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River Guide
Boulder Creek Boulder Canyon Tunnel to Slalom Course
Length of Trip: 3
miles
Gradient: 145ft/mile
Difficulty: Class IV+ at 200-500 CFS
High Water Flows: May-June
Flow: Call Watertalk @ 831-7135,
Division 1, Station 9 for current river levels, in Boulder Canyon.
Water releases on the creek are controlled by computers,
so river flows will change dramatically.
Scenery:
B The city of Boulder has built a bike and pedestrian path along
the creek and the road follows the river.
Put-In: Drive up the canyon 4.6 miles from Arapahoe,
then turn left on a dirt road at mile marker 38 just before
the tunnel. Put in at the gauging station. The gauge should
read about 2.0 or better for the creek to be runable
Take-Out:
At or just upstream of Eben G Fine Park, the west side of Boulder,
at the mouth of Boulder Canyon where Arapahoe and Canyon meet
or you can continue through town.
Description: At the lower flows, this run is a technical
run with lots of rocks and eddies. At higher flows, 300+, there
are waves, holes and fast water. The first time you make this
run, consider the run an easy class V, (if there is such a thing
as an easy class V) as the speed of the water in the last rapid
will make the run seem harder than it is. The second time you
make the run, you will understand that the water is fast, but
the rapids are straight forward. Watch out for dead fall, branches,
and the culvert at the Red Lion. Run the left culvert of the
Red Lion bridge, if it is clear of debris. At high water, scout
this drop before you run, as eddies are lacking. The most difficult
rapid is 1/2 mile upstream from the intersection of Arapahoe
and Canyon. The river carves a left turn with large holes, waves
and rocks. The continousness makes it difficult to stop. Scout!
High water runs are rare on Boulder Creek, but if the water
is high, watch out for low water pipes. This run has fun little
micro eddies, waves and a few holes to play. It makes a great
after work run, especially since there is a better chance of
water releases on weekday evenings.
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