Arkansas
09. Pinnacle Rock Launch to Parkdale Launch(Pinnacle Rock)
| Difficulty | III |
| Length | 17.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 33 fpm |
| Gauge | Arkansas River at Parkdale, Co. |
| Flow Rate as of 33 minutes | 341 cfslow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 25, 2021 |
River Description
Description: This run which is located approximtely 40 miles downstream of Salida parallels Highway 50 for its entire length. Much of the run can be seen from the road.
Logisitics: The put-in for this section at Pinnacle Rock is located at Highway 50 mile 258.2. The take-out, which is also the put-in for the popular Royal Gorge section, is located at Highway 50 mile 266.6. Spike Buck is an intermediate access point about a third of the way through the run.
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.
See also Pinecreek (Class IV/V),
The Numbers (Class IV),
Fractions/ Frogrock (Class III),
Buena Vista (Class III),
Browns Canyon (Class III),
Salida (Class III),
Rincon (Class III),
Pinnacle Rock (Class III),
Royal Gorge (Class III/IV).
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportNot a TR, just comments.
1. This is just under 9 miles, not 17.2 as entered. The Google map mileage for this route is broken right now. You can work around Google's weirdness with some creativity to see a closer distance approximation.
2. There are at least 2 significant rapids from what I've read and found on Youtube. 3 Rocks (III/IV) and Spike Buck (III/IV). Both see regular swimmers from rafting parties.
3. 3 Rocks is mostly a pool drop.
4. Spike Buck is ~1/4 mile long and technical at most water levels. You would not want to swim if you could help it. It begins just below the optional put-in/takeout of Spike Buck Recreation Site, which is about 4 miles below Pinnacle Rock.
I have run this section a few times now and the most significant rapid in this section is called Three Rocks. It is located at UTM: 455939, 4256490. There is a turnout on Hwy 50 that provides a perfect viewpoint of the rapid before you run it. At high water >4,000 cfs, the easiest route is to stay river left all the way through, starting about 1/4 mile upstream. At around 2,000 cfs, the best route is to start river left, then just as you pass a large wave in the center (in line with a large pine tree river left), follow the current to river right and go between the center and right rocks of Three Rocks. At lower levels, around 1,000 cfs it is the same route as 2,000 cfs, but is a little trickier because of all the exposed rocks - read and run.