Dolores

Location: Southwestern Colorado, along the Utah border (about 250 miles southwest of Denver; about 210 miles northwest of Albuquerque).

Length of trips: Bradfield Bridge to Slick Rock 47 miles in two to three days; Slick Rock to Bedrock 50 miles in two to three days; Bedrock to Gateway 43 miles in two to three days; Gateway to Dewey Bridge 31 miles in one to two days.

Season: Varies, depending on dam releases, but usually up to six weeks of boatable water between mid-April and mid-June. In dry years, however, the Dolores may not be runnable; in wet years the season may continue into early July.

Weather: The Dolores flows through a range of climates and altitudes, from fir-clad semialpine gorges to classic desert canyons. About 12 miles below McPhee Dam, Dolores Canyon can get quite cold in spring, with occasional snow and rain. The canyons downstream are more temperate, though hot (85¡-95¡F), in summer.

Lodging: Excellent campsites on beaches and in groves of trees. The nearby resort town of Telluride offers a variety of accommodations.

Boats: Kayaks, oar boats, paddle rafts.

Rapids: Numerous Class II and III rapids, with the occasional Class IV rapid. Cool, silty water.

Special features:

  • Among the most beautiful canyons in the West, including slickrock desert canyons, huge natural amphitheaters, and semialpine gorges cloaked with evergreens.
  • Thousand-foot-high red sandstone walls in Little Glen and Slick Rock Canyons, generally regarded as the most scenic section.
  • Legendary Snaggletooth Rapid, a Class IV giant, is the biggest on the Dolores.
  • Excellent hikes into side canyons, especially Bull Canyon and Spring Canyon.
  • Ancient Anasazi ruins and pictographs on canyon walls and grottoes.
  • Superb fishing for catfish and trout (brown, cutthroat, rainbow).
  • Desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions, coyotes, mule deer, river otters, great blue herons, bald eagles, ducks, geese, peregrine falcons, ospreys, canyon wrens.
  • Solitude.
  • Suitable for all levels of rafters, families, seniors in good physical condition, and the physically challenged who are comfortable in and around the water.

Nearby excursions:

  • Dolores Canyon overlook.
  • Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores.
  • Mesa Verde National Park.
  • Resort town of Telluride.
  • Old mining towns of Durango and Silverton.
  • Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

For a list of outfitters and more information:

  • Bureau of Land Management, San Juan Resource Area, 701 Camino del Rio, Durango, Colorado 81301; +1 970 247 4874, fax +1 970 385 1375 (for information on outfitters who operate between Bradfield Bridge and Slick Rock and between Slick Rock and Bedrock). Try to book at least a month in advance.
  • Bureau of Land Management, Uncompahgre Basin Resource Area, 2505 South Townsend, Montrose, Colorado 81401; +1 970 249 6047, fax +1 970 249 8484 (for information on outfitters who operate between Bedrock and Gateway). Try to book at least a month in advance.
  • Bureau of Land Management, Grand Junction Resource Area, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, Colorado 81506; +1 970 244 3000, fax +1 970 244 3083 (for information on outfitters who operate between Gateway and Dewey Bridge). Try to book at least a month in advance.
  • Bureau of Land Management, 82 East Dogwood, Moab, Utah 84532; +1 801 259 6111, fax +1 801 259 2158 (for information on outfitters who operate between Gateway and Dewey Bridge). Try to book at least a month in advance.
  • For a list of Colorado outfitters, contact the Colorado River Outfitters Association (CROA), 4098 Surrey Court, Lafayette, Colorado 80026; +1 303 369 4632.

For more information:

  • Colorado Travel and Tourism Authority, P.O. Box 22005, Denver, Colorado 80222; +1 303 296 3384 or 800 265 6723.
  • Dolores River rafting story in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, May/June 1994. To order a copy, please click here.
  • Telluride story in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, September/October 1990. To order a copy, please click here.
  • Colorado weekend story in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, September/October 1990. To order a copy, please click here.

 
 
River Finder - Western U.S.

 
 
 
© 1996 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.

www.nationalgeographic.com