Numbers
The Numbers is a classic stretch of class IV whitewater on the Arkansas River upstream of Buena Vista. When the water is high and the sun is out, this is about as good as class IV boating gets in Colorado. At low and medium flows expect to see a lot of kayakers and rafters playing their way down the river. At higher flows, you may have the run all to yourself, even on a weekend.
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 Numbers.
Run Stats
| Status | Runnable |
| Class Level | III+ to IV+ |
| Elevation | 8,629 ft |
| Run Length | 4.9 Mi |
| Gradient | 70 FPM |
| Streamflow Discharge | 221 cfs |
| Gage Height | 3.7 ft |
| Air Temperature | 39° |
| River | Arkansas River |
| Reporting Streamgage |
Arkansas River Below Granite
USGS 07087050 |
|
Number 1
Class IV- to IV+ |
|
Number 1 1/2
Class III+ to IV+ |
|
Number 2
Class III+ to IV+ |
|
Number 3
Class III+ to IV+ |
|
Top Number 4
Class III+ to IV+ |
|
Number 4 1/2
Class III+ to IV+ |
|
Number 5
Class IV- to IV+ |
|
Number 5 1/2
Class III+ to IV |
|
Number 6
Class IV to V |
|
Number 7
Class IV to V |
| Gauge | Streamflow | Stage |
|---|---|---|
|
Missouri Creek Near Gold Park
USGS 09063900 |
1 cfs | 1.4 ft |
|
Cotton Creek Near Mineral Hot Springs
USGS 08226700 |
6 cfs | 3.0 ft |
|
Black Gore Creek Near Minturn
USGS 09066000 |
4 cfs | 2.7 ft |
|
Lake Creek Above Twin Lakes Reservoir
USGS 07084500 |
36 cfs | 2.3 ft |
|
Ranch Creek Blw Meadow Cr Nr Tabernash Co
USGS 09033100 |
10 cfs | 6.7 ft |
|
Blue River At Blue River
USGS 09046490 |
9 cfs | 0.6 ft |
|
Taylor River Below Taylor Park Reservoir
USGS 09109000 |
89 cfs | 3.5 ft |
|
Columbine Ditch Near Fremont Pass
USGS 09061500 |
-999 cfs | -3.5 ft |
|
Arkansas River Below Granite
USGS 07087050 |
221 cfs | 3.7 ft |
|
Cabin Creek Near Fraser
USGS 09032100 |
2 cfs | 1.7 ft |
| Snotel Site | Snowpack | 24hr Change |
|---|---|---|
|
Lynx Pass
SNOTEL 607 |
14" | 1" |
|
Saint Elmo
SNOTEL 1100 |
26" | 0" |
|
nathrop 1.9 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-CF-54 |
1.28" | -0.1" |
|
Michigan Creek
SNOTEL 937 |
36" | 0" |
|
Jackwhacker Gulch
SNOTEL 935 |
39" | 3" |
|
grant
SNOTEL GRTC2 |
7.58" | 2.98" |
|
Grayback
SNOTEL 1058 |
8" | 0" |
|
Elliot Ridge
SNOTEL 1120 |
49" | 4" |
|
Bear Lake
SNOTEL 322 |
57" | 8" |
|
Hoosier Pass
SNOTEL 531 |
46" | 1" |
|
Ivanhoe
SNOTEL 547 |
48" | 4" |
|
silverthorne 2.1 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-SU-6 |
13.4" | 0.36" |
|
Wolf Creek Summit
SNOTEL 874 |
70" | 0" |
|
silverthorne 21 nw, co
SNOTEL CO-SU-35 |
0.37" | 0" |
|
Moon Pass
SNOTEL 1124 |
15" | 0" |
|
Dry Lake
SNOTEL 457 |
31" | 9" |
|
Brumley
SNOTEL 369 |
33" | 2" |
|
tabernash 2.7 nw, co
SNOTEL CO-GR-68 |
0.36" | 0" |
|
Chapman Tunnel
SNOTEL 1101 |
30" | 1" |
|
Upper San Juan
SNOTEL 840 |
56" | 1" |
|
Loveland Basin
SNOTEL 602 |
60" | 5" |
|
Independence Pass
SNOTEL 542 |
40" | 4" |
|
Wild Basin
SNOTEL 1042 |
43" | 0" |
|
Phantom Valley
SNOTEL 688 |
20" | 3" |
|
Vail Mountain
SNOTEL 842 |
28" | 1" |
|
Tower
SNOTEL 825 |
91" | 12" |
|
south platte river
SNOTEL ANTC2 |
2.42" | -0.32" |
|
Park Cone
SNOTEL 680 |
24" | 0" |
|
Fremont Pass
SNOTEL 485 |
48" | 2" |
|
Berthoud Summit
SNOTEL 335 |
59" | 6" |
|
Rawah
SNOTEL 1032 |
23" | 6" |
|
Upper Taylor
SNOTEL 1141 |
25" | 0" |
|
georgetown
SNOTEL GEOC2 |
4.14" | 2.84" |
|
Jones Pass
SNOTEL 970 |
39" | 6" |
|
Hourglass Lake
SNOTEL 1122 |
41" | 6" |
|
Summit Ranch
SNOTEL 802 |
17" | 2" |
|
Never Summer
SNOTEL 1031 |
49" | 7" |
|
co st forest st park
SNOTEL CSFC2 |
2.29" | 2.25" |
|
fairplay 2.7 wnw, co
SNOTEL CO-PK-15 |
26.53" | 1.43" |
|
vail 3.5 e, co
SNOTEL CO-EG-53 |
16.4" | 0.01" |
|
Rabbit Ears
SNOTEL 709 |
40" | 8" |
|
nathrop 3.3 wsw, co
SNOTEL CO-CF-19 |
1.31" | -0.06" |
|
Buffalo Park
SNOTEL 913 |
38" | 4" |
|
Hayden Pass
SNOTEL 1102 |
33" | -3" |
|
Sargents Mesa
SNOTEL 1128 |
35" | 0" |
|
Willow Park
SNOTEL 870 |
58" | 3" |
|
Arapaho Ridge
SNOTEL 1030 |
57" | 6" |
|
Buckskin Joe
SNOTEL 938 |
33" | -1" |
|
buena vista,co
SNOTEL BNVC2 |
1.88" | -0.11" |
|
cabin creek
SNOTEL GCRC2 |
20.91" | 4.1" |
|
Kiln
SNOTEL 556 |
24" | 3" |
|
climax coop
SNOTEL CLXC2 |
36.92" | 0.39" |
|
Beaver Ck Village
SNOTEL 1041 |
17" | 2" |
|
Lily Pond
SNOTEL 580 |
23" | 0" |
| Campground | Campsites | Reservations | Toilets | Showers | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Doe | 50 | 9,913 ft | |||
| North Fork Reservoir | 9 | 11,459 ft | |||
| Tabor | 44 | 9,897 ft | |||
| Camp Hale Memorial | 21 | 9,318 ft | |||
| Horseshoe | 19 | 10,538 ft | |||
| Silver Dollar | 43 | 9,905 ft | |||
| Matchless | 17 | 9,903 ft | |||
| Dexter | 24 | 9,271 ft | |||
| Iron City | 15 | 9,928 ft | |||
| Angel of Shavano | 20 | 9,147 ft | |||
| Kite Lake | 5 | 12,043 ft | |||
| Mount Princeton | 19 | 8,618 ft | |||
| Cottonwood Lake | 24 | 9,586 ft | |||
| Cascade | 22 | 9,033 ft | |||
| Garfield | 8 | 9,912 ft | |||
| Chalk Lake | 19 | 8,743 ft | |||
| Molly Brown | 49 | 9,897 ft | |||
| Fourmile | 14 | 10,824 ft | |||
| Father Dyer | 26 | 9,953 ft | |||
| Railroad Bridge - Arkansas Headwaters State Rec Area | None | 8,039 ft | |||
| Weston Pass | 14 | 10,277 ft | |||
| Monarch Park | 37 | 10,478 ft | |||
| Belle of Colorado | 19 | 9,924 ft | |||
| Collegiate Peaks | 56 | 9,837 ft |
| Ski Area | Snowpack | Air Temperature | 5 Day Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loveland | 60" | 18° | 10.29" |
| Copper Mountain Resort | 29" | 34° | 10.28" |
| Monarch Ski & Snowboard Area | 32" | 27° | 8" |
| Vail | 28" | 31° | 7.52" |
| Ski Cooper | 33" | 27° | 10.52" |
| Breckenridge Ski Resort | 29" | 34° | 10.28" |
| Keystone Resort | 39" | 27° | 12.48" |
| Beaver Creek Resort | 18" | 42° | 6.58" |
| River Run | Streamflow | Length | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Creek (Granite to Numbers) | 233.0cfs | 6.0 Mi | III+ to V- |
| Dowd Chute | 65.5cfs | 1.0 Mi | III+ to IV+ |
| Milk Run | 233.0cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III- |
| Clear Creek of the Arkansas | 12.2cfs | 2.5 Mi | IV+ to V- |
| Silverthorne Town Run | 37.5cfs | 0.5 Mi | II to III- |
| Lower (Bottom Four) | 36.4cfs | 1.0 Mi | V to V+ |
| The Upper | 16.9cfs | 8.0 Mi | V to V+ |
| Lower Ten Mile | 41.7cfs | 3.0 Mi | II to III |
| Browns Canyon (Fisherman's Bridge to Stone Bridge) | 221.0cfs | 13.0 Mi | III to IV- |
| Salida Town Run (Stone Bridge to Salida WW Park) | 233.0cfs | 12.0 Mi | II to III |
| Upper Ten Mile | 42.9cfs | 2.0 Mi | IV+ to V |
| Upper Gore Creek | 57.6cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Salida Whitewater Park | 233.0cfs | None Mi | III- to III+ |
| Upper Gore Creek | 57.6cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Upper-Upper Ten Mile | 42.9cfs | 3.0 Mi | III+ to IV- |
| Lower Snake | 9.91cfs | 4.0 Mi | III to III+ |
| Salida to Rincon | 233.0cfs | 10.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Fractions | 221.0cfs | 7.0 Mi | III to III+ |
| Middle Ten Mile | 42.9cfs | 3.0 Mi | III+ to IV |
| Buena Vista Whitewater Park | 221.0cfs | 1.0 Mi | II+ to III+ |
| Upper Blue (Blue River CG to Columbine Landing) | 246.0cfs | 3.0 Mi | III to IV- |
| Numbers | 233.0cfs | 4.9 Mi | III+ to IV+ |
| Breckenridge Whitewater Park (Town Run) | 55.7cfs | 0.25 Mi | II+ to III |