About a week and a half ago, I had the opportunity to hit up Clear Creek for my first time of the season. First of all, I need to apologize for taking so long to post this blog. Unfortunately this season, I haven’t been hitting the rivers near as much as I’ve wanted to. I’m constantly having to fly out to L.A. on the weekends, so I’ve been missing out on some great flows. But the good news is that things should be slowing down soon.

Some may realize this, some may not- Clear Creek is a hidden jewel. Only 20 minutes away from Denver, this section of whitewater can get your adrenaline pumping just as high as if you were on a big river, like the Arkansas or Colorado Rivers. You’ve just got to be able to brave the cold water temperature. It’s one of the coldest sections of water in the state. Think about it…it’s purely snow meltoff. It’s mid-June and there’s still plenty of snow that needs to melt. Remember, A-Basin’s only been closed for a week! Cold water or not, Clear Creek packs a punch.

Outer Limits Rapid

I was invited to go along with the folks of All American Adventures. Here’s the sweet part, I was in a boat full of raft guides. Darn. Let’s just say, I was definitely in safe hands. And even better, my guide was the company’s owner, Jed. We put in near Lawson. This is the same spot I put in last year when I rafted the Advanced section of Clear Creek. Clear Creek was flowing around 600 cfs, which is a great level for the creek. Almost immediately after putting in, you’re face-to-face with your first Class IV rapid. It’s call Meat & Beef. This rapid was a lot of fun. There were a couple of nice-sized holes that we hit. Next, was another Class IV section called the Lumpies. I actually was told the story of why this section was called this. Long story, but a funny one. This section is great. There’s about 20 or so drops, one after another. And the further you get down the section, the bigger the drops and holes. I’ve never done this section at a lower level, but I could imagine it’s probably quite the challenge.

After Lumpies, you’re in the intermediate section of the creek. You paddle a couple of miles or so of mellow water before your next rapid, called Normad, a class III rapid. After Meat & Beef and Lumpies, this section felt like a peice of cake.  Next is Fall River. This rapid, I think, is a bit similar to Normad. It’s very short. And at 600 cfs, it’s fast. Next is a rapid called Phoenix. Phoenix was actually pretty cool at that level. There were a few nice big waves. And of course, I was sitting in the front of the boat, so I got punched in the face a couple of times with big water. Like I always say, the front of the boat is always the best seat in the house. Shortly after Phoenix, is another rapid called Deliverance. I have to say, at this level, Deliverance and Phoenix were my favorite rapids of the intermediate section of Clear Creek. Both of them are really nice at this level. Next is Outer Limits. I’ve rafted Clear Creek several times before. There are times when Outer Limits is a lot of fun. But at a higher level, like 600 or 700 cfs, it’s a little more washed out. The holes aren’t as big. But that’s ok, regardless it’s a blast.

Outer Limits Rapid

After Outer Limits, you’re on the beginner’s section of the creek. In a raft, this section is pretty mellow. There are a couple of cool rapids, but not until you get all the way through town and almost to the Idaho Springs tunnel. But this section is great in a ducky. Make sure you check out my previous blog. But things start getting a little more exciting when you reach Dizzy Lizzy. This is a Class II rapid. But it comes with a little challenge, because of the way it curves. In the middle it takes a sharp turn. And because I was in a raft full of raft guides, I learned that the river can sometimes push you into the left wall. Not good. Luckily, we had no problems. But apparently, that’s something rookie guides have to be aware of. Next is Power Line rapid. This is a fairly simple rapid. After Power Line, you’re back to some Class III whitewater. The first Class III rapid is called Mountain Lion. This rapid is right underneath the Scott Carpenter bridge. That’s the wooden bridge you can see right next to the Idaho Springs tunnel while driving eastbound on I-70. Apparently, this rapid got its name after a kid was mauled by a mountain lion while running on a cross country team. Mountain Lion was a pretty fun rapid. Next, is Box rapid. This is my favorite rapid in the beginners section. This rapid is full of some really cool wave trains. I love big waves. After box rapid, we were back to some Class II whitewater. The next three rapids, called Big Kahuna, Speed Limit 55 and Sneaker were fairly simple. And right before take out at Kermits is a Class III drop called Twister. This is an interesting section, because I got to experience in both a raft and a ducky. In a ducky, I hit it more in the middle. When we did it in a raft, we hit it more left. It’s a lot more intimidating to the left. In fact, Jed our guide, almost came out of the raft. The drop kind of ejected him. Luckily, he didn’t fall out.

Outer Limits Rapid

It took us less than 2 1/2 hours to raft this section of Clear Creek. This section is a little over 15 miles. So at 600 cfs, we were definitely booking it. This section is a great trip, especially for those who want to stay close to Denver. It’s great to know a Class III & IV section of whitewater is less than 30 minutes away from the metro. You wouldn’t think Clear Creek would be that great, but I promise you it is. It is just as much fun as any other Class III-IV section of whitewater in the state.

Run: Clear Creek-Half Day

Meeting Time: Times vary. See website for details.

Trip Length: Normally 3-4 Hours

Price: $60

Guide: Jed

Company: All American Adventures

(888) 340-4942

http://www.raftdenver.com