North Platte - 1- State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon)


North Platte, Colorado, US/Wyoming, US

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1- State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon)

Usual Difficulty I-III (for normal flows)
Length 12 Miles

Narrow Falls


Narrow Falls
Photo by Ken Cramer taken 05/15/11 @ 1800 cfs

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
NORTH PLATTE RIVER NEAR NORTHGATE, CO
usgs-06620000 400 - 3000 cfs I-III 81d17h39m 311 cfs (rc= -0.0 )


River Description

While this river has the Put-in access in Colorado the almost all of the whitewater is in Wyoming.

If there were less than 7 miles of scenic flat water between the put in and the whitewater section of this river I suspect this would be a more popular run.




StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2011-06-19 21:36:39

Narrow Falls

Detail Trip Report  Narrow Falls  @North Platte 1- State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon), WY(4.72MB .jpeg)

Dropping into Narrow Falls

Detail Trip Report  Dropping into Narrow Falls  @North Platte 1- State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon), WY(5.11MB .jpeg)

Scared

Detail Trip Report  Scared  North Platte, WY(28.42KB .jpeg)


Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

It is floatable at flows as low as 400 cfs,
optimal at 1000 - 3000 (III-IV),
risky above 3000 (IV+).

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
NORTH PLATTE RIVER NEAR NORTHGATE, CO
usgs-06620000 400 - 3000 cfs I-III 81d17h39m 311 cfs (rc= -0.0 )

RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
400 -3000 cfs barely runnable-high runnable I-III

Report - Reports of North Platte 1- State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon) and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When River/Gauge Subject Level Reporter
North Platte [WY] Scared 1200 Will Schuster
271d14h23m /North Platte-State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon) [WY] Narrow Falls 1800 cfs user: "KENCRAMER"
271d14h23m /North Platte-State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon) [WY] Dropping into Narrow Falls 1800 cfs user: "KENCRAMER"

WXPort

News






User Comments
2011-06-08 06:42:58 (247 days ago)
KENCRAMER (153187)
There is no level where this stretch moves into the class V range although above 3k cfs it becomes
more class IV. The ten mile stretch from the Routt access to Six mile gap has all the big rapids.
Above Stovepipe rapid we call Tootsie Roll rapid which has the largest holes at high water. It
requires moving around as you run through but you definitely want to miss the holes center left and
far left. Above 2k cfs there is a right side run at Narrow Falls which keeps you away from the wall
and the lower left holes, so a bit of a sneak. This is a good wilderness day run with no permit
although not continuous action if you require it.
2006-05-31 23:56:46 (2081 days ago)
Jason SutterDetails
The information on this page appears to describe "Upper" Northgate Canyon reach from the
Routt put-in in Colorado to 6 Mile Gap take-out in Wyoming (approximately 10 miles). The
"Lower" Canyon reach has fewer rapids but great scenery; take-outs for this stretch
include: Pickroon, Big Creek, and Bennet Peak.
Users can submit comments.

Rapid Summary

Mile Rapid Name Class Features (Legend)
0.5Windy HoleIII
7.0Cowpie RapidIII
7.5Narrow FallsIII+Hazard
9.5Stove Pipe RapidIII

Rapid Descriptions

Windy Hole (Class III, Mile 0.5)
Windy Hole Rapid The North Platte starts out with a deceivingly fun and steep little Class III rapid named Windy Hole Rapid. Windy Hole Rapid comes up in the first 1/2 mile of the run as the river makes a sharp turn around a bend and look like it is entering a gorge. However do not be lured into a sense of excited anticipation of the upcoming rapids. After Windy Hole the river becomes Class I to II- for 6.5 miles. The scenery is great but there is no whitewater.

Cowpie Rapid (Class III, Mile 7.0)
After a very tiny creek flows in on the right the river changes character. The riverbed is scattered with large boulders, downstream visibility is greatly reduced, and the gradient pick up. This is the start of Cowpie Rapid. The rapid is not really difficult but it merits a Class III and could result in an extended swim and loss of gear if you flip at the top.

Narrow Falls (Class III+, Mile 7.5)
Shortly after Cowpie the canyon pinches in and the gradient picks up. Narrow Falls is the steepest and most difficult of the rapids on the river. The difficulty of this rapid range from a solid Class III to a Class IV at higher flows. The hole at the bottom of Narrow Falls is sticky and good boat control is essential at higher flows to avoid ending up in the hole.

Stove Pipe Rapid (Class III, Mile 9.5)
The river pinches down producing waves, swirling eddies, and some holes. Stove Pipe Rapid is a generic class III rapid. The wave trains are over 100 yards long for this rapid but the difficulty is not great. The takeout is just below on the left and it can be easy to overlook it so be careful.


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 1- State line to French Creek (Lower Northgate Canyon), North Platte Colorado, US/Wyoming, US (mobile)