Colorado is a state ripe for many great and memorable outdoor adventures in all seasons. During the warmer months whitewater kayaking is no exception. The variety of kayaking available in the Front Range is suitable for those just entering the sport to runs that will scare the pants off expert boaters. Destinations are almost limitless as it may take mere minutes to run a section of river or several days on an over night trip.
Professional instruction is not a difficult thing to find along the I 25 corridor as virtually every metropolitan area from Pueblo to Fort Collins has people providing these services. The institutions offering instruction range from Whitewater Intensive camps aimed at children, such as Avid4 Adventure, to guide services offering lessons for children and adults. Most of the time instruction is focused on providing novice paddlers with the skills and confidence necessary to kayak on Class II whitewater; however, even experienced paddlers will benefit from seeking out professional instruction in more advanced skills and on more difficult rivers. In the greater Denver area instruction may be found at Confluence Kayaks and Renaissance Adventure Guides. These are just two groups offering kayak instruction and should not be considered an exhaustive list.
Apart for the know-how, the correct gear is often times a stumbling block for novice kayakers. There are five items that are mandatory to have to whitewater kayak: boat, paddle, helmet, PFD, and sprayskirt. There are also a few luxury items such as a drytop and gloves that make the cold water more tolerable but aren’t mandatory. Like many of the other outdoor sports pursued in Colorado, to purchase all the necessary items to kayak could cost $2,000. Fortunately there are many outlets to mitigate the cost of kayaking. Sure, one could find a used boat and other gear fairly cheaply online but the tricky part is in choosing the right boat. Many of the high end retail shops specializing in outdoor retail will also rent kayaks and other necessary equipment. Their selection will range from river running kayaks suitable for most novice boaters to high performance play boats and creek boats. If one is taking a lesson, gear is sometime provided by the instructing institution. Be patient in purchasing a boat as they are expensive and can be user specific. A simple internet search is probably the best option for finding a retailer that rents kayak equipment close to home or the destination of choice.
Choosing a site to boat that is commensurate with one’s skill level is just as important as having instruction and the right gear. Numerous resources exist to aid in choosing a kayak destination. The books Colorado Rivers and Creeks II (Banks and Eckardt) and Whitewater of the Southern Rockies (Stafford and McCutchen) are two wildly popular print sources loaded with river information for Colorado. These books contain river descriptions, difficulty classifications, recommended flow levels, as well as directions to the put-in and take-out. The online sources of information typically contain the same information as print sources; however, on advantage that online sources have is that they may be linked to gauges providing updated river flow levels and volumes. Here in Colorado this information may be found on MountainBuzz, EddyFlower, and American Whitewater.
River runs suitable for novice boater may be found up and down the Front Range. These runs are usually located towards the toe of the mountains and foothills as these are areas where the gradient decreases providing great locations for fun entry level kayaking. Some of the most popular sections include: Filter Plant on the Cache La Poudre, Waterton Canyon on the South Platte, Lower North St. Vrain, the Salida town run on the Arkansas and many others. If there are questions about a section of river please consult a guide service, guide book or online resource.
As a paddler’s skill and comfort on moving water increases the options of kayak destinations also increases, thus opening up new areas to explore and enjoy.
See You On The River!!
Matt Nolen is the Avid4 Adventure Paddlesports supervisor and an ACA certified kayak instructor. He has been involved in outdoor education for just short of a decade and has helped many campers discover and enjoy whitewater kayaking.
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