06/08/2026
How is the water this year? We hear this one all the time, especially in this year of unprecedented drought. Here is a quick update on the rivers around the North Fork Valley:
Anthracite Creek - Runoff has ended. Too low to raft
North Fork - Runoff has ended. Too low to raft
Gunnison River - Dam release. Good summertime flows for rafting, kayaking, and SUP
Spring runoff is over, our tributary rivers and creeks have subsided to normal summertime flow rates which are too low for boating. This was the shortest rafting season on the North Fork of the Gunnison that we have ever seen. In an average year we expect 6-8 weeks of boatable flow. This year the North Fork had only 10-days of flows above 500 CFS, which is our minimum flow for rafting. The drought year of 2018 was a close second. 2018 had just 3 weeks of boating flows on the North Fork.
The Gunnison River is a very different story for one big reason. Dams. Three reservoirs, Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal collect water in the upper reaches of the Gunnison River. These reservoirs are mandated to release water through Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nation Park 365 days a year. This guarantees enough water for rafting on the Gunnison every day of the year. Ironically, in a drought year like this one, these dams release extra water, above and beyond required flows for the Black Canyon Water Right. This is because of endangered fish in the lower Gunnison River near Grand Junction. When tributary river such as the North Fork and Uncompahgre are low, more water must be released from the reservoirs to maintain adequate fish habitat.
All this to explain why the Gunnison River stays clear and cool all summer, when other rivers in Colorado do not. We will continue to offer rafting, SUP and kayak trip s in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area through the month of September.
