Paddling Gunnison Gorge in Colorado

The Gunnison Gorge of the Gunnison River is a spectacular paddling trip in central Colorado with lively whitewater, superior trout fishing, and beautiful camps. You would think it would be crowded all the time because of these distinguishing qualities, but in fact this section is a logistical puzzle, so it remains relatively unsullied. The put-in is at the bottom of the steep, one-mile Chukar Trail, which complicates gear wrangling. And for all that effort, it’s only a 13.5-mile trip. 

But if you want a pristine river experience in one of the most distinctively beautiful canyons in Colorado, put the Gunnison Gorge at the top of your list.  

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General nature of the Gunnison Gorge

This stretch of the Gunnison River is in the Gunnison Gorge Natural Conservation Area (NCA), a wilderness area of 62,844 acres north of Montrose, Colorado, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Gunnison Gorge is adjacent to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (an impossibly beautiful and remote area just upriver). The Gunnison Gorge NCA has abundant evidence of people who inhabited the area going back 13,000 years, including prehistoric rock art and campsites.

Designated a Gold Medal Trout Fishery by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Gunnison Gorge is a prime offering by commercial fly fishing outfitters. The whitewater rivals the fishing. It’s lively throughout, with more than a dozen Class III/III+ rapids in the 13.5-mile span. 

The combination of celebrated fishing, whitewater, and hiking opportunities makes this a must-do. 

Rundown of major rapids in Gunnison Gorge

Most of the rapids are read-and-run, but a couple merit scouting. The BLM Boater Guide has a good map of the rapids (with some terse descriptions). This is a narrow canyon, so the nature of the rapids changes dramatically depending on the water flow. Here are a few of the most notable rapids in our experience:

1. Boulder Garden. Now rated III+, this was considered a Class IV before a 2010 flood changed the rapid, making it less difficult. Scout on the left to figure out the best route to avoid large boulders clustered in the center of the run.
2. The Squeeze. We always scout this one (on the right), and the scout will take some time as it’s an awkward place to get boats tied up and it’s a slow scramble over the huge boulders to get a good look. In our last couple of times of running this, the water has been low, around 800 cfs. At that level, the run is on the right and it’s a tight maneuver down one drop and then another, to avoid a pour-over on the right. 
3. Cable. You can scout this on the right, but you’ll need to be on your toes to catch the eddy. This rapid requires a few moves to avoid a large boulder: start center, move right, then left. 

Downsides of Gunnison Gorge

1. Difficult put-in. The one factor that keeps more people from doing the Gunnison Gorge every weekend is the difficulty of getting boating gear down the steep, one-mile Chukar Trail to the put-in. I know one mile doesn’t seem like a long way, but when you’re humping full-size rafts and frames and coolers and kitchen set-ups, it’s a huge deterrent. The answer: Hiring a horse/mule packer (or “the”—there’s only one outfitter, J and Ray, with a permit to do this) to carry your gear down. This approach is efficient, and it’s fun to see how the pack crew operation works. More details to come below about how to use this service and some tips for saving costs. We have done this trip in small boats without camping, just raging through in a day. But it’s such an exceptionally beautiful place, we swore we wouldn’t give it such short shrift again. If you simply don’t have the time or resources to pull off an overnight, then enjoy it as a challenging one-day. 
2. Difficult drive to the put-in. The road down to the Chukar trailhead is a true four-wheel-drive stretch. And any more than a sprinkling of rain will make the road essentially impassable. Trailers are not recommended. 
3. Unpredictable water flows. Water flows in Gunny Gorge are hard to predict, as some of the water gets released from Blue Mesa Reservoir upstream, and some of the water comes from snowpack. The factors involved in how much water gets released are complicated. 
4. No way to reserve campsites in advance. You sign up for the designated campsites at the put-in, so the early boaters get the best selections. The good news is there are no terrible camps in the Gunnison Gorge.
5. Short trip. This is such a beautiful area, it’s sad that it’s less than 14 miles long.  

Upsides of Gunnison Gorge

1. Unparalleled fishing for rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout. Fly Fisherman has a detailed write-up of this section’s exceptional qualities from the viewpoint of an angler. 
2. Fun, continuous whitewater. The rapids are challenging but pool/drop, with decent recovery time in between. At low water, this stretch can be especially fun for hardshell kayaks, IKs, or canoes. 
3. Good hiking. Many of the campsites designated for boaters have great side hikes, and there are camps designated for hikers who come down from various trails. The Ute Park area has especially good hikes. Also plan to hit the Smith Fork coming in on river right after the rapids.

4. Diverse landscape. The scenery shifts from narrow, black granite canyon walls to redstone cliffs, and you’ll see an abundance of wildlife, including desert bighorn sheep. 
5. Dogs are allowed. They need to be under voice control or leashed, and their poop needs to be removed from campsites and the trailhead.
6. No permit required, and yet, relatively uncrowded. Again, logistics are what keeps this gorgeous canyon from being overrun.
7. No motorized vehicles are allowed in the Gunnison Gorge NCA. 

Tips for planning Gunnison Gorge river trip 

Now let’s tackle the logistics of running Gunny Gorge. It might seem complicated, and it certainly is compared to wheeling up to Loma boat launch for Ruby-Horsethief, for example. But we swear it’s worth it. 

1. Choose your timing. As mentioned above, water flows are dependent on natural runoff from snowpack as well as releases from the Blue Mesa Reservoir upstream, so predicting flows very far in advance is difficult. Although you could technically run this down to about 300 cfs, the best range for low-stress fun for rafts and smaller crafts is above 700 cfs or so. Here’s a quick link to the Gunnison Gorge water flows on American Whitewater.
2. Choose your party size and number/type of boats: This decision will determine whether you need to mess with having gear packed down on horses. Maximum group size is 12 people. A few options: You could run this as a day trip in small crafts or a light paddle raft, and either run the shuttle yourself or get a shuttle service (it’s a long shuttle on a bad road, details to come). Or you could do a minimalist overnight trip. But if you have at least one raft, are planning to camp, and want to bring a cooler, you should consider having some gear packed in. We have done all these variations: The kayak/canoe-only screaming day trip, the “we can make do with just one horse” option, and the luxury service with all the gear and 3 horses. As long as you end up paddling the Gunnison Gorge, it’s all good. 

3. Line up your shuttle. The shuttle down to the Chukar trailhead is no joke. It is a true four-wheel-drive route, and if any rain hits it, the road becomes nearly impassable. For that reason, the folks at Pleasure Park—the primary outfit offering shuttles for the Gunnison Gorge—require you to have a four-wheel-drive vehicle with good clearance, and they will send the shuttle driver down with you and your gear, and then drive your vehicle back. The shuttle service is $100 per vehicle. Because you will proceed to the put-in with the shuttle driver in your vehicle, you need to have an open seat available for the driver. If you don’t have a worthy rig for the shuttle drive, Pleasure Park will provide service in one of their Suburbans for $350 per trip. To line up your shuttle, call Pleasure Park at 970-872-2525. 
4. Line up the horse-packing for raft gear. The only outfitter permitted to horse-pack gear into the Chukar launch site is Larry Franks at J and Ray Outfitters in Montrose. The cost is $100 per horse (or mule; they use a combo of both). So the next step is to determine how much gear you’ll have the horses pack down, and how much gear your crew will carry down the steep, one-mile trail. Our advice is to send down the raft, the cooler, and the dry box on the horses, and pack the rest of the stuff down yourselves. This might take a few trips up and down the trail, and this is one of those times when you’ll appreciate having dry bags with backpack straps. The J and Ray site has some helpful tips for how to determine how many horses your gear will require. Here’s a quick summary:
   • Rafts that weigh less than 90 pounds can be strapped on one side of a horse, and another piece of gear on the other side. If the raft is more than 90 pounds, it will be draped over the horse.
   • Coolers need to be less than 90 pounds.
   • Frames need to be broken down to go on the horse, so we just carry those down ourselves.
   • Bring in rafts deflated (again, trailers aren’t recommended on the shuttle road, and deflating rafts slows the loading process for the pack crew)

Larry Franks gave me a few other tips for those who haven’t used a pack service for river gear before.

• Use common sense when determining what gear to have packed down. “Some people bring boat anchors,” said Franks.”I’m not sure it makes much sense to pay me to pack a 60-pound anchor. Also, some people have us take everything, including life jackets.” With some planning, you can be smart and frugal about what gear you have packed down.
• Consider tipping the crew. Franks said that there is no expectation that the crew be tipped, but if you’d like to tip them, you can simply pick a crew member and give cash to be divided among them.
• Bring cash for the payment. Checks aren’t accepted because of previous problems, and cell service isn’t available for credit cards at this time.
• Be ready at your start time. If you’re still sorting through your coolers while the pack crew is waiting, you will slow down the rest of the trips that day (Franks typically runs three shuttles per day).
• Call as soon as you know you need to cancel the service for whatever reason. Franks said that they typically don’t have too much trouble with no-shows, but started to see more people canceling last-minute in 2020. For now, he doesn’t require a deposit. If bad weather makes the shuttle road treacherous for the crew, then Franks might have to cancel, but that doesn’t happen often.
• Know that there is a five-horse minimum per time slot. That doesn’t mean you have to book all five horses: In most cases, enough parties are running the river that you can choose to book one.

To book the pack-in, call J and Ray directly at 970-323-0115. Service is available from April 1 through September 30.

5. Plan your pre-trip accommodations. To ensure that we’re organized on time for the shuttle, we camp at Pleasure Park, which has tent sites, restrooms, and showers. The fee is $12 per person. Pleasure Park is located at 8949 Pleasure Park Rd. in Hotchkiss, CO (about 5 hours from Denver). 
6. Study the BLM information, including the BLM river map for the Gunnison Gorge. Although the classic Floater’s Guide to Colorado has detailed sections on running the Black Canyon itself (experts only), as well as the Gunnison Gorge, the best map is the one provided by the BLM online. This map includes the designated campsites—boater-only, hiker-only, and boater/hiker sites. Rapids are marked and the map includes (extremely brief) descriptions.
7. Plan your campsites, but stay flexible as you sign up for them at the put-in, so you might not get the ones you want the most. You can stay two nights from Margaritaville (which is not far upriver of the Chukar put-in—you can paddle up to it) to the T-Dyke campsite. Sadly, no layover days are allowed for boaters. Campsites in the Ute Park have lots of great hikes

8. Get familiar with the put-in and take-out. The put-in is at the Chukar Trail boat launch, which is near Montrose, CO (see the BLM map for details). Take-out is typically at Pleasure Park, which is convenient because you can get a shower and camp there before you head home. You can also take out at the Gunnison Forks Day Use Area. 
9. Be prepared to pay the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Permit fee, which is $3 per person (for anyone 16 and older), and the camping fee, which is $10 per person for one night and $15 per person for two nights (the maximum stay). You also need to register your party by signing in at the Chukar trailhead. 
10. Essential gear: Firepans are required for charcoal fires. (Wood fires are prohibited in the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness down through the North Fork confluence.) All ashes need to be packed out. All waste needs to be packed out: River toilets (groovers) are required. Check Leave No Trace and other use regulations at the BLM site. 

Gunnison Gorge: Classic Colorado river trip

We have friends who left Colorado for Montana three decades ago, but they still pine for the Gunnison Gorge. Don’t let the details drag you down. Just pick a long weekend and behold it.

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