Upper Blue (Blue River Cg To Columbine Landing)
Because of the many streams and rivers flowing in between the start of this section and Breckonridge (as well as Dillon Reservoir controlling flows), this part of the Blue can be run more reliably. This is a short technical section where the Blue drops through a small gorge. The gorge is where the actual harder whitewater is (class III/IV). The rest of the run is mainly a class II fishing stream (especially if you put in above the Blue River Campground).
Suggested river levels for paddling this section of the Blue River are between a bare minimum of 250cfs and a high of 2,200cfs.
River conditions sourced from USGS 07086000, the Arkansas River At Granite
Remember only watercraft are permitted
at Upper Blue (Blue River CG to Columbine Landing).
Run Stats
| Status | Too Low |
| Class Level | III to IV- |
| Elevation | 8,929 ft |
| Run Length | 3.0 Mi |
| Gradient | 35 FPM |
| Streamflow Discharge | 109 cfs |
| Gage Height | 2.3 ft |
| Air Temperature | 73° |
| River | Blue River |
| Reporting Streamgage |
Arkansas River At Granite
USGS 07086000 |
|
1st Canyon
Class I |
|
2nd Canyon
Class I |
|
All Day Wave
Class I |
| Gauge | Streamflow | Stage |
|---|---|---|
|
Colorado River Near Kremmling
USGS 09058000 |
646 cfs | 4.6 ft |
|
South Fork Of Williams Fork Near Leal
USGS 09035900 |
10 cfs | 2.3 ft |
|
Grand River Ditch At La Poudre Pass
USGS 09010000 |
0 cfs | 0.0 ft |
|
Berthoud Pass Ditch At Berthoud Pass
USGS 09021500 |
0 cfs | 0.1 ft |
|
Blue River Near Dillon
USGS 09046600 |
39 cfs | 4.4 ft |
|
Elk Creek At Upper Station
USGS 09025300 |
0 cfs | 5.0 ft |
|
Beaver Creek At Avon
USGS 09067000 |
3 cfs | 1.8 ft |
|
Leavenworth Creek @ Mouth Nr Georgetown
USGS 06714800 |
4 cfs | 3.6 ft |
|
Illinois Creek Near Rand
USGS 06617500 |
5 cfs | 1.0 ft |
|
Ranch Creek Near Fraser
USGS 09032000 |
6 cfs | 4.6 ft |
| Snotel Site | Snowpack | 24hr Change |
|---|---|---|
|
Saint Elmo
SNOTEL 1100 |
1" | 0" |
|
Brooklyn Lake
SNOTEL 367 |
1" | 0" |
|
Lake Irene
SNOTEL 565 |
1" | 0" |
|
Kiln
SNOTEL 556 |
10" | 0" |
|
Park Cone
SNOTEL 680 |
1" | 1" |
|
South Brush Creek
SNOTEL 772 |
1" | 0" |
|
Ivanhoe
SNOTEL 547 |
11" | 0" |
|
Vail Mountain
SNOTEL 842 |
1" | 0" |
|
Jackwhacker Gulch
SNOTEL 935 |
1" | 1" |
|
Stillwater Creek
SNOTEL 793 |
1" | 1" |
|
Never Summer
SNOTEL 1031 |
1" | 0" |
|
Hoosier Pass
SNOTEL 531 |
1" | 0" |
|
Loveland Basin
SNOTEL 602 |
1" | 1" |
|
Arapaho Ridge
SNOTEL 1030 |
1" | 0" |
|
Fremont Pass
SNOTEL 485 |
1" | 0" |
|
Black Mountain
SNOTEL 1161 |
1" | 1" |
|
Rawah
SNOTEL 1032 |
6" | 0" |
|
Echo Lake
SNOTEL 936 |
1" | 0" |
|
Willow Creek Pass
SNOTEL 869 |
1" | 1" |
| Campground | Campsites | Reservations | Toilets | Showers | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kite Lake | 5 | 12,043 ft | |||
| Gore Creek | 25 | 8,720 ft | |||
| Davis Springs | 7 | 7,984 ft | |||
| Beaver Creek Unti - Hot Sulphur State Wildlife Area | 10 | 7,592 ft | |||
| Sugar Loaf | 11 | 8,989 ft | |||
| Prairie Point | 33 | 8,002 ft | |||
| Lowry | 24 | 9,068 ft | |||
| Fourmile | 14 | 10,824 ft | |||
| Sawmill Gulch | 5 | 8,482 ft | |||
| Peak One | 74 | 9,030 ft | |||
| Mcdonald Flats | 13 | 7,955 ft | |||
| Heaton Bay | 81 | 9,072 ft | |||
| Blue River | 24 | 8,472 ft | |||
| Pine Cove | 56 | 9,022 ft | |||
| Prospector | 107 | 9,105 ft | |||
| Williams Fork Reservoir - SWA | 24 | 7,848 ft |
| Ski Area | Snowpack | Air Temperature | 5 Day Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ski Cooper | 0" | 58° | 0" |
| Arapahoe Basin | 1" | 51° | 0" |
| Loveland | 1" | 51° | 0" |
| Vail | 1" | 63° | 0" |
| Copper Mountain Resort | -1" | 64° | 0" |
| SolVista Basin at Granby Ranch | 0" | 61° | 0" |
| Breckenridge Ski Resort | -1" | 64° | 0" |
| Keystone Resort | 1" | 59° | 0" |
| River Run | Streamflow | Length | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower (Bottom Four) | 16.3cfs | 1.0 Mi | V to V+ |
| Upper Gore Creek | 12.8cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Dowd Chute | 50.4cfs | 1.0 Mi | III+ to IV+ |
| Breckenridge Whitewater Park (Town Run) | 103.0cfs | 0.25 Mi | II+ to III |
| Lower Blue (Green Mountain to Spring Creek) | 159.0cfs | 3.8 Mi | II+ to III |
| Upper Ten Mile | 25.4cfs | 2.0 Mi | IV+ to V |
| Pine Creek (Granite to Numbers) | 130.0cfs | 6.0 Mi | III+ to V- |
| Clear Creek of the Arkansas | 11.0cfs | 2.5 Mi | IV+ to V- |
| Fractions | 130.0cfs | 7.0 Mi | III to III+ |
| Upper Gore Creek | 12.8cfs | 4.0 Mi | II+ to III |
| Middle Ten Mile | 25.4cfs | 3.0 Mi | III+ to IV |
| Lower Blue (Green Mountain to Spring Creek) | 159.0cfs | 3.8 Mi | II+ to III |
| Lower Blue (Green Mountain to Spring Creek) | 159.0cfs | 3.8 Mi | II+ to III |
| Lower Blue (Green Mountain to Spring Creek) | 159.0cfs | 3.8 Mi | II+ to III |
| Lower Ten Mile | 25.4cfs | 3.0 Mi | II to III |
| Gore Canyon | 646.0cfs | 9.0 Mi | IV to V+ |
| Numbers | 130.0cfs | 4.9 Mi | III+ to IV+ |
| Upper-Upper Ten Mile | 25.4cfs | 3.0 Mi | III+ to IV- |
| Upper Blue (Blue River CG to Columbine Landing) | 109.0cfs | 3.0 Mi | III to IV- |
| Lower Snake | 21.9cfs | 4.0 Mi | III to III+ |
| Silverthorne Town Run | 39.4cfs | 0.5 Mi | II to III- |