Independence Day in Glenwood Canyon
Grizzly Creek to South Canyon
Independence Day | Wednesday, July 4, 2012
The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO
This past weekend when Jackson and I were hiking up Uncompahgre Peak he suggested that we take our boats to Glenwood Canyon for the 4th of July, and I thought that sounded like an excellent idea...so we did. We decided to put in at Grizzly Creek and take out at South Canyon for this day trip. I've been on this stretch of the Colorado River before, but never in my own boat, so I was looking forward to trying it out. Even with the low water levels this year, the river was still moving at a good pace through this section and there were still some Class II+ rapids and plenty of large boulders to avoid along the way. It was a lot of fun and definitely good practice for me.
Here's a few snapshots from the day. Since I don't have a waterproof camera all of the photos were taken while we were on calmer water, so I don't have any action photos in the Class II+ rapids we went through.
We were surprised and happy to find that almost no one was at Grizzly Creek when we arrived. We had no problems finding parking and getting our boats inflated and setup.
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Prep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
On Monday I picked up a small cooler for my boat that I thought I'd show off :) I was pleasantly surprised to find that it fit perfectly between the inflated tubes and easily attached to the d-rings below. It couldn't have worked out better!
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Cooler by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Ready to get on the river.
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Putting In by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A few small riffles shortly after putting in.
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Small Waves by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Nice scenery and I-70 in Glenwood Canyon.
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Glenwood Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
As we approached No Name, we crossed under the zip-line that goes across the river. I caught this person as they flew across the river above us.
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Zip Line by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Another view down the canyon.
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Flat Water by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Reflection in the water of Jackson and his family.
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Reflection by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
I don't recall what they were looking at here, but my guess would be that it was probably a bird.
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Looking by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A good game of bumper boats is always fun ;)
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Bumper Boats by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
We stopped at this sandy beach to get out of our boats and walk around a little before getting back on the river.
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Rest Stop by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Almost to Glenwood Springs.
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Glenwood Springs Exit by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Side by Side by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Crossing under the highway bridge in Glenwood Springs near the Roaring Fork confluence.
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Under the Bridge by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
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Calm River by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
You can't see it in the photo, but the South Canyon boat ramp is just ahead. This was the end of the river for us today.
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Home Stretch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
After getting off the river and packing up our gear we headed back home. It was a very nice day on the river and a great way to spend our Independence Day.
>> Independence Day in Glenwood Canyon Photo Gallery
