Aspen Journalism: How Low Can the Colorado River Go? A Slow Float on the 15-Mile Reach

Aspen Journalism: How low can the Colorado River go? A slow float on the 15-mile reach

On a hot and sunny morning in August, a group of nine paddlers pushed their duckies and stand-up paddle boards into the Colorado River at Harky’s boat launch in Palisade.  The goal of the float was to experience and document the river at one of the lowest levels it has ever seen. With flows hovering around 93 cfs, a bathtub ring showed on the rocks along the riverbank and rusty hunks of old farm equipment emerged from the streambed. Bright green…

How low can the Colorado River go? A slow float on the 15-mile reach

On a hot and sunny morning in August, a group of nine paddlers pushed their duckies and stand-up paddle boards into the Colorado River at Harky’s boat launch in Palisade.  The goal of the float was to experience and document the river at one of the lowest levels it has ever seen. With flows hovering around 93 cfs, a bathtub ring showed on the rocks along the riverbank and rusty hunks of old farm equipment emerged from the streambed. Bright green…

How low can the Colorado River go? A slow float on the 15-mile reach, Grand Valley boaters, irrigators, fish feel the impacts of drought — Heather Sackett (AspenJournalism.org) #ColoradoRiver #COriver #aridification

A group of paddlers take a lunch break on the 15-mile reach of the Colorado River this week. Boaters had to occasionally drag their duckies and paddle boards through the shallows because of extremely low flows. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM Click the link to read the article on the Aspen Journalism website (Heather Sackett): August 14, 2026 On a hot and sunny morning in August, a group of nine paddlers pushed their duckies and stand-…