Alamosa River, Colorado

The Alamosa River forms high in the mountains of Central Colorado just northeast of Pagosa Springs and south of South Fork at an elevation of about 10,457 feet above sea level and then flows northeast before turning southeast and flowing into the Rio Grande in the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge just north of the Alamosa-Conejos County Line. Its total length is about 64 miles through the San Luis Valley, almost all of which is about as scenic as you could ever want. The area is densely forested mountains surrounding a river valley where access roads, especially near the top, are few, and where nature runs its course. The one negative is that the area is also home to former mining operations for gold, silver and other minerals that left behind immense pollution of the river and surrounding land areas. But, acidic water did not entirely come from human operations - the area is rich in ores and minerals that are heavily acidic as evidenced by the names of nearby creeks like Alum Creek, Iron Creek and Bitter creek, just to name three. So, even though the water is pretty and the river valley is Class A scenery the water quality leaves a lot to be desired. It does, however, have one trait that is not common in Colorado - its waters often flow into August giving it a much longer season than is typical of the Centennial State.

Alamosa and Conejos Counties

Durango miles; Denver miles; Grand Junction miles; Santa Fe miles; Albuquerque miles; Phoenix miles; Salt Lake City miles; El Paso miles; Dallas miles; Austin miles; San Antonio miles; Houston miles; Oklahoma City miles; Little Rock miles; Kansas City miles. (All distances are approximate, and depend upon starting point, destination point on the river and route taken.)

There are no known liveries or outfitters operating along the Alamosa River in Colorado. Be prepared to set up and run your own shuttles.