS 07091500 |
886 cfs | 3.5 ft |
|
Eagle River Near Minturn
USGS 09064600 |
432 cfs | 4.4 ft |
|
Saguache Creek Near Saguache
USGS 08227000 |
122 cfs | 2.0 ft |
|
Piney River Below Piney Lake
USGS 09058500 |
14 cfs | 3.3 ft |
|
S Platte R Ab 11-Mile Canyon Re
USGS 06695000 |
299 cfs | 2.0 ft |
|
Piney River Near State Bridge
USGS 09059500 |
42 cfs | 3.2 ft |
| Snotel Site | Snowpack | 24hr Change |
|---|---|---|
|
Arapaho Ridge
SNOTEL 1030 |
1" | 0" |
|
Brumley
SNOTEL 369 |
189" | 0" |
|
Hayden Pass
SNOTEL 1102 |
1" | 0" |
|
Grayback
SNOTEL 1058 |
3" | 1" |
|
Cochetopa Pass
SNOTEL 1059 |
1" | 0" |
|
Moon Pass
SNOTEL 1124 |
1" | 0" |
|
Lily Pond
SNOTEL 580 |
6" | -5" |
|
Buckskin Joe
SNOTEL 938 |
182" | 0" |
|
Mccoy Park
SNOTEL 1040 |
1" | 0" |
| Campground | Campsites | Reservations | Toilets | Showers | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hecla Junction - Arkansas Headwaters State Rec Area | None | 7,415 ft | |||
| Mount Princeton | 19 | 8,618 ft | |||
| Chalk Lake | 19 | 8,743 ft | |||
| Cascade | 22 | 9,033 ft | |||
| Ohaver Lake | 35 | 9,218 ft | |||
| Kite Lake | 5 | 12,043 ft | |||
| Angel of Shavano | 20 | 9,147 ft | |||
| Horseshoe | 19 | 10,538 ft | |||
| Ruby Mountain - Arkansas Headwaters State Rec Area | None | 7,651 ft | |||
| Fourmile | 14 | 10,824 ft | |||
| Weston Pass | 14 | 10,277 ft | |||
| Buffalo Springs | 18 | 9,187 ft | |||
| Railroad Bridge - Arkansas Headwaters State Rec Area | None | 8,039 ft |
| Ski Area | Snowpack | Air Temperature | 5 Day Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Mountain Resort | -1" | 67° | 0" |
| Breckenridge Ski Resort | -1" | 67° | 0" |
| Vail | -1" | 64° | 0" |
| Arapahoe Basin | 0" | 50° | 0" |
| Ski Cooper | 182" | 58° | 0" |
| Keystone Resort | -1" | 59° | 0" |
| Monarch Ski & Snowboard Area | 0" | 56° | 0" |
| River Run | Streamflow | Length | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Creek of the Arkansas | 76.7cfs | 2.5 Mi | IV+ to V- |
| Breckenridge Whitewater Park (Town Run) | 407.0cfs | 0.25 Mi | II+ to III |
| Middle Ten Mile | 152.0cfs | 3.0 Mi | III+ to IV |
| Upper Gore Creek | 137.0cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Salida Town Run (Stone Bridge to Salida WW Park) | 744.0cfs | 12.0 Mi | II to III |
| Browns Canyon (Fisherman's Bridge to Stone Bridge) | 744.0cfs | 13.0 Mi | III to IV- |
| Lower Snake | 144.0cfs | 4.0 Mi | III to III+ |
| Buena Vista Whitewater Park | 744.0cfs | 1.0 Mi | II+ to III+ |
| Salida to Rincon | 744.0cfs | 10.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Upper Ten Mile | 152.0cfs | 2.0 Mi | IV+ to V |
| Lower (Bottom Four) | 231.0cfs | 1.0 Mi | V to V+ |
| Dowd Chute | 432.0cfs | 1.0 Mi | III+ to IV+ |
| Pine Creek (Granite to Numbers) | 744.0cfs | 6.0 Mi | III+ to V- |
| Fractions | 744.0cfs | 7.0 Mi | III to III+ |
| Silverthorne Town Run | 190.0cfs | 0.5 Mi | II to III- |
| Lower Ten Mile | 152.0cfs | 3.0 Mi | II to III |
| Milk Run | 744.0cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III- |
| Upper Gore Creek | 137.0cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Numbers | 744.0cfs | 4.9 Mi | III+ to IV+ |
| Upper-Upper Ten Mile | 152.0cfs | 3.0 Mi | III+ to IV- |
| Salida Whitewater Park | 744.0cfs | None Mi | III- to III+ |