Canoe Colorado
Performance Canoes and Sea Kayaks

Eagle River     Gypsum to Dotsero
   6 miles to Dotsero     class II     suitable for canoes and sea kayaks

The Eagle river begins in the mountains north of Leadville, Colorado. Near historic camp Hale. It flows over 60 miles before joining the Colorado River near Dotsero, CO. This section from Gypsum to Dotsero covers the last 6 miles of the river, one of it's easier sections. This is not a remote section of river. I-70 follows it's entire length, though it is not obtrusive. The section is class I with the exception of Lava Flow which is a mile long class II. There is no defined take out at Dotsero for the Eagle River section. We suggest taking out on the Colorado River at Blair Ranch, 5.75 miles further downstream.

Eagle to Gypsum
Gypsum to Dotsero   6 miles   class II
Dotsero to Blair Ranch   5.75 miles   class I

Gypsum to Dotsero

Distance - 6 miles
Difficulty - class I+ (II)
Paddling Time**  3:45 at 1,200 cfs*

Paddling Season:
The Eagle river is a spring runoff trip, with a short April - July season. We paddled the river at over 1000 cfs, which was pushy but enough to cover the rocks. At lower water levels the river will be slower, and more rocks will be exposed.

Type of Craft:
Canoes and Sea Kayaks

How to get there:
Gypsum is located west of Denver on I-70, exit 140. The put-in is located at a BLM campground a mile west of town on the I-70 frontage road. Take the frontage road west from Gypsum until the houses end, and there will be a nice campground at the edge of a neighborhood. There is no good take-out for the Eagle river at Dotsero, since the boat ramp is almost a mile upstream. We suggest paddling the additional 5.75 miles of class I on the Colorado River to the Blair Ranch Rest Area on I-70 exit 128.

Paddling Conditions:
The river below Gypsum fluctuates between small rapids and slack water above larger rapids. The river moves very fast, as it twists and winds its way to the Colorado. There are several nice class I rapids before encountering Lava Flow (class II). Lava Flow is an S shaped rock garden which continued for two corners. It is best scouted from the railroad tracks on river left, the very upper section can be scouted from the lava field on river right (private property). Upstream winds are common in the afternoon, making this a good morning paddle.
 

Hazards:
We did not encounter any sweepers, strainers, fences or dams on this section. The only hazards would be the rapids and rocks in the river.

The confluence of the Eagle and Colorado

Private Property:
The river between Gypsum and Dotsero flows through private property.

Camping:
Camping is available at the put-in, it is a BLM fee area charging $10 per day for 2 cars, 2 tents, and up to 5 people per site. It is possible to camp right on the river. Highway noise is the only downside to the campsite, it is also a popular spot which may be crowded in summer. There is no camping along the river.

GPS Coordinates:
Gypsum put-in  N 39 39.209'   W 106 58.601'
Confluence with Eagle and Colorado (Dotsero)   N 39 38.772'   W 107 3.423'
Blair Ranch take-out   N 39 36.898'  W 107 8.123'

Maps:
USGS 7.5 min quads

Gypsum
Dotsero
 

The following map was created using National Geographic TOPO! Colorado software which offers complete 7.5 min maps for the entire state of Colorado.

Trip Photos:

These pictures were taken on a May 15, 2004 trip. Trip participants include Eric Nyre, Jesse Souza, Brian Curtiss and Nickolas Curtiss.

River at Camp The Eagle River flows around a small island at the Campsite. The put in is downstream.	Trail to River This is part of the short portage to the put-in	Looking upstream from launch The river comes around a corner, with a nice eddy along the sandbar.	Looking downstream from launch The river moves fairly swift below the launch.	Minor Ripples The upper section is filled with small ripples and minor rapids.
Cottonwoods The river is lined with Cottonwoods.	Brian in first little drop Brian paddling through a small drop	Nickolas in First Rapid This is the first actual rapid we encountered. It is just over 3 miles from the put-in.	Jesse in First Rapid Jesse's first actual whitewater with her Epic Cruiser.	Brian in First Rapid What can I say, this was a good photo op.
Second Rapid This is another rapid about 4 miles from the put-in.	Geese We followed several geese down the river. This is in slackwater above Lava Flow.	The group above Lava Flow We are paddling through the slack water above Lava Flow.	Approaching Lava Flow The rapid begins just around the corner. It is possible to scout the lower half from the railroad tracks river left.	Upper part of Lava Flow This is the beginning of the rapid, it becomes more technical around the corner.
Overlook of Lava Flow's upper half This shows some of the difficulty in scouting the rapid from the lava flow side. It is easier to scout the lower sections from the train tracks on the other side of the river.	The Tongue This is where the fun begins. Notice kayaks on the river under the sagebrush.	Looking around the bend This shows the first curve in the S curve shaped rapid.	Around the corner The rapid as it makes its way through the first curve.	Halfway down Lava Flow The rapid takes a S curve course. This shows the middle section. The route is to stay far river left, out of those rocks.
The wrong place to be Stay far river left, and there is a clear route. River right seen here has more hazards.	Last curve This is the last curve in the rapid. Water on camera lens blurred the upper part. Jesse went over the rocks in the middle. The cleanest route is to stay river left again.	Curler at end of Lava Flow This is a nice surf wave at the end of Lava Flow. It marks the end of the tenchical section.	Surf's up We were in the wrong boats to catch this surf wave.	Brian exits Lava Flow Brian made a clean run through the rapid.
Nickolas and Brian near end The rock in the middle of the photo may be the famous "wrapping rock", where a friend of Scott Morris trashed their boat years ago.	The last rapid There are minor rapids from Lava Flow to the Confluence.	The Bridge at the Confluence of the Eagle and Colorado Most people only see the other side of this bridge, when they paddle Dotsero to Shoshone Lake. Here is the Eagle side of it.

 

* River Gage Information for the Eagle can be found at the USGS Gypsum gage 09070000 http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv?09070000

CFS refers to Cubic Feet Per Second. The Eagle at Gypsum can be run at flows as low as 300 cfs, though over 500 is ideal. The photos on this page were taken at 1,200 cfs.

** Paddling Time reflects how long it took us to paddle this section. It is not float time, but the time taken while paddling at a moderate pace at the given flow rate. Time includes scouting time for Lava Flow rapid.

 

Written by Eric Nyre