The Arkansas River (or Kicka, as it was known to the Pawnee Nation), sourcing near Leadville, Colorado, flows 1,469 miles across Colorado, Kansas, Northeastern Oklahoma and Arkansas to the confluence of the Mississippi River about 600 miles north of New Orleans. In Colorado, the Arkansas River flows through Lake, Chaffee, Fremont and Pueblo Counties between Leadville and Pueblo Reservoir dropping some 10,000 feet in about 125 miles. It is a cross-section of other Colorado rivers, ranging in difficulty from easy Class I / II to very technical Class V/VI drops, though most of the river is rated in the range from Class III to IV. The water is cold, the ride is wild and the grandient in the channel is steep. The "flattest" sections are below Salida, with a gradient of 23 feet per mile (FPM) or below Canon City on a gradient of less than 16 FPM, and the steepest section is "The Numbers", with a gradient of 71 FPM.

The reaches between Granite and Canon City total about 102 miles, though the river can be paddled many miles above Granite and below Canon City. In fact, it is possible to go all the way to Pueblo Reservoir, though there are some man-made obstructions, detailed in the individual reach descriptions, to negotiate along the way. Numerous public access points and campgrounds along the way allow paddlers to plan trips of varying lengths and sections, taking into account the varying difficulty of the different reaches described herein. In addition to the ten sections described, the Arkansas River offers several runs on feeder creeks that provide some really hairy rides. Most of the creek runs are best left to expert kayakers in playboats or creek boats. The sections and creek runs are described individually at the links below.

Click the links below for information regarding the section of the Arkansas River and its tributaries where you want to paddle.

Arkansas River

[ Hayden Meadow to Granite ] [ Granite to Numbers Launch Site ] [ Numbers Launch Site to Railroad Bridge ]
[ Railroad Bridge to Buena Vista Baseball Field ] [ Buena Vista Town Run ] [ Fisherman's Bridge to Stone Bridge ]
[ Stone Bridge to Rincon ] [ Rincon to Pinnacle Rock ] [ Pinnacle Rock to Canon City ] [ Canon City to Pueblo Reservoir ]

Tributaries

[ Grape Creek ] [ Lake Creek ]