| Difficulty | III-IV(V+) |
| Length | 7.5 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 62 fpm |
| Gauge | South Platte River Near Lake George, Co. |
| Flow Rate as of 9 hours | 95 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | August 7, 2026 |
Elevenmile is a rare dam release treat that can either be a nice Class III/IV- trip that is nice for intermediate boaters, or for advanced boaters: run the massive Class V+ rapids right above and below the Class III+/IV- section and then swap out for your slice boat for the III/IV-.
The III+/IV- has granite, a few bedrock rapids too, all in a non-threatening atmosphere. There are lots of fun moves, boofs, and a few splats. Similar difficulty to Foxton. Some rapids are the continuous Colorado style you know and love, but most stuff is pool drop. There are many rapids but they are spaced out by a bit. There is a Class I dirt road alongside the entire run, there will be a lot of fisherman in this stretch. You do have to pay a fee to enter and they usually only seem to take cash.
This dam is stingy with water and this run is not often in, but it does sometimes run in August after the snow melt is over. Most people run it at low water because it is rare to even see medium flows. It probably won’t be super deep in a few places.
We will describe the two Class V+ rapids at the end of this page, for now the Class III+/IV- :
Put in below the first Class V+, it is obvious. There are a few pull offs here. It is a short walk down the bank to the river, but the only trails are unofficial and poor quality ones made by fisherman.
You have a decent amount of generally read-and-run class III creeking to warm up on. Hit some splats, catch some eddies, and have fun!
The first Class IV rapid comes a mile after the putin. It starts after a large totally flat pool as the river pinches between the road and a granite cliff on the river left. This is Black Hole. Scout from the river right. It is a flume into a somewhat sticky hole. You have a nice recovery pool after. Watch out for Black Hole at high water, as it has come close to drowning people.
Back to the read-and-run Class II/III.
You will come to a Class IV- rapid with a giant ve
...Start here, above Big Bang (V+) if you plan to run it.
The first Class V rapid, Big Bang, is long and technical. Beware of the highly technical slot, followed by a nasty hole at the bottom. Non-Class V boaters should put in below this rapid for the Class IV section. Big Bang is easily scoutable from river right on the drive up to the upper put in.
Use the unofficial short trail to the river to skip the Class V+ Big Bang.
Scout from the river right. It is a flume into a somewhat sticky hole. You have a nice recovery pool after. Watch out for Black Hole at high water, as it has come close to drowning people.
The last class V+ called Supernova is one of the steeper roadside rapids you are likely to encounter. It is a stacked series of boofs and continuous whitewater that goes on for a while. If you are going to run this you don’t need beta, scouting from the road is easy. It is one of the coolest single rapids in the state.
Jul 7, 2013
Bottom of the first V
7/2/2013 - 270 cfs