The Numbers section of the Arkansas River is a formidable but enticing stretch of continuous whitewater about 11 miles north of Buena Vista, Colorado. Here’s a guide to planning a paddling trip on the Numbers, including put-in facilities, descriptions of the rapids, scouting points, and other resources.
Situated just below the daunting Pine Creek section, the Numbers section includes several miles of solid Class III and IV rapids called Numbers 1 through 7. It’s a few miles north of Browns Canyon, so you could easily run both sections in a day.
Cautionary note: The Numbers section is a challenging run that’s not recommended for beginning or intermediate paddlers. Running it at low water, or with one of the local commercial outfitters who are well-versed in its magic, might be a good way to tackle it for the first time. This section changes dramatically at higher water.
In Rivers of the Southwest, by Fletcher Anderson and Ann Hopkinson, the authors call this section “the very definition of Class IV.” They emphasize that in the case of the Numbers, which is a much-loved stretch, popular does not equate to intermediate.
Be prepared for the Numbers to be fairly crowded at the peak of the season, which might complicate your ability to catch eddies or recover from mishaps.
Numbers launch site
The Numbers Recreation Site is a well-marked turnoff from Highway 24 about 11 miles north of Buena Vista. This launch site is managed by Colorado Parks & Wildlife and exists largely through American Whitewater‘s efforts to secure access for boaters. Back in the day, boaters put in on private land upstream of Scott’s Bridge with the implicit permission of the then-owner.
The current put-in has a decent number of parking spots, plenty of room for rigging, and wide gravel ledges down to the river. It doesn’t have a true boat ramp, so you can’t drop your raft in directly from a trailer. You’ll need to pay an Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) fee to park and launch here. This fee is covered by Colorado residents’ vehicle registration fee (unless you specifically decline it).
Scouting Numbers rapids
The names—or numbers—of the rapids have changed over the years. The numbering varies depending on what resource you’re using. As Anderson and Hopkinson pointed out, the rapids were named by Colorado paddlers ahead of the 1964 National Slalom Championships. Apparently creativity failed them, and they simply numbered the rapids consecutively.
Over time, everyone referred to them differently. So now we have rapids 1 through 7, plus 1-½, 4-½, and 5-½, according to the AHRA map. Know that when you’re reading descriptions of Numbers rapids from other sources, they might not jibe with what you’re scouting. Here I’ll refer to the posted rapid names, which match the RiverMaps descriptions.
Here are tips for scouting the Numbers from the road, without trespassing on public land (according to the OnX app). Because access is difficult in some places, scouting all the Numbers rapids will take about an hour with a car and some hiking.
Number 1
To scout Number 1, park at the dirt turnaround spot on the right as you drive upriver to the launch site. Then hike up the ridge overlooking the river. Pick one of the various hiking paths that head to the river and simply head straight east: You’ll hear the rapid before you see it. Here’s what it looks like at about 700 cfs:
Number 2
To scout Number 2, which is below Scott’s Bridge, look for a turnoff from Highway 24 about a quarter-mile before you get to the Numbers Recreation Site pull-off. Follow the two-track down to the railroad track. Once you cross the track, you’ll hear the rapid and can make your way down the bank to get a good close-hand view. Here are a couple of shots looking downstream and from the right bank:
Number 3
To look at Number 3, head north on County Road 371 from Buena Vista, past the bridge that takes you to across the river to Highway 24. Look for the sign pointing to public access to Rapid #4 Recreation Site and proceed north. At the end of that dirt road, you’ll see the Otero Pump Station fishing access point with a path to the river. Take that path upstream to see Number 3.
Number 4
Rapid Number 4 is long, boulder-choked, and features an irrigation ditch on the right that you want to avoid. This is one spot where an additional rapid, Number 4-1/2, is marked on the AHRA map but not on the RiverMaps guide. So you could consider this two rapids or one long one. This rapid is easy to scout as there’s a well-marked path leading to the river from the Rapid #4 Recreation Site, which has a few numbered campsites.
Number 5
Rapid Number 5 is just below the County Road 371 bridge, but you can’t clearly see the crux of the rapid from there because the river bends sharply to the right just out of view. However, you can walk downstream on the road and get a decent look at it through the foliage. Number 5 is a tricky rapid, so it’s worth scouting from the road as it will come at you from a blind turn when you’re on the river.
Number 6
You can easily scout Number 6 from County Road 371: You’ll see the Rapid #6 sign and a turnoff that has some camping spots and a clear path down to the rapid.
Number 7
Rapid Number 7 (Class III) is also an easy scout off County Road 371. About a half-mile below, you can take out at Riverside Recreation Site. This site has a few campsites, picnic tables, and a path to the river that’s better for kayakers than rafters. The common raft take-out is another half-mile down on river left at Railroad Bridge Recreation Site. This site has vault toilets, campsites, and a wide boat ramp that is annoyingly blocked from trailers backing down.
Numbers section resources
To research the Numbers rapid descriptions, here are a few resources:
- RiverMaps Guide to the Arkansas River covers the Numbers rapids in good detail
- American Whitewater’s description of the Numbers includes several boater write-ups
- Rivers of the Southwest, by Fletcher Anderson and Ann Hopkinson, has a good description of the rapids but the access information has changed since it was written
Camping near Numbers rapids
Campsites are abundant in Chaffee County (although they are crowded in the summer), and some of those spots are right on the banks of the Numbers, including:
- Railroad Bridge campground, the typical Numbers section takeout, on County Road 371, has vault toilets and campsites
- Riverside Recreation site,
- Rapid #4 Recreation Site has a few numbered campsites. You’ll need to carry out your human waste (see our post about groovers for more information), and you’ll need to have a firepan for open fires
The Numbers section is a legendary whitewater run, with a reputation that extends far beyond Colorado. If you don’t like the looks of it at high water, consider running it in the fall in a smaller boat at flows below 600 cfs or so. Its intricacies will still intrigue, and you can easily imagine its power at higher levels.
