Royal Gorge
| Run Length |
9 miles |
Average Gradient |
46 fpm |
| Difficulty |
Class IV |
Recommended Flow |
600-350 cfs |
| River |
Arkansas River |
Location |
Canon City, Colorado |
| Author |
|
Current Level |
|
| Drainage |
Arkansas |
Elevation |
5735ft to 5335ft |
|
| |
Royal Gorge 350 cfs 4.15.2007
Paddler:Brian Conaghan
Photographer:Crazy Joe Kinney
The Royal Gorge is a beautiful run through a deep river gorge. This run consists of mostly class III with some class IVs at higher water. At higher flows, the Gorge gets more swirlies, bigger holes and some great play waves. Swims can become portracted. Sunshine rapid is the gorge's most difficult rapid located about a quarter of the way in. Scout or portage river right. Typically runs May to August.
This run is considered one of the Arkansas classics, however there is a good chance you will be run over bye a commerical raft. Rafts stack up every 50 feet during prime time.
Flow Information:
- Low: 600-1200 cfs
- Med: 1200-2700 cfs
- High: 2700 cfs and upp
Difficulty Information:
- III < 2700 cfs
- IV+ > 2700 cfs
Check out this great video from Chris Brobin from the Pikes Peak Whitewater Club: Big water year 2008, 4,200 cfs.
Big thanks to CW for being our partner for the EddyFlower Vertical Challenge.
Disclaimer
|
|
| | Put-In
The put-in is two miles west of Parkdale bridge on the north side of Highway 50 (mile 93.5). | | | Sunshine Class IV-
Sunshine Rapid is the first significant drop on this run and is typically considered the hardest rapid in the gorge. You will know you’re close when you see a horizon with a long manmade concrete bank on the river left. The only major obstacle in this rapid is a big river left hole ¾ of the way through the rapid. There is a huge river right eddy / beach that offers easy scout access. The entrance to this rapid has two options. The left line is pretty straightforward at most flows and is usually just a big off set wave/hole type thing that can be punched with a lot of speed. The right does not require as much brute force as the left, but can be more technical. Regardless of your line in the entrance, you have plenty of time to get river right, which is where most enter the main section of this rapid. Start far river right and then driving left. Despite what raft guides tell their customers, this rapid is not that bad and tends to boat much easier than it looks, especially for newbies | | | Sledge Hammer Class IV-
Sledge Hammer comes very soon after Sunshine and has a long mellow pool above with plenty of eddy opportunities on river left. Just be careful scouting on the RR tracks as the train comes through on a regular basis. This rapid really has two sections. The first consists of a big entrance wave followed by some breaking waves and a couple of small holes. This is followed by slack water, which gives you more than enough time to make sure you are river left, as you definitely want to avoid a nasty hole at the bottom on the right. The name of this hole escapes me at the moment, but it deserves respect. This rapid only gets more fun with more water. Keep in mind that the portage has class VI consequence, you may want to consider running this even if you're feeling a bit sqeemish. | | | Wall Slammer Class IV-
Wall Slammer is the last significant rapid. Scouting this rapid has two drawbacks, one it’s difficult with limited eddy opportunity, and two, you end up climbing out of your boat in front of a gaggle of waving tourists that want your autograph. If you decide to scout, it’s river left just under the bridge. I don’t really recall a specific line. You just have to keep driving left to avoid slamming into the river right wall. A bad line here, which is common, isn’t catastrophic, but it usually means getting rolled against the wall. At common flows (1000 – 2000) there is a small hole just before the wall, that rests pretty much right in the center. It won’t stop you, but it has the potential to push you off line just enough to send you into the wall. Like every other feature on this run, this rapid sounds and looks worse than it really is. | | | BoatEater Class IV+
This is the last major rapid (at higher waters,) its just after Wall Slammer. A bus-eating sized hole develops on river left as the water rises, with a real fun wavetrain leading right into the meat of it. As you see the river turn left after a short straight-away, the run is on the right...
(Again, that's a high water line...) | | | The Narrows Class IV+
The Narrows is a long straight-forward line with a few moments of potential uncertainty. This is the narrowest part of the Gorge and constriction features amplify all flows. It begins with a hole in the center that can be managed a number of ways (the funnest of which is to run it). A bit further downstream are a series of off-set laterals which can really get helmets clacking and upset unprepared loads. These moves take you into "Squeezebox", a constriction wavetrain that unloads into a nice munchy hole at the bottom. There are steel I-Beams on the left bank that protrude precisely at the hole at lower flows. At higher flows Squeezebox can, by the slightest of margins, be skirted on the right against the wall. You are now headed into the bottom drop of the rapid, "The Dogpile" aka "Superman". There is a large pourover at the top-center. Almost all boats go left of this setting up early coming out of Squeezebox from right to left. There is a curious rock in this fast current converging on the left. "Superman Rock" has made a legend out of bucking guides sky-high. Medium to High flows allow you to run right or left of Superman with lower flows forcing you to the left of it. At the right of this drop ia a little 1,000 ft. wall you can splat at lower flows (Dogpile). All of this culminates at the "Fishbowl", a deep swirling eddy fence lined with those Steel I-Beams on the left bank. All steel on river-left plays in the Narrows at low flows. At Higher flows the wavetrain at the Fishbowl threatens to scratch some helmets on the "Hanging Bridge". Come out of this rapid with right to left momentum and a left attitude to set up for "Wall Slammer". By the way, "Look up!".
| | | "Carnage in the Gorge" Sunshine Swim Video Class III+
| | | .. Class III+
| | | Take-Out
To get to the take-out follow Highway 50 into Canon City, turn south on Fourth Street, cross the river, turn right into Centennial park. |
Add Rapid
|
|
