South Platte

08. 74th to 104th

Difficulty	I(II)
Length	5.4 mi
Avg Gradient	n/a
Permit	No Permits Required
Reach Info Last Updated	December 21, 2023

River Description

A nice urban stream with tons of birds in the winter and reasonable flow all year. A couple boat chutes, including Dave's Wave above 88th, add some excitement.

Hazard note, the dam for the Fulton Ditch is usually passable even at low water but the runout is very rocky and you don't want to get sideways as there is some pin potential and the rocks are very sharp. Portaging on the left is possible but please be respectful of private land.

River Features

No river features have been added

Trip Reports

Early Spring run - Kevin Brown

May 12, 2025

Fun in-city stretch of river. Easy to put in at '1st Golden Spot' and take out at Valente Lake, though it is about a quarter mile from the takeout and the parking lot. In general, at this flow I completely agree with the description, but the drop plus rock field on the dam was completely impassible. Recommend at least scouting it if you are thinking about running it, but it was also pretty easy to portage on the left. Image is of a boat chute right at the put-in.