The Colorado Trail

The Colorado Trail
Online Guide and Community - Water

Water Information

Water Guide

Introduction

The most frequent questions I get asked about the Colorado Trail are related to water. I hope this section will give you valuable detailed information that you can use to help plan your time on the Colorado Trail. As I refine this data it will also be included on other areas of the website including individual segments pages.

Information

Here is a complete listing of creeks and rivers that the CT crosses (based on research I have done with state water data)

Archuleta Creek Bartlett Gulch Bear Creek Bear Gulch Black Canyon Blue River Box Creek Browns Creek Buffalo Creek Busk Creek	Cache Creek Cascade Creek Cataract Creek Chalk Creek Cochetopa Creek Columbia Creek Cottonwood Gulch Cree Creek Deadman Gulch Dry Creek	Dry Fork Lightner Creek East Fork Eagle River Eddy Creek Elbert Creek Flagler Creek Fooses Creek Four Elk Creek Frenchman Creek Glacier Creek Guernsey Creek
Guller Creek Halfmoon Creek Herrington Creek Hughs Creek Jacque Creek Jefferson Creek Johnson Gulch Junction Creek Lake Creek Lake Fork Creek	Las Animas River Lime Creek Little Browns Creek Longs Gulch Los Creek Lujan Creek Maxwell Creek Mesa Creek Mexican Joe Gulch Middle Cottonwood Creek	Middle Fork Swan River Mill Gulch Miners Creek Molas Creek Monchego Creek Morrison Creek North Cottonwood Creek North Fooses Creek North Fork South Arkansas River North Fork Swan River
North Fork West Tennessee Creek North Willow Creek Nutras Creek Pine Creek Piney Gulch Porcupine Gulch Powell Creek Raspberry Gulch Razor Creek Rio Grande	Rito Hondo Rock Creek Searle Gulch Silver Creek Silver Prince Creek South Arkansas River South Cottonwood Creek South Fooses Creek South Platte River South Sand Creek	South Willow Creek Spring Creek Squaw Creek Stevens Gulch Sunshine Creek Swan River Tank Seven Creek Tenmile Creek Texas Creek Three Elk Creek
Union Gulch Unknow Penstock Van Tassel Creek Weldon Gulch West Bear Creek West Tennessee Creek Willow Creek

I have recently done some GIS work with the Colorado Trail and the information I produced is relevant to this site. Using CT data that I have for the trail and State of Colorado stream and river data I can provide this following information. I have yet to cross-reference this data with what Ive observed in the field. However these stream and river crossings should probably be considered reliable.

Here is a chart that shows water crossings (stream and river) by segment:

Rank	Segment	Sources	%
1	14	12	11%
2	13	9	8%
3	10	8	7%
4	11	8	7%
5	12	8	7%
6	1	7	6%
7	6	7	6%
8	9	7	6%
9	18	6	5%
10	8	5	4%
11	15	4	4%
12	19	4	4%
13	5	3	3%
14	20	3	3%
15	24	3	3%
16	25	3	3%
17	28	3	3%
18	7	2	2%
19	17	2	2%
20	21	2	2%
21	2	1	1%
22	3	1	1%
23	16	1	1%
24	22	1	1%
25	23	1	1%
26	4	0	0%
27	26	0	0%
28	27	0	0%

The chart above shows actual crossings where these streams and rivers INTERSECT with the trail. I will work to fine tune this data as best I can to provide more detailed water information. The chart above can be a little misleading because it doesn't show water that passes close enough to the trail to be a relevant water source. I am still trying to determine how to present that data.

Here is an example: On segment 4 (through Long Gulch) the North Fork Lost Creek is not counted in the chart above as a water crossing because it only passes near the CT. However is it obviously a viable water source: