Colorado | Fort Collins / Cache la Poudre
Cache la Poudre River
Shields Street River Access to Legacy Park Bridge
Check current paddling conditions for this Cache la Poudre River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A public city-access Class II reach with no endpoint camping and a mandatory Legacy Park Bridge exit before downstream diversion hazards.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Shields Street River AccessUse only the named Shields Street public river access and Legacy Park Bridge/Legacy Park exit. Confirm the marked water entry and exit on site.
Take-out
Legacy Park Bridge take-outConfirm current hours, parking, construction, and temporary closures before launching.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Use only the named Shields Street public river access and Legacy Park Bridge/Legacy Park exit. Confirm the marked water entry and exit on site.
- Confirm current hours, parking, construction, and temporary closures before launching.
- Legacy Park is the end of this route. Lake Canal Dam and downstream low-head dams are outside the route and must not be approached.
Watch for
- USGS 06752260 below approximately 50 cfs, rapidly rising, unavailable, or inconsistent with the local visual check
- cold water, debris, engineered features, low-head dams, swimmers, and urban obstructions
- city closures, parking changes, thunderstorms, and failure to exit at Legacy Park Bridge
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
No approved route photos yet
Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Cache la Poudre River at Fort Collins, CO |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 50 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Fort Collins Poudre Play Park low-flow planning guidance: approximately 50 cfs minimum; 300 cfs generally preferred |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named public corridorShields Street River Access to Legacy Park Bridge, approximately 1.0–1.4 miles, Class II
American Whitewater names the Fort Collins Play Park reach and the City of Fort Collins identifies the public Shields Street and Legacy Park access context.
- Direct live gauge and flow guidanceUSGS 06752260; approximately 50 cfs conservative minimum planning floor
USGS supplies direct discharge telemetry. Recreational guidance is used as a planning aid only, not a guarantee of safe conditions.
- Lawful endpoint accessCity of Fort Collins Shields Street River Access to Legacy Park Bridge
Both endpoints are named city-managed public access locations with published coordinates and hours.
- Safety boundaryMandatory Legacy Park exit before Lake Canal Dam and downstream low-head dams
Fort Collins river-safety material explicitly identifies the downstream dam hazard and directs users to exit at Legacy Park.
- Camping and logisticsNo endpoint camping; short urban reach with public day-use access
The city endpoint pages establish day-use access and parking, not overnight camping. Keep lodging separate and lawful.
- Rights-clean image decisionApproved Wikimedia Commons Cache la Poudre context image used by the route gallery
The Wikimedia file is river-context imagery and must retain its Commons attribution/license terms; it is not presented as a precise endpoint photograph.
- Duplicate separationDistinct Fort Collins urban play reach
This corridor is separate from the Clear Creek routes and from North Fork Cache la Poudre reaches by river, endpoints, gauge, and hazard boundary.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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Quick answers
Cache la Poudre River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Cache la Poudre River?
Paddle Today watches Cache la Poudre River at Fort Collins, CO and uses 50 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Cache la Poudre River route start and end?
This route starts at Shields Street River Access and ends at Legacy Park Bridge take-out, about Approximately 1.0–1.4 river miles on the water.
Is this Cache la Poudre River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.