This one caught us a little off guard. Water levels had been handling the rainfall this past week without issue (not surprising given the relatively low amount of rainfall so far this summer) but seems like the ground took on all it could earlier this week. Water levels at Castle Rock dam (48 hours upstream) have jumped up significantly in the last two hours and are expected to stay there for at least the next couple days.
Long story short, sandbars will be in extremely short supply beginning Friday morning and continuing through the 4th of July weekend. If you have a trip going out this weekend, particularly overnight, you can cancel for a full refund by replying to the confirmation email. It's still a little early to know if we'll be able to send out overnight trips for the groups that want to risk it and by default we still recommend cancelling. Where everything stands right now, it's doable, but I'd like to see those water levels stabilize for a day or two before confirming.
On the graph below, ideally we stay below 13.5' for normal conditions. Above 14' is usually a no go. Forecast updates twice a day. The silver lining, very dry forecast and not a lot of rain in the southern part of the state that will contribute to higher water levels below the gauges (where most of the guessing comes into play). At most, we should be back to normal by Tuesday.
-Ryan
Unfortunately it looks like the water level has spiked this morning to levels higher than we had anticipated. We will be updating more details regarding trips for this weekend later tonight.
After a week of cloudy, rainy days we're finally looking at some sunshine for the next week! But, of course, with heavy rain comes higher water levels for the river. We've been monitoring it for the week and it looks like the level will peak just at the threshold for scarce sandbars this weekend. When we get weekends with higher water I would recommend reading up on our river safety page just under the trip planning tab. Its always good to be prepared!
Like I anticipated, the forecast has changed a little bit for the weekend. We are expecting some thunderstorms on Friday night into Saturday morning. We are still expecting thunderstorms through out most of Saturday so come prepared for heavy rain! Sunday is looking cloudy but no rain expected. River levels are still looking to be lower so there will still be plenty of sandbars out there!
Oh boy, it's looking real wet and stormy out there. The forecast is predicting scattered thunderstorms for the next three days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday). The forecasts can change on a whim out here though so it is possible that conditions may look better within the next day or two. I will be checking the weather regularly, so be on the lookout for more updates if things change.
Its looking like another great weekend out there! We are expecting a little rain Thursday night and Sunday so if you are planning to be on the river for that time plan accordingly. River levels are looking great and shouldn't come up much which means plenty of sandbars to choose from!
Its going to be HOT!!! Nothing but sunshine and 90 degree weather for the weekend. Can you think of anywhere better to be than on a river?! River levels are looking low and there may be some wind on Saturday but nothing too fierce. Remember stay hydrated and don’t forget your sunscreen. We’ll see you out there!
Its going to be HOT!!! Nothing but sunshine and 90 degree weather for the weekend. Can you think of anywhere better to be than on a river?! River levels are looking low and there may be some wind on Saturday but nothing to fierce. Remember stay hydrated and don't forget your sunscreen. We'll see you out there!
It's looking like a BEAUTIFUL weekend ahead of us... River levels have dropped since last weekend leaving more sandbars to choose from and nothing but sunshine and hot weather in the forecast. Temperatures look to be in the 90's for the weekend so definitely bring some extra water and sunscreen. Wind seems to be the only factor for this weekend that will be a little annoying, but with the temps it'll be nice to have a breeze!
Dang guys, it's looking good! Water levels are close to ideal and the weather is all sun. Highs in the upper 80s and even some 90 degree days in the extended forecast. All in all, hard to get better conditions than this!