I have been rafting the Arkansas River since the 2000 season and have never seen it sustain such high flows for so many weeks.
Buena Vista, CO (PRWEB) August 02, 2011
River Runners, a Colorado whitewater rafting company on the Arkansas River with locations in Buena Vista and Canon City, has announced that it will offer whitewater rafting trips daily from both locations through September 5, 2011 (Labor Day).
Flows on the Arkansas River have dropped significantly since peak runoff, but still remain well above average for this time of year according to Travis Hochard, Operations Manager at River Runners.
“The flows are finally starting to drop as we enter August, but it has been an epic year for whitewater in Colorado and we expect that to continue into the fall rafting season,” Hochard said. “River Runners will stay open through Labor Day, but if business and water levels remain consistent, we could offer trips well into September.”
Current flows on the Arkansas River are 820 cfs in The Numbers; 993 cfs in Brown’s Canyon; and 1,030 cfs in Bighorn Sheep Canyon and the Royal Gorge.
“Around the third week of July we were finally able to run advanced whitewater rafting trips through Pine Creek, The Numbers and Royal Gorge after being closed out for most of the season,” Hochard said. “And with the moderate flows Bighorn Sheep Canyon and Browns Canyon are now appropriate for families with children as young as six years old.”
The Arkansas River remained above 3,000 cfs for more than a month in 2011 and peaked on June 30, at 4,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) in the Royal Gorge. This resulted in high water advisories on all advanced sections for nearly six weeks.
“I have been rafting the Arkansas River since the 2000 season and have never seen it sustain such high flows for so many weeks, “Hochard said. “We have seen higher peaks, but the water usually drops off significantly after two or three weeks. This year the water stayed really high for a couple of months, which kept us out of Pine Creek, The Numbers and The Royal Gorge for a large portion of the season. We are excited to finally be running trips through these advanced whitewater sections again.”
The 2011 Arkansas River basin snowpack melt-out date was June 30, according to the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), which is 10 days later than average.
The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA), a collaboration of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Colorado State Parks, manages the Arkansas River from Granite, Colorado through Canon City, Colorado. It recommends that commercial outfitters do not run advanced sections when the water is running above predetermined flows. These high water advisements are as follows: Pine Creek - 1,250 cubic feet per second (cfs); The Numbers – 2,400 (cfs); and Royal Gorge – 3,200 (cfs).
River Runners operates Colorado whitewater rafting trips on the Arkansas River from two locations – Buena Vista, Colo. and Canon City, Colo. To learn more about Colorado whitewater rafting adventures with River Runners log on to http://www.whitewater.net or call 1-800-723-8987.
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