Colorado White water Rafting on the Arkansas River in June 2011
Submitted June 7, 2011 by Travis Hochard, Operations Manager/Head Boatman, River Runners
River Runners kicked off the 2011 Colorado white water rafting season more than a month ago and as of yesterday we had taken 1,783 people rafting down the Arkansas River. As the operations manager at River Runners I do not get on the river as much as I used to, but after many off-river projects, lots of paperwork and some river guide training, I finally guided my first commercial trip of 2011 last Friday through The Numbers (class IV) on the Arkansas River. The water level was around 1400 cubic feet per second (cfs), which is considered a moderate flow, but was extremely fun none the less. I guided two guys from Aspen, Colorado and two guys from England. They were all great paddlers and it was an awesome first commercial run of the season.
On Sunday, while I was enjoying my first day off in two weeks, our senior guide staff took six boats through The Numbers at (2360 cfs), which is right below the recommended commercial cut-off of 2400 cfs. As expected, all of our river guides ran clean lines with no swimmers.
Yesterday, another staff member (Zach) and I kayaked along with the 2:30 Browns Canyon Half Day (class III). The water level was at 2700 cfs, which is when the Arkansas River starts to take on a big water feel, but is still pretty forgiving through most of the rapids.
Today, the water level on the Upper Arkansas River is 3290 cfs and seems to be on the rise. As of this date June 7, 2011 – Pine Creek, The Numbers and the Royal Gorge sections of the Arkansas River are all closed to commercial rafting, but there is still plenty of excitement with the high water through Browns Canyon and Bighorn Sheep Canyon and plenty of other milder options for families rafting with younger children. There is plenty of snow in the high country, so we expect a long season and above average flows through June and the first part of July. All advanced sections will most likely reopen towards the end of June (call for updated information).
While we expect an excellent white water rafting season in 2011, the Arkansas River basin snow pack is not at the epic levels found in the river basins of northern Colorado like the Yampa River, Colorado River, Gunnison River, North Platte River and South Platte River systems. We do expect above average flows on the Arkansas River, but with more than 100 miles of river to choose from we should be able to accommodate both families and thrill seekers for most of the season. Call River Runners today for more details on current Arkansas River conditions and restrictions.
Don’t forget about our Riverside Grill. Now open daily through the end of the season.
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River Runners Rafting Buena Vista, Colorado