Colorado River
The Colorado River is born about 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains of
Colorado, just outside of Aspen, and flows southwest for 1,470 miles to
the Gulf of California, better known as the Sea of Cortez, in
Mexico. The 1,360 miles of its route in the United States makes
it the nation's fifth longest river. It drains a large portion of
the North American continent covering 242,000 square miles in the
United States and 3,000 square miles in Mexico.
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Colorado River Listings: (add your listing)
Colorado Rafting – Family & Advanced Whitewater
Raft on 5 Colorado rivers; easy floats to Class V. First-rate guest service & free wetsuits. See our AWARD-WINNING website for videos, trip options & our other adventures.
(877) 723-8464
The Colorado River and its tributaries drain southwestern Wyoming and
western Colorado, parts of Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and California, and
almost all of Arizona. Three fourths of the basin is federal land
devoted to national forests and parks, and Indian reservations.
History shows that the Colorado River has served many purposes.
The Ute Indians of the Roaring Fork River Valley, now home to Aspen,
Colorado, and Southern Paiute Indian tribes hunted and gathered in the
plateaus and canyonlands of the upper Colorado basin for
centuries. The Hohokam Indians, in the lower basin, built the
largest prehistoric canal irrigation system in the American West.
Indian groups maintained their traditional life ways and vestiges with
respect to the Colorado River. Then the Europeans began their
exploration, leading to the discovering of the Grand Canyon and its
rich geologic wonders.
Today, the Colorado River is an important water supply to the southwest
populations, who depend on the Colorado River and its tributaries for
water. Dams were constructed and behind the infamous Hoover Dam,
Lake Mead holds almost a two-year supply of water for the southwest.
Not only is the Colorado River appreciated for the drinking water it
provides, but also for its amazing recreational opportunities and the
tremendous terrain it travels through. Day and multi-use river
trips on the Colorado River and its tributaries are life
changing. Whether you are looking down on the river as it cuts
through a desert basin or through a huge slab of granite, or if you are
in the midst the biggest whitewater you could possibly imagine, or
catching a native trout on a fly you tied yourself – the river teaches
us something and brings a sense of clarity to our lives.
Currently OutsideOther pages you might find helpful:
Colorado River Water Conservation District
The Colorado River Water Conservation District protects the waters the use thereof in the western Colorado region.
