Piedra River

Piedra River canyon near Pagosa Springs · Class III–V · CO

3,920Oct 22 snapshot

High

Snapshot from Oct 22, 2026. Live reading loading.

Runnable range 400 to 1,500 cfs. This is a draft estimate that paddlers have not reviewed yet.

Season

May to June

Character

Short snowmelt season in a remote canyon with continuous rapids.

Watch for

Remote and steep. For experienced boaters only.

Gauge

USGS 09349800
Piedra River near Arboles
3,920 cfs at 6:15 PM MT on Oct 22, 2026 (snapshot)

Snowpack

San Juan (incl. Animas, Piedra)Early seasonDam-regulated

Snow water equivalent 1.9 in. Early season — median too low for a meaningful %.

Dam-regulated: Navajo Dam. Flows on this river also depend on reservoir releases — snowpack alone does not determine flows. Applies to the San Juan in Utah. The Animas, Piedra and Pagosa runs are not controlled by Navajo Dam.

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.