River Guide
Boulder Creek Boulder Canyon Tunnel to Slalom Course
Length of Trip: 3 milesGradient: 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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