Colorado | East River / Gunnison County
East River
Crested Butte South to Almont
Check current paddling conditions for this East 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 guarded Lower East Class I–III run with direct 09112200 discharge, 800 cfs minimum-only planning, optional Roaring Judy exit, increasing wood toward Almont, sensitive CB South access, and a mandatory Almont exit.
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
Crested Butte South wastewater-treatment-plant accessAmerican Whitewater identifies the CB South wastewater-treatment plant as the put-in but says access has been sensitive. Confirm current permission, signage, parking, landing, and operator restrictions before launching.
Take-out
Almont River Access AreaThe Roaring Judy fish hatchery is an optional exit around 7.5 miles; the selected endpoint is the Almont access area near the Taylor/East confluence. Verify the landing and exit in person.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- American Whitewater identifies the CB South wastewater-treatment plant as the put-in but says access has been sensitive. Confirm current permission, signage, parking, landing, and operator restrictions before launching.
- The Roaring Judy fish hatchery is an optional exit around 7.5 miles; the selected endpoint is the Almont access area near the Taylor/East confluence. Verify the landing and exit in person.
- The entire run is surrounded by private property according to American Whitewater. Do not use unverified shorelines, cross fences, or continue downstream without a separate lawful access plan.
- If wood, barbed wire, low bridges, closure signs, unsafe landing, or unclear permission blocks either endpoint, the route is unavailable. Use a separately verified campground or lodging reservation.
Watch for
- USGS 09112200 below 800 cfs, rapidly changing, unavailable, or inconsistent with the physical river; 800–3000 cfs is planning context, not a safe-runnable certification
- wood increasing toward Almont, strainers, barbed wire, low bridges, wave trains, cold water, private banks, and limited recovery
- CB South treatment-plant permission, optional Roaring Judy exit, Taylor/East confluence, and failure to exit at Almont
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.
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 | East River below Cement Creek near Crested Butte, 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 | 800 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 | American Whitewater Lower East 800–3000 cfs planning band, with 1350 cfs local run context and low-bridge caution above approximately 1800 cfs |
| 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 Lower East corridorCrested Butte South to Almont; approximately 11.6–12 miles; Class I–III
American Whitewater names the Lower East run, the endpoints, the optional Roaring Judy exit, and the Class I–III character.
- Direct live gauge and flow gateUSGS 09112200; 800 cfs minimum-only planning floor and 800–3000 cfs preferred context
USGS provides direct discharge telemetry below Cement Creek. American Whitewater embeds the 800–3000 cfs planning band; use bridge and wood observations to override any numeric plan.
- Endpoint accessCB South treatment-plant access to Almont River Access Area, with optional Roaring Judy exit
American Whitewater provides the named access records and local reporting documents conditional CB South watercraft access. Reconfirm current permission, parking, landing, signage, and fish-hatchery/private-property restrictions.
- Safety boundaryWood, barbed wire, low bridges, private banks, and mandatory Almont exit
American Whitewater reports increasing wood toward Almont, historical barbed-wire concerns, low bridges at higher water, sensitive access, and private property along the run.
- Camping and logisticsNearby developed campground/basecamp only; no on-route camping
No route-specific riverside camping is established. Use a separately verified lawful basecamp or lodging and obey current landowner, Forest Service, and facility restrictions.
- Rights-clean image decisionApproved USGS public-domain East River corridor image from nearby 09110500 site
Use the USGS image as nearby East River corridor context, not as a claim that it depicts this exact gauge or endpoint; retain USGS credit.
- Duplicate separationDistinct East River 09112200 corridor, separate from Taylor River 09109000/09110000 routes
This route follows East River from CB South to Almont and uses the East River gauge; it is not a duplicate of either Taylor River route despite the shared final confluence area.
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
East River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling East River?
Paddle Today watches East River below Cement Creek near Crested Butte, CO and uses 800 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this East River route start and end?
This route starts at Crested Butte South wastewater-treatment-plant access and ends at Almont River Access Area, about Approximately 12 river miles from CB South to Almont, with an optional Roaring Judy exit around 7.5 miles on the water.
Is this East 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.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.