Colorado River
Section 5 - Rulison to DeBeque
The river is wide and generally peaceful as it winds its way through
the rangeland of the valley. The valley is huge with views of green
and
white mountains. (The white mountains are oil shale mountains.)
Put in:
Exit I-70 at Parachute and travel east on the frontage road on the north
side of the river until you reach Rulison. Turn south and proceed to the
river. Parking is available on the east side of the road, north side of
the river. This river access point is not great but will suffice for a
day trip. The problem with this put-in is that there is a fence albeit
with stairs over the fence. The put-in is in a big eddy that makes launching from large rocks a little easier.
Take out:
Go west on the frontage road until you reach the green bridge that crosses
the river. Take out is northeast corner of bridge & river. You could
probably camp here if you wanted to.
Length:
- Rifle to Rulison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 miles
- Rulison to Parachute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 miles
- Parachute to Una-Parachute Road . . . . . 5 miles
- Una-Parachute Rd to Debeque Take-out 7 miles
River Rating:
Class I/II (mostly Class I)
Features:
Scenic valley, green mountains, white mountains, ranchland, flat
water.
