Arkansas
05. Fisherman's Bridge access to Stone Bridge access(Browns Canyon)
| Difficulty | III |
| Length | 13 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 31 fpm |
| Gauge | Arkansas River Near Nathrop, Co |
| Flow Rate as of 40 minutes | 291 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 22, 2025 |
Projects
Browns Canyon National Monument was designated in 2015 to protect one of Colorado’s most cherished stretches of river and surrounding public lands. Flowing between Buena Vista and Salida, the Arkansas River through Browns Canyon offers some of the most popular whitewater in the nation—combining exhilarating rapids with sweeping granite [...]Read More
River Description
Brown's Canyon is arguably the best Class III run in the state of Colorado. It is a beautiful little canyon with lots of smoothly rounded granite, on the hills and in the river too. The only sign of civilization is the railroad on river left.
Canyon Doors is one of the first rapids and is generally considered the best playspot on the run. At high water, around 3000 CFS, you have to surf it on the fly because there is no eddy.
The biggest rapid is Zoom Flume, about 1/2 way down the run, it kind of approaches Class IV in difficulty. At 1200 CFS it still has a big water feel with some swirlies to negotiate.
Browns Canyon run is very popular for commercial rafting. Avoid the weekends if you can, especially during peak tourist season.
To Get There: For the put-in at Fisherman's Bridge take Hwy 285 to mile 144.7 and turn east down to the river on County Road 301. Cross the bridge and make an immediate right to the public access downstream river left of the bridge.
For the take-out, return to Hwy 285 and head downstream/South. Your first option (generally used when flows are low or if you're looking to shorten the run) is Hecla Junction. The turn-off for this access is at HWY 285 mile 135.5 where a left on County Rd 194 takes you down to the public access on river right. For the alternate access that gives you a bit longer run, continue to Hwy 285 mile 133.9 and turn onto Hwy 291. Before you cross the river, turn Left onto County Hwy 191 and follow it to the Stone Bridge public access.
The State Parks system manages river access and requires a day-use fee. Check out The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) to take care of vehicle pass and daily fees.
Because this is a high use, high traffic area, Park Rangers are particularly aggressive when it comes to enforcing parking permits and fees.
...River Features
Fishermen’s Bridge Put-in
Take Hwy 285 to mile 144.7 and turn east down to the river on County Road 301. Cross the bridge and make an immediate right to the public access downstream river left of the bridge.
Ruby Mountain Campground Access
Canyon Doors
Fun breaking wave, best playspot in the canyon.
Pinball Rapid
A longer more technical rapid. Filled with boulders, named pinball as the route at low flow bounces back and forth from left to right and back several times.
Zoom Flume
The big one. There should be lots of activity on the banks to clue you that this rapid is just below. Big waves and pushy current, I do remember one rock in the middle to avoid.
Big Drop Rapid
Hecla Junction Campground Access
At Hwy 285 mile 135.4 turn on the road to this take-out. This access is an option at low water or at really high water when Stone Bridge has no clearance underneath.
Seidel's Suckhole
Big wave/hole at high water
Twin Falls Rapid
Stone Bridge Take Out
At Hwy 285 mile 133.9 turn east onto Hwy 291. Before you cross the river, turn left onto County Hwy 191 at mile 8.1 and follow it to the Stone Bridge public access. The access is on river right on the upstream side of the Highway 291 Bridge.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportUsing a packraft, this was a fun day! Started at Fisherman's Bridge and pulled out at Hecla. Went for a swim a couple times but that's more on me than anything. I'm a little new. But definitely still runnable this low, just a little bit of bumping across the bottom here and there.
For those confortable on standard front range class 2/3 runs (Clear Creek, Boulder, Lyons), this was pretty chill (at least for us in a packraft). Most rapids were more about navigating obstacles than handling big or challenging water. Zoom Flume was the only rapid before Hecla that felt bigger and worth scouting at this river level. V fun overall.
@725 update - also fun, zoom flume is still v pushy. For the suckhole, L to allllll the way R next to the rock or the pour over hydraulic flips packrafts. Twin falls - R of center to center. .
~3400cfs
Going down Zume Flume
Photo courtesy of and copyright by www.allaboutrivers.com.
Beautiful scenery, easy class 3 rapids.
Rocky pourovers on RR line
This drop resembles Corkscrew of the Chattooga and Tablesaw of the Ocoee