Upper Narrows
An espresso hair run usually combined with the middle and lower narrows. The main rapids are Supercollider and Whiteline, both easily scoutable from the road. At truly high flows, only those with the proper combination of expert skills and excessive foolishness should attempt this section.
Suggested river levels for paddling this section of the Cache La Poudre River are between a bare minimum of 150cfs and a high of 5,000cfs.
River conditions sourced from USGS 06752000, the Cache La Poudre R A Mo Of Cn
Remember only watercraft are permitted
at Upper Narrows.
Run Stats
| Status | Too Low |
| Class Level | V- to V+ |
| Elevation | 5,245 ft |
| Run Length | 0.5 Mi |
| Streamflow Discharge | 76.7 cfs |
| Gage Height | 3.0 ft |
| Air Temperature | 83° |
| River | Cache La Poudre River |
| Reporting Streamgage |
Cache La Poudre R A Mo Of Cn
USGS 06752000 |
| Gauge | Streamflow | Stage |
|---|---|---|
|
West Fork Clear Creek Abv Mouth Nr Empire
USGS 06716100 |
15 cfs | 4.2 ft |
|
N Frk Cache La Poudre R Blw Halligan Res Nr V Dal
USGS 06751150 |
66 cfs | 2.7 ft |
|
Elk Creek At Upper Station
USGS 09025300 |
0 cfs | 5.0 ft |
|
Big Thompson River At Mouth
USGS 06744000 |
65 cfs | 1.5 ft |
|
Big Dry Creek At Mouth Near Fort Lupton
USGS 06720990 |
33 cfs | 3.8 ft |
|
St. Vrain Creek At Mouth
USGS 06731000 |
122 cfs | 1.6 ft |
|
Fraser River Blw Crooked Cr At Tabernash Co
USGS 09033300 |
130 cfs | 3.5 ft |
|
Sand Creek At Colorado-Wyoming State Line
USGS 06659580 |
3 cfs | 0.5 ft |
|
Colorado River Bl Shadow Mountain Reservoir
USGS 09015000 |
36 cfs | 1.6 ft |
|
Harvard Gulch At Harvard Park
USGS 06711575 |
1 cfs | 10.1 ft |
| Snotel Site | Snowpack | 24hr Change |
|---|---|---|
|
Loveland Basin
SNOTEL 602 |
1" | 1" |
|
Hoosier Pass
SNOTEL 531 |
1" | 0" |
|
Stillwater Creek
SNOTEL 793 |
1" | 1" |
|
Echo Lake
SNOTEL 936 |
1" | 0" |
|
Jackwhacker Gulch
SNOTEL 935 |
1" | 1" |
|
Lake Irene
SNOTEL 565 |
1" | 0" |
|
Never Summer
SNOTEL 1031 |
1" | 0" |
|
Rawah
SNOTEL 1032 |
6" | 0" |
|
Crow Creek
SNOTEL 1045 |
1" | 1" |
|
Black Mountain
SNOTEL 1161 |
1" | 1" |
|
Laprele Creek
SNOTEL 571 |
1" | 0" |
| Campground | Campsites | Reservations | Toilets | Showers | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narrows | 5 | 6,470 ft | |||
| Jacks Gulch | 56 | 8,100 ft | |||
| Hermit Park Open Space | None | 8,313 ft | |||
| Longs Peak - Rocky Mountain National Park | 26 | 9,397 ft | |||
| Marys Lake - USBR | 270 | 8,032 ft | |||
| West Lake | 36 | 8,254 ft | |||
| Dutch George | 20 | 6,520 ft | |||
| Olive Ridge | 56 | 8,361 ft | |||
| Dowdy Lake | 70 | 8,176 ft | |||
| Lower Narrows | 8 | 6,470 ft | |||
| Ansel Watrous | 16 | 5,839 ft | |||
| Peaceful Valley | 17 | 8,552 ft | |||
| Mountain Park | 54 | 6,678 ft | |||
| Vedauwoo | 28 | 8,288 ft | |||
| Stove Prairie | 9 | 6,068 ft | |||
| Meeker Park Overflow | 29 | 8,611 ft | |||
| Kelly Flats | 29 | 6,751 ft |
| Ski Area | Snowpack | Air Temperature | 5 Day Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ski Estes Park (Hidden Valley) | -1" | 65° | 0" |
| Eldora Mountain Resort | -1" | 66° | 0" |
| River Run | Streamflow | Length | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper South Boulder Creek | 26.6cfs | None Mi | V+ |
| October Hole | 17.4cfs | None Mi | II |
| Middle Narrows | 76.7cfs | 1.0 Mi | IV to V- |
| Steven's Gulch to Bridges Take Out | 76.7cfs | 12.0 Mi | III- to IV+ |
| Lower Narrows | 76.7cfs | 0.5 Mi | V- to V+ |
| Rustic (Upper) | 76.7cfs | 20.0 Mi | III to III+ |
| Upper South Boulder Creek | 26.6cfs | None Mi | V+ |
| Upper North Fork | 66.2cfs | 9.0 Mi | IV+ to V- |
| Filter Plant | 2.85cfs | None Mi | II to III+ |
| Gnar Section | 588.0cfs | 1.0 Mi | V+ |
| Upper Narrows | 76.7cfs | 0.5 Mi | V- to V+ |
| Lower North Fork | 76.7cfs | 11.0 Mi | III |
| Main Section | 7.98cfs | 3.0 Mi | IV+ to V |
| NSV | 17.4cfs | 13.0 Mi | V+ |
| Lower Boulder Canyon | 13.7cfs | None Mi | IV- to V- |
| Filter Plant | 2.85cfs | None Mi | II to III+ |
| SSV - Confluence to Picnic Grounds | 17.4cfs | 5.0 Mi | V to V+ |