North Platte

Mike in the Ditch Pickle 7/2/16

I have run this river at many different flows--from 350 cfs (not recommended in a raft) to 4700 cfs. Low flows (~500 cfs at Northgate Gage ) in small boats can be a lot of fun, although technical, and the fishing and weather are usually good that time of year (late June and July). Sometimes we will do 3-day trips and take our time fishing and hiking travelling to Pickeroon. The river is accessible on the west side of the river at Pickeroon, but it is a high clearance 4WD road, and not good if it is wet or has snow.

High flows above 3,000 can be very PUSHY, with few eddies and no way to scout rapids in rafts. Kayaks are easier but can still be pushy at flows > 3,000. There are several places to camp in the main canyon above Narrow Falls and a lot places to camp downstream of 6-mile. At flows > 1,000 cfs it is easy to make a 3-day trip going from put-in in Colorado to Saratoga, and there is a NICE hotsprings in Saratoga (free). Fishing can be outstanding. If you have small kids or people that don't want to run the bigger whitewater, they can hike in 0.25 mile at 6-mile on the first day and join you for the rest of the trip. This is a nice multi-day trip without need for permit or the crowds.

If you travel down below Pickeroon make sure you know the land ownership and have a good map. There is private land down there and they are not happy with people trespassing, which includes wading and getting out to take a leak. A good map is available at fishing stores and maybe the convenience stores in Saratoga or Laramie.

Great Fishing in Canyon, and great camping in remote area. Can go all the way to Saratoga.

Low flow in Northgate Canyon--do not take larger boats at 500cfs.

Nrothgate Canyon at the beginning of rapids. A great level for camping and fishing with little boats.

Very Technical at low flows, but still runnable. Do not run at this flow with rafts > 10 feet.

There is no level where this stretch moves into the class V range although above 3k cfs it becomes more class IV. The ten mile stretch from the Routt access to Six mile gap has all the big rapids. Above Stovepipe rapid we call Tootsie Roll rapid which has the largest holes at high water. It requires moving around as you run through but you definitely want to miss the holes center left and far left. Above 2k cfs there is a right side run at Narrow Falls which keeps you away from the wall and the lower left holes, so a bit of a sneak. This is a good wilderness day run with no permit although not continuous action if you require it.

Left center run Narrow Falls

Right side run

The information on this page appears to describe 'Upper' Northgate Canyon reach from the Routt put-in in Colorado to 6 Mile Gap take-out in Wyoming (approximately 10 miles). The 'Lower' Canyon reach has fewer rapids but great scenery; take-outs for this stretch include: Pickroon, Big Creek, and Bennet Peak.