Summit County, CO has mother nature to thank for an epic summer season. Due to consistent rainfall throughout the spring, Colorado reservoirs are holding strong. All 10 of the major reservoirs that hold water for the city of Denver are full, which currently allows for free-flowing river conditions. As a result, Summit County residents and visitors are able to enjoy a very rare rafting experience on the Blue River.
Blue River starts just south of Breckenridge and flows to the Dillon Reservoir. When water isn’t diverted to the South Platte River via the Roberts Tunnel, the river continues to flow up to Kremmling. Currently, this tunnel is dry and the river is raging. After an abysmal summer last year where the river flowed at a historic minimum, the current outflow rate is 175% above the historic outflow for the last week of Juneas as reported by Summit Daily
Rafting on Blue River is a rare experience, but this season is proving to be a different story for Summit County. Blue River’s outflow is currently 1,050 cubic feet per second, and rafting here requires a minimum of 500 cubic feet per second. According to Denver Water, this threshold is expected to continue through mid-July. If Colorado continues to see high perception, the Summit County rafting season could be one of the longest in history.
Photos Courtesy of Performance Tours Rafting