Barrel Springs
Colorado – US
- Class
- IV+ to V+
- Length
- 4 Mile(s)
- Gradient
- 85 FPM
- Put-in elevation
- 6,083 Feet
- Typical season
- January to December
- Author
- Erik Larsson
Current Flow
120 CFS
Reading from Jul 10, 2026 10:30 PM
▼ -3.33/hr (12h) ▼ -1.67/hr (24h)
Don't bother
- Primary gauge
- [COLORADO RIVER NEAR DOTSERO, CO] - 1200 Gauge detail & alternatives
- Flow formula
-
[COLORADO RIVER NEAR DOTSERO, CO] - 1200computes to 120.0 right now Estimated flow
Recommended levels
| Minimum | 500 |
| Average | 2,000 |
| Maximum | 8,000 |
Recommended use
- Kayaking
- Rafting
- Canoeing
- SUP
- Packrafting
- Fishing
Struck-through craft are not recommended for this run.
Flow history — last 6 days
No gauge history recorded in the last 6 days.
Photos
No photos added for this run yet.
Description
Barrel Springs is the run from the Hanging Lake exit to Shoshone.
Carry your boat from the parking lot at Hanging Lake downstream past the dam and usually past Upper Death on the bike path. Watch for bicyclists/pedestrians using the path. Put in below Upper Death rapid. This is a gnarly rapid that is not run very often. Run the runout or put in afterwards, up next is Life After Death, then Barrel Springs rapid. There is one more hole below Barrel before reaching the Shoshone put in. You can take out at Shoshone, but your best option though is to run Shoshone and use the take out for that run at Grizzly Creek exit. 4 miles includes Shoshone class III/IV.
Unfortunately at the Shoshone exit you can only head west. Since you have to go to Grizzly Creek anyway, so might as well get a couple extra miles. This also applies to the Hangin Lake exit, you can only head west.
Also, this run sits above the Shoshone Power Plant and below its diversion dam at Hanging Lake. What this means is that most of the water is diverted to the power plant through a pipe in the mountainside, around this section, rejoining the Colorado River at the Shoshone Exit. This results in ELF conditions most of the time. Usually in the spring at flows above 1800 on the dotsero gauge or when they do maintenance on the tunnels for the power plant each fall this section will run.
Notes on flows:
There are two turbines at the Shoshone Power Plant. When one is running 700cfs goes around Barrel, when both are take away 1250cfs. How do you know if Barrel is running? Option A) Dotero Gauge is at 1,800cfs or above Option B) Check the cotrip.org>road conditions>live video feeds> and take the Glenwood Canyon Video Tour, then wait for the camera labelled "E. Barrel Springs" and you get a nice shot of Barrel Springs Rapid.
The following is for the effective flow in Barrel (Dotsero gauge minus 1,250cfs or per formula above):
300-800 cfs- Fun boofs, but ELFy IV+(NR)
1800 cfs- IV+(NR) - Best intro level, padded but not overpowering
4000 cfs- V(NR) - Beefy, major holes
6000 cfs- V+(NR) - Huge, scout everything, set safety, and be prepared for long swims, i.e. past Shoshone.
Put In: Hanging Lake Exit 125 parking then put in below Upper Death.
Take Out: Grizzly exit 121
Rapids
| # | Rapid | Class | Recommended flow | Description | Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Death | V to VI | 10,000–— | This is virtually always a portage. It can be run, I've seen it run about 10 times, none of which went well enough to encourage me. Beware the submerged room of doom river right below the final plunge! |
Scout from bike path |
| 2 | Life after Death | IV+ to V | 10,000–— | Life after Death is way easier and safer than it looks. Despite the giant rock which forms the crux of this rapid, there is little seive risk here. I recommend putting in directly in the boil of Upper Death via seal launch. |
Bike Path river right |
| 3 | Barrel Springs Rapid | IV+ to V | 10,000–— | In low to middle flows this is a multi-part move, with many holes and boofs to be had. Be sure to scout the entire rapid as newby paddlers frequently miss the middle eddys. |
Bath Path river right |
| 4 | Last Rapid | IV to V | 10,000–— | You may have read that this hole is a mandatory thrashing at most levels. It moved in 2011 and is now a simple but fun boof at most flows. Stay Right for the fun or left of the center rock for ease. Recommend runnning it blind, no scout! |
Access
| Type | Name | Elevation | Camping | Water | Boat ramp | Vehicle access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Put-In | Hanging Lake Exit | 6,083 Feet | No | No | No | All Vehicles |
Camps
No river camps added yet.
Permit
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Fishing
No fish species have been associated with this run yet.
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