Colorado River in Colorado

Trip Overview

This is a short "float" of about 10 miles within 2.5 hours of metro Denver. We put in at Alamo Creek and took out at Dotsero, where the Eagle river joins the Colo. At this time of year this was rated as a class I - II+ trip.

Finding a place to put in at Alamo can be a little tricky as much of it is private land. We were given permission by a land owner.

The portion above Alamo from the put in at "State Bridge" is rated as class III. We were floating a double Klepper (AE II) and wanted to keep it below class III.

It's a beautiful canyon trip with lots of bird watching opportunities. We cruised along for quite a while observing a Sandhill Crane. There's a great view from the road that allows a 3rd party observer (driver) to photograph you or just watch. We had a compliments from a complete stranger on the beauty of the perfect cadence of our paddling in the Klepper and the Sandhill Crane gliding along above us.

For shorter trips there's a put in/take out at Anderson Summer Camp at the halfway point. The take out point at Dotsero is ample for plenty of mustering. I haven't floated beyond Dotsero but the Rocky Mt. Sea Kayakers and the Colorado Canoe Association hold their annual race from here to Hanging Lake in the Glenwood Canyon. This is reputedly class I or less. This might be 7 or 8 miles.

Accommodations:

Camp Sites available at nearby Sweetwater Lake. Glenwood Springs, Edwards, Avon and Vail are all nearby with a huge range in accommodation ranges. Some National Forest locations nearby where undesignated site camping is permissible.

Fees:

None

Directions:

On US Interstate 70, get off on Colo. Exit 133. This is Dotsero. From here drive north on the county road along the Colo. River. For shorter trips, you can put in at Anderson Ranch, for longer Alamo, and for longer Class III, at State Bridge. The total trip from State Bridge, past Dotsero, on to Hanging Lake would be about 25 miles.