Eagle River
06. Edwards to Eagle(Lower Eagle)
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 15.8 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 36 fpm |
| Gauge | Eagle River Below Milk Creek Near Wolcott, Co |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 96 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | July 15, 2026 |
A bit easier and a bit less popular than the Upper Eagle just upstream, the Lower Eagle offers more Class II boating mixed with a few Class III rapids. At high flows, combining it with the Upper Eagle can put together 25 miles of fast moving whitewater.
Things start off below the put in at the Edwards Water Treatment Plan pretty characteristic for the run - Class II boulder gardens that move along fairly quickly.
Just below Wolcott, Trestle Rapid is the crux of the run. Riverside signs suggest a river-right scout, which is a good idea for most boaters since the rapid is hard to read from the water thanks to the railroad trestle. A twisting rapid through some offset holes is a solid Class III.
Things back down to Class II for a while, but below the I-70 bridge Interstate Rapid is also Class III. One more Class III, Dead Cow, is a fairly straightforward wave train with a hole lurking near the end. It can be scouted from a day use area on Hwy 6 near mile marker 154. Then, it's Class II water into Eagle, where boaters can decide to take out above or below the whitewater park.
Access: Put in at the Edwards Treatment Plant access point. Take out at Chambers Park or the Eagle Whitewater Park.
Alternative access point with a small ramp
May 26, 2021
We ran this late May 2021. Flow was right around 1000 cfs. Runnable but definitely scraped over more than a few rocks and got stuck a couple of times. I would recommend putting out just after the Eagle County Fairgrounds instead of the public park area.
Jun 4, 2012
We ran this section 3 June 2012 at about 1000 cfs in a 14' raft. It was our maiden voyage and we only had two paddlers and it was a perfect water level for us. We got hung up on a few rocks that we didn't see, but other than that it was great. The only significant rapid (Janet's?) is just downstream of the old train trestle (bridge) downstream from Wolcott. There are signs directing you to scout from river right. The run is through the right side of the bridge (right of the pylon in the middle) and then a move to the left after the bridge to avoid a rock wall and then a hole on the right.