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Colorado | Upper Colorado River / Kremmling Field Office
Colorado River
Pumphouse Recreation Area to State Bridge Recreation Site
Check current paddling conditions for this Colorado 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 public BLM-to-BLM Upper Colorado reach with a 900 cfs minimum-only check at USGS 09058000, Class III hazards, designated Pumphouse camping, and a day-use State Bridge 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 Pumphouse Recreation Area Boat RampUse only the BLM Pumphouse and State Bridge sites as endpoints. Do not substitute private Rancho Del Rio access or an unmarked riverbank.
Take-out
BLM State Bridge Recreation Site boat launchPumphouse has multiple ramps and heavy use; State Bridge has paved and small-craft launches. Confirm the suitable launch and parking conditions on the day of travel.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Use only the BLM Pumphouse and State Bridge sites as endpoints. Do not substitute private Rancho Del Rio access or an unmarked riverbank.
- Pumphouse has multiple ramps and heavy use; State Bridge has paved and small-craft launches. Confirm the suitable launch and parking conditions on the day of travel.
- Pumphouse camping requires reservation/fee compliance, while State Bridge is day-use only. Keep camping and shuttle plans separate from the river-access decision.
- The 900 cfs value is a conservative low-acceptable planning floor, not a runnable guarantee or upper limit. Keep the route unavailable below that threshold and require current scouting and rescue readiness.
Watch for
- USGS 09058000 below 900 cfs, rapidly rising, unavailable, or inconsistent with the local river visual
- Eye of the Needle, Red Gorge, Yarmony, Boneyard, strainers, cold water, and State Bridge remnants
- Commercial traffic, limited cell service, fee/parking or road closures, private-bank temptation, and a failed daylight or rescue plan
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 | Colorado River near Kremmling, 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 | 900 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 | Pumphouse to State Bridge low-acceptable flow: 900 cfs at USGS 09058000 |
| 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 corridorUpper Colorado River Pumphouse to State Bridge; approximately 15 miles; Class III
BLM names the Pumphouse-to-State-Bridge public-use segment, and American Whitewater independently maps the exact reach as a 15-mile Class III run.
- Direct live gauge and flow gateUSGS 09058000; 900 cfs minimum-only
USGS provides direct Colorado River near Kremmling telemetry. The CWCB/AW flow evidence reproduces 900 cfs as the low-acceptable Pumphouse-to-State-Bridge flow; the route remains unavailable below that floor and does not claim runnable conditions above it.
- Lawful endpoint accessBLM Pumphouse Recreation Area to BLM State Bridge Recreation Site
Both endpoints are federal recreation sites with documented boat launches, parking, and visitor facilities. Pumphouse includes designated campsites; State Bridge is day use only.
- Safety boundaryExperienced Class III only; PFD/cold-water/rescue readiness; no runnable claim
American Whitewater rates the reach Class III and names rapids; BLM warns of dangerous rapids, heavy use, and site-specific access conditions. Scout and portage only from legal locations.
- Camping and feesDesignated Pumphouse camping; State Bridge day use only; federal fees
BLM requires camping and day-use fee compliance at the federal sites. No dispersed or private-bank camping is implied.
- Rights-clean image decisionApproved Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0 Upper Colorado context image
The selected image is Colorado Recreational River by Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management, licensed CC BY 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons. It is route-context imagery, not a claim that the frame depicts either endpoint; attribution and license link are retained.
- Duplicate separationDistinct Upper Colorado reach from Pumphouse to State Bridge
This Colorado route is separate from the existing Utah Colorado River Hittle Bottom-to-Takeout Beach route and all Texas Colorado River routes by state, endpoints, gauge, and river reach. It also ends at State Bridge rather than continuing to the downstream State Bridge-to-Catamount reach.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- BLM Pumphouse Recreation Area
- BLM State Bridge Recreation Site
- BLM Colorado River Headwaters Byway
- American Whitewater Pumphouse to State Bridge
- CWCB/AW flow evidence for Pumphouse to State Bridge
- USGS 09058000 monitoring location
- USGS 09058000 current conditions
- Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0 Upper Colorado image
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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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Colorado River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Colorado River?
Paddle Today watches Colorado River near Kremmling, CO and uses 900 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Colorado River route start and end?
This route starts at BLM Pumphouse Recreation Area Boat Ramp and ends at BLM State Bridge Recreation Site boat launch, about Approximately 15 river miles on the water.
Is this Colorado 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.