Report Type: Day Trip Report
Trip Dates: July 2004
Nearest City: Gunnison, CO
Difficulty: Moderate
Submitted by: CaptainKlepper

Description:

We put in at Almont, just 10 miles north of Gunnison. This river is very popular with rafting companies, so there's great mustering points all along the river. This river is rated Class I - II+. We found the water a little low for our liking, however it was early July and Colorado was experiencing a drought.

A little evidence of mishaps -- we saw 1 kayak and 1 canoe with broken backs (destroyed) while we "floated" down.

We took out at the Gunnison White Water Park. I believe we could have continued to Blue Mesa Res, except that the Gunnison White Water Park is rated as Class III and we were in our double Klepper again. Could have "shot" it, but the river afterward looks to be an uninspiring quiet river, with plenty of low water areas.

Accommodations:

Plenty of designated camping north of Almont and on the nearby Blue Mesa Res. Plenty of National Forest access for camping in non-designated areas (no fees). Good range of accommodations in Gunnison and Crested Butte (Ski Resort).

Fees:

Fees for designated camping areas in Colorado average about $10 per site.

Directions:

From US Highway 50, take State Highway 135 toward Crested Butte, but get off at Almont.

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