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Boulder Creek, South, CO

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4. Eldorado Canyon (Eldo)

Class V+
0.75 Miles
Avg Gradient 350 fpm
Max Gradient 350 fpm

Lower Harmon Falls


Lower Harmon Falls
Photo of Peter Roth by Brian Adkins taken 07/03 @ 130cfs



River Description

"Hidden in the foothills southwest of Boulder, is a jewel in the Colorado State Parks system, Eldorado Canyon". Unfortunately this means you have to pay $4 per vehicle to get in. If you are running the section above Eldo Canyon tell the ranger at the toll booth that you are running a shuttle and parking only one vehicle, they normally will allow you to pay for only one vehicle. If you are only running Eldo you will have to pay for every vehicle your party brings in.

Lower South Boulder Creek is very unique. The last mile of whitewater before the creek hits the dismall flatwater of the plains is as steep and continuous as the gnarliest stuff many miles upstream. That said, this is one of the most challenging creek runs in the area, and it has the advantage of being roadside. The run is 10 minutes from downtown Boulder and 30 to 45 minutes from most of the Denver area. Early in the spring this run has water before most others, and when the other creek runs in the area have enough water Eldo has too much. So it serves as an excellent early spring warm up. Although "warm-up" hardly does the run justice since it has a deserved reputation for carnage. Flows from 100-150 cfs are ideal, above that it starts getting scary real quickly. Lots of swims, injuries, broken and/or lost gear above 150.

See Colorado Rivers and Creeks II, by Banks and Eckardt (The Bible), for info on this and most of the other kewl runs of Colorado.

Lat/longitude coords are approximate, from TopoZone.

The various reaches of Boulder Creek,
Jasper Creek (Class V+/VI),
The Source (Class V),
Upper Boulder Canyon (Class V/V+),
Lower Boulder Canyon (Class IV),
Boulder Town Run (Class II/III),
North Fork Boulder (Class V+/VI),
Alto-Alto (Class IV),
Upper South Boulder (Class V+/VI),
Lower South Boulder (Class IV/V+/VI),
Eldorado Canyon (Class V+).


StreamTeam Status: verified
Last Updated: 2004-07-15 16:35:47