South Platte

The review above is spot on - prefect for beginners, but realistically, TOO slow. The water levels were really low (day of float said 216cfs, but that was about as low as could be floated). We scraped bottom a number of times - nothing where we had to get out and portage, but still low enough that it was a hassle. To be truthful, at this level, it could be a class 1 all day long, barring the first five minutes into the trip. My wife (first time 'whitewater' kayaker) dumped before we were out of Veterans Park on a ~5 ft. drop - mostly my fault for not providing a proper 'block of instruction'. The rest of the day was 'lazy river' - even the dam (which was open) was uneventful. Higher waters would probably pose a risk where portage would be suggested, but we just floated right under the dam doors and scratched the dam door bottom only slightly. Overall, a good run for a true kayak 'virgin' but most people who have been on a kayak and can paddle fairly well will be looking for more. Overall trip time ~4 hours. Oh, almost forgot - the takeout section where it says to park is closed (no parking signs in a few places) - we went over the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a baseball field - there is a 'road' behind the fields that leads to river access - not a super clean takeout (vegetation, swampy areas) but you can park within 100 yards and takeout just the same - no issue, just be aware.