Colorado River

Glenwood Springs to Rifle · Class I–II · CO

1,450Oct 22 snapshot

Runnable

Snapshot from Oct 22, 2026. Live reading loading.

Runnable range 800 to 6,000 cfs. This is a draft estimate that paddlers have not reviewed yet.

Season

April to October

Character

Mellow float suited to beginners and fishing rafts.

Watch for

Flat stretches mean a headwind can add hours.

Gauge

USGS 09085100
Colorado River below Glenwood Springs
1,450 cfs at 6:15 PM MT on Oct 22, 2026 (snapshot)

Snowpack

Upper Colorado mainstemEarly season

Snow water equivalent 0.4 in. Early season — median too low for a meaningful %.

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

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.