South Boulder Creek - Lower South Boulder Creek

Description

While this run will never be accused of having world class whitewater, it's proximity to Boulder, wilderness feel, a few fun rapids, and occasional off season releases tend to keep people coming back.

This run starts below Gross Reservoir, and therefore the flow is dependent on dam releases. Because of this, the run rarely sees flows much higher than 600 cfs. Partially due to its proximity away from the road, wood is often an issue.

With 3 easy walks, this is often done as a class IV run. The class V drops all have some level of unpleasantness. The class III and IV rapids do not have the same quality of neighboring runs, but the scenery rises above its roadside cousins. What you gain in wilderness, you lose in shuttle convenience as the shuttle requires a circuitous route to the put-in and a fee to park in Eldorado State Park at the takeout.

Below the runnable 30 foot dam, the water level can drop significantly depending on how much water is being diverted, so always check the Eldorado Springs gauge so you know what you're getting into.  If there's insufficient water to boat below the dam, another egress point exists just below the bridge drop that requires a mile or more hike out uphill and cuts out some of the best class IV on the run.