The Rio Grande, or Rio Bravo del Norte, as it is known in Mexico, flows from its headwaters near Alamosa, Colorado, through New Mexico and down the Texas-Mexico border through Big Bend to Brownsville and the Gulf of Mexico. At its headwaters the Rio Grande forms as two forks, the mainstream flowing out from above Rio Grande Reservoir and the North Fork, which flows souteastward from Continential Reservoir to the north of the mainstream. The North Fork has a total length of only about 8 miles, but it is a short run of immense natural beauty and moderate whitewater just up SH 149 from the RD 520 turnoff to the mainstream near Rio Grande Reservoir.
The North Fork of the Rio Grande depends upon dam releases of snowmelt water from Continental Reservoir for navigable flows. With a normal or heavier winter snowpack navigable flows may be found in May and June, but usually not at other times. This river is quite remote, and the entire 8 miles cannot be run unless one is to continue about 12 miles down the mainstream to Marshall Park Campground, making it a 20-mile trip. Otherwise, access limits distance to about 5 miles. SH 149 is never far away, though usually out of sight and hearing. Runs start at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet msl, so paddlers and campers can expect chilly weather most of the time, and water temperatures will always be cold. The area is drop-dead gorgeous, so be sure to take your camera to this Rio Grande National Forest stream.
Hinsdale and Mineral Counties of southwestern Colorado, far removed from any major population centers. The Lake Fork and Cebolla Creek tributaries to the Gunnison River have their headwaters just a few miles north of this run. The Piedra, San Juan, Los Pinos, Florida and Animas Rivers all have their headwaters a few miles to the south.
Durango 150 miles; Denver 330 miles; Grand Junction 320 miles; Santa Fe 232 miles; Albuquerque 293 miles; Phoenix 751 miles; Salt Lake City 605 miles; El Paso 559 miles; Dallas 961 miles; Austin 996 miles; San Antonio 1,023 miles; Houston 1,146 miles; Oklahoma City 955 miles; Little Rock 1,271 miles; Kansas City 936 miles. (All distances are approximate, and depend upon starting point, destination point on the river and route taken.)
Water quality is excellent, flowing clean, clear and cold from Continental Reservoir and mountain snowmelt runoff. Navigable flows are usually not found other than in late-spring and early summer, depending upon dam releases at the lake.
Typically, May and June are the best time to run the Upper Rio Grande. There are no USGS gauges for this run.
There are no major hazards on this reach, which flows as a Class II to III stream with boulder garden rapids having normally easy lines, though the river does get more technical at higher flows. Intermediate level whitewater skills and swiftwater rescue training would be beneficial on this run because of its remoteness. Paddlers should be adequately prepared for cold water conditions.
South Clear Creek Campground (USFS) off SH 149 below Continental Reservoir at 0.0 miles; RD 520 at SH 149 at about 5.0 miles; Marshall Park, on the Rio Grande about 12 miles below the confluence, at about 20.0 miles. There are no other access points for the North Fork.
South Clear Creek Campground (USFS) off SH 149 below Continental Reservoir, offers primitive campsites and river access; Marshall Park (USFS), off SH 149 southwest of Crede, offers primitive campsites and river access. Other USFS campgrounds nearby, but not along the river, include Lost Trail (above Rio Grande Reservoir) and Thirty Mile (on the west bank of Rio Grande Reservoir) and River Hill Campground on the Rio grande mainstream, Palisade, located along SH 149 near the river southeast of Crede between Wagon Wheel Gap and Masonic Park and a half dozen other campgrounds along US Highway 160 between Pagosa Springs and SH 149 southeast of Masonic Park.
There are no known liveries or outfitters operating along the North Fork of the Rio Grande in Colorado. Be prepared to set up and run your own shuttles.
Like the mainstream of the river, the North Fork offers a moderate whitewater run of incredible natural beauty and scenery far away from crowds and signs of civilization. Limited to a snowmelt season of about two months in late spring and early summer, the North Fork is a roadside run where paddlers will find solitude, scenery, remote wilderness, but probably no other paddlers and even few campers at the USFS campgrounds high in the San Juan Mountains of Rio Grande National Forest. Limited access provides for a short run of about 5 miles, or a longer run of about 20 miles that ends at Marshall Park on the mainstream of the Rio Grande about twelve miles below the confluence. It is important to dress for cold water conditions to avoid hypothermia, and campers will find very cool to cold nighttime temperatures.
