See all 2 routes on San Miguel River
Colorado | San Miguel River / Norwood
San Miguel River
Specie Creek to Beaver Creek (Lower San Miguel Canyon)
Check current paddling conditions for this San Miguel 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 9.3-mile Lower San Miguel Canyon run with direct 09172500 telemetry, station-linked 500–5,000 cfs guidance, public BLM boat launches, continuous Class II+/III water, and a day-use Upper Beaver take-out.
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
BLM Specie Creek Boat LaunchBLM documents Specie Creek as a public boat launch and day-use site. Confirm the M44 Road approach, current parking, landing, and day-use rules before unloading.
Take-out
BLM Upper Beaver Creek Recreation SiteBLM identifies Upper Beaver as a public boat-launch site with a restroom, cabanas, picnic tables, no fee, and day-use-only posture. The turn is easy to miss on Highway 145; verify the approach and vehicle staging before launch.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- BLM documents Specie Creek as a public boat launch and day-use site. Confirm the M44 Road approach, current parking, landing, and day-use rules before unloading.
- BLM identifies Upper Beaver as a public boat-launch site with a restroom, cabanas, picnic tables, no fee, and day-use-only posture. The turn is easy to miss on Highway 145; verify the approach and vehicle staging before launch.
- The endpoint coordinates are authoritative near-water access points from the AW route record and matching BLM site pages, but they are not a survey of the exact waterline or carry. Verify the physical ramp, current channel, parking, and private-property boundaries on arrival.
- Do not substitute Caddis Flats, Lower Beaver, private banks, or the downstream Beaver Creek-to-Pinon Bridge reach for the named endpoint pair. No endpoint overnight staging is assumed.
Watch for
- USGS 09172500 below 500 cfs, above 5,000 cfs, rapidly rising, unavailable, or inconsistent with the local river visual
- Continuous Class II/II+ current, Class III features, changing wood/strainers, cold water, bridge/channel hazards, and limited recovery
- BLM closures, fire restrictions, Highway 145 traffic, Specie Creek M44 Road conditions, the easy-to-miss Beaver Creek turn, private-property boundaries, and failure to take out at Upper Beaver
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 | San Miguel River near Placerville, 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 |
| Target band | 800 cfs to 2,000 cfs |
| Low threshold | 500 cfs |
| High threshold | 5,000 cfs |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Lower San Miguel Canyon 500 cfs minimum, 800–2,000 cfs optimal, 5,000 cfs maximum recommended |
| 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 corridorSpecie Creek to Beaver Creek, approximately 9.3 miles, Class II+(III) Lower San Miguel Canyon reach
American Whitewater names the distinct corridor, endpoint sequence, length, difficulty, and direct Placerville gauge relationship; its trip report confirms a Caddis/Specie-to-Beaver public-launch itinerary at 550 cfs.
- Direct live gauge and flow guidanceUSGS 09172500; 500 cfs minimum, 800–2,000 cfs optimal, 5,000 cfs maximum recommended
USGS identifies the direct San Miguel River near Placerville station. BoaterBeta pairs that station with the Lower San Miguel Canyon segment and publishes the route-specific flow bands.
- Endpoint access and coordinatesBLM Specie Creek Boat Launch 38.030917,-108.112915 to BLM Upper Beaver Creek Recreation Site 38.106897,-108.187138
BLM documents Specie Creek as a public boat launch/day-use site and Upper Beaver as a public boat-launch site with restroom, cabanas, picnic tables, no fee, and day-use posture; the AW endpoint coordinates match the BLM locations.
- Hazard and safety boundaryClass II+/III current, cold water, changing wood/brush, and mandatory Upper Beaver take-out
BLM identifies Class II+ to III boating on the San Miguel and warns of dangerous channel changes, dense trees, and brush; BLM and the route record establish Upper Beaver as the endpoint for this reach.
- Camping and logisticsNo endpoint camping; Specie Creek and Upper Beaver are day-use sites, with nearby BLM camping options at Caddis Flats/Lower Beaver
BLM publishes day-use rules for the launch sites and separately documents developed camping in the San Miguel corridor. Treat nearby campgrounds as separate reservations/availability decisions.
- Rights-clean image decisionApproved CC BY 4.0 Wikimedia Commons photograph of the nearby San Miguel River in Placerville
The selected photo is explicitly licensed CC BY 4.0, identifies its author, and is used as nearby San Miguel corridor context upstream of the Specie Creek launch. It is not a claim about the exact route channel, current ramp, or current hazard conditions.
- Duplicate separationDistinct Specie Creek-to-Beaver Creek Lower San Miguel Canyon corridor, separate from Down Valley Park-to-Specie Creek and Beaver Creek-to-Pinon Bridge
The route uses the named AW section, a dedicated endpoint pair, direct gauge relationship, and Upper Beaver boundary.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater Specie to Beaver
- USGS 09172500 monitoring location
- USGS 09172500 current conditions
- BLM Specie Creek Boat Launch
- BLM Upper Beaver Creek Recreation Site
- BLM Caddis Flats camping and boat launch
- BoaterBeta Lower San Miguel Canyon flow history
- BLM San Miguel boating hazard notice
- BLM San Miguel access/camping stipulations
- Wikimedia Commons San Miguel River photo
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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Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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Quick answers
San Miguel River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling San Miguel River?
Paddle Today watches San Miguel River near Placerville, CO and treats 800 cfs to 2,000 cfs as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this San Miguel River route start and end?
This route starts at BLM Specie Creek Boat Launch and ends at BLM Upper Beaver Creek Recreation Site, about Approximately 9.3 river miles on the water.
Is this San Miguel River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.