Arkansas, Colorado, US

02. Granite to Numbers Launch Site (Pinecreek)

Usual Difficulty	IV-V (for normal flows)
Length	6 Miles
Avg. Gradient	58 fpm
Max Gradient	200 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
ARKANSAS RIVER NEAR NATHROP, CO
usgs-07091200	150 - 2500 cfs	IV-V	122d07h50m	296 cfs (rc= 0.1 )

River Description

Pine Creek through the #' put in is the classic "old school" class V. Not to be taken lightly but not featured in the latest sick bird video. It is the steepest section of the Ark and is fun at pretty much every level. At the normal middle range of flows (1200cfs-2000cfs approx) it is the most challenging. The run gets very defined with the crux s-bend move becoming tight. At these levels the s-bend hole is sticky and will punish you. Although since the advent of play boats I have noticed that it seems less severe than when it used to eat Freefalls and other big bouncy boats. Pine Creek rapid proper is generally described in three sections. 1. The entrance: The top of the rapid is fast and pushy but not super demanding. 2. The s-bend: The s-bend move is tough, you need to make a move to the left or right to avoid a big hole it is moving really fast and many people don't know whats coming by the time they are on top of the hole. Swims here can be rough so if you don't like the looks of it put in below the hole in the first good eddy. The classic move is to the left but I have always thought the right run was a safer bet. 3. Triple Drop: Below the s-bend there is a short lull (100ft.) and then you are into the triple drop. This seciton is super fun and fast. Run the triple drop up the middle and hang on!

Below the triple drop the river goes into some fun class IV rapids. There is great play through here. At the second rapid you come to after the river mellows below Pine Creek, there is a huge granite boulder in the middle of the river that pinches the main flow between a smaller boulder on the left. This makes a great cartwheel spot at flows between 800cfs and about 1500cfs.

The thing to remember about this run is although it is not super hard by new school standards it has severe consequneces. Kayakers have died here because people swim out of the s-bend hole, stay with their gear, and end up drowning. Remember it is only plastic so let it go and get out of the river! Pine Creek is really cold and continous.

To Get There: Highway 24 parallels the run on river right although you can only see the river in a couple places. Put in at the small town of Granite at Hwy 24 mile 193.8 where County Road 397 crosses the river to an access on river left. There is an alternate access a couple miles downstream below the broken up dam that is used as a put-in particularly when flows are low. This access is reached from Hwy 24 mile 195.7 where you turn onto the dirt road headed upstream to an access site below the dam that still puts you upstream of Pine Creek rapid. If you're just doing a short run you can take-out at the Numbers access. At Hwy 24 mile 199.9 head down towards the river and before crossing Scott's Bridge turn left headed upstream. It's a mile up this dirt road to the Numbers access site. Alternatively, most folks just continue on downstream and run the Numbers and take-out after #5 or at the Railroad Bridge access.

See Colorado Rivers and Creeks II, by Banks and Eckardt (The Bible), for info on this and most of the other kewl runs of Colorado.

Lat/longitude coords are approximate, from TopoZone.

See also Pinecreek (Class IV/V),
The Numbers (Class IV),
Fractions/ Frogrock/ Milkrun (Class III),
Buena Vista (Class III),
Browns Canyon (Class III),
Salida (Class III),
Rincon (Class III),
Pinnacle Rock (Class III),
Royal Gorge (Class III/IV).