River Updates

The latest stream gauge reading from the USGS came in at 1:30 this afternoon

(Friday, May 28) at 3,920 cubic feet per second. With the Animas teetering on 4,000 cfs,

everyone’s eyes are big in Durango! She’s running muddy, and, for the locals, when the

river’s color turns to brown, there’s not a better week of the year!

Big water is in the air, the temp has risen to 90 degrees, and all the creeks are running.

Now’s the time to book your trip if you’re up for the BIG whitewater.

You can follow the Animas River stream flow yourself directly from our homepage. Click

on “FUN STUFF, ” then “LINKS,” and choose the reading you’re interested in. The Silverton

reading is taken at the Upper Animas put-in, the Tall Timer Resort reading is near the

bottom end of the Upper, and Durango’s reading is what we’re boating on for our daily

trips. Follow along. Anything over 3,000 cfs in town means the river is big everywhere.

4,000 and rising!

   May 8th marked the beginning of the 2010 Mountain Waters guide school. Eleven fresh faces showed up Saturday morning eager to learn how to guide these big inflatable water crafts. Throughout the week, the newcomers were trained in whitewater fundamentals including paddle boat guiding, oar boat guiding, flip training, swim practice, and, of course, customer service.

   The rookie class recieved instruction from Mountain Water’s guide instructers who have combined for over 65 years of class five experience. The rookie class graduated with honors and got the privalege of coming along on the Upper Animas camp set-up trip. The guide instructors finally got their turn to be on the oars, as they saddled up their boats in Silverton with stern rigs and off they went into Weeminuche Wilderness for two days of class five boating. The crew spent a lay-over day in Needleton setting up the camp, which includes a full commercial outfitting kitchen, three full-sized A-framed sleeping areas, a shower house, bar, horseshoe pits, and easy access to perhaps the San Juan Mountains finest display of scenery…Chicago Basin, home to three 14,000 foot peaks. Nestled along the confluence of Needle Creek and the Animas River, 11 miles from any civilization and only a steam engine train passing by daily, our set-up crew found there was no better place to be.

   Words and pictures can’t explain it, this is something you simply need to see for yourself. You can find out more about our Upper Animas Adventure on our home page.

   Mountain Waters is also offering a second guide school beginning on June fifth. If you’re interested in getting paid to spend your summer on the water or just simply want to learn how to guide a boat, you can find more information on our “Jobs” page.  We’d be more than happy to have you along.

Mountain Waters Rafting is up and running for the 2010 season and things in Durango

are starting to look exciting. Cool temperatures throughout Southwest Colorado have

kept stream flows at a steady pace in the Animas River Basin. The Durango town run

currently sits around 2,000 cubic feet per second, which is an awesome level for

some good hits on the 11 mile journey to the south end of town.

However, with the forecast predicting temps up to 80 degrees over the weekend, we

expect a jump in the stream flow early next week. So if you’re looking for a little more

exciting level, the coming weeks are the time and Durango is the place.

Please check back soon for our latest and greatest blog about rafting in Durango!

With this past weekend’s snow storm moving out, and next weekends getting closer to moving in, the snowpack in San Juan Mountains has reached 100% of average. Put simply, this means we’re in for a great season of boating!

Upwards of 30 inches of snow fell on the mountain passes north of Durango this past weekend, adding to our increasingly impressive winter snowpack. With a snowpack such as this, we’re typically in for a long boating season, as well as an extended period of high water. Mountain Waters Rafting is hoping to get its season underway within the first few weeks of May, and once that snow begins to melt we should be able to settle in for a good, long season.

If you’re looking at booking a trip with us this summer, you can expect our peak water to come around the first week of June and continue throughout the month. Typically, our water slowly tapers off from that point into late August.

Mountain Waters will be offering a variety of trips this season. Those trips include two Animas River options, a class two/three Durango town run and a class five wilderness run that begins in Silverton, Colorado and includes Durango and Silverton Train option. The Upper Animas package includes two and three day trips. We also offer a class five run on the designated wild and scenic Piedra River.

Once we get through our high water season, Mountain Waters will also be offering duckie trips through Durango.

If you’re looking for a raft and train package, we do that as well. Look for our “Raft and Rail” options.

For more information on all of our trip options, check out the “Our Adventures” page.

We look forward to another great season at Mountain Waters and we hope you’ll swing in and come boating with us! You can book your trip online now!