Blue River

Above Green Mountain: Hammer Ridge to Columbine Landing · Class III–IV · CO

—no reading

No reading

Snapshot from Oct 22, 2026. Live reading loading.

Runnable range 300 to 2,000 cfs. This is a draft estimate that paddlers have not reviewed yet.

Season

May to August, best through early July

Character

Short, steep snowmelt run of about 2.5 miles above Green Mountain Reservoir, ending at Columbine Landing.

Watch for

One guide lists the put-in at Blue River Campground, so the Hammer Ridge put-in needs confirming. Flows depend on snowmelt and, per one outfitter, on releases from Lake Dillon, and can change quickly.

Gauge

No gauge linked yet.

Snowpack

Blue RiverEarly seasonDam-regulated

Snow water equivalent 0.1 in. Early season — median too low for a meaningful %.

Dam-regulated: Green Mountain Reservoir. Flows on this river also depend on reservoir releases — snowpack alone does not determine flows. Applies to the river below the reservoir. The section above it is mostly snowmelt.

Outlook indicator, not a flow forecast. Spring temperatures, rain, soil moisture, dust on snow and reservoir releases also matter. NRCS SNOTEL data as of Oct 31, 2026 (provisional).

See basin snowpack

Other sections of Blue River

Below Green Mountain Reservoir

Draft details for paddlers to review and edit. Community voting on runnable ranges is coming.

Trip reports

Wavetrain is an early build. Flow readings are USGS provisional data and may be revised. Runnable ranges and run details are drafts for paddlers to review. Permit dates and rules come from the agency pages linked on each permit and can change. Snowpack figures come from NRCS SNOTEL stations, are provisional, and are grouped into basins by watershed, so they may differ from official NRCS basin reports. Nothing here replaces scouting, local knowledge or a conversation with a nearby outfitter.