Headwaters of the Colorado River

Rocky Mountain National Park is located west of Estes Park and north and east of Grand Lake. This is a fee area of the National Park Service, and costs $30 per vehicle. This fee is covered in the Rocky Mountain National Park Annual Pass, the Rocky Mountain National Park/Arapaho National Recreation Area Annual Pass, and the America the Beautiful Pass. Please see the following website http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm for the entire fee schedule. The park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Road and Trail Conditions and Closures can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/road_conditions.htm. Recorded information for the condition of Trail Ridge Road can be found by calling (970) 586-1222. Please remember that all geologic features within the borders of Rocky Mountain National Park are protected by law, as are all natural and historic features. Please do not disturb, damage, or remove any rocks, plants, or animals.

This EarthCache can be reached by several routes, the easiest being to take Colorado Highway 14 up the Cache la Poudre Canyon west of Ft. Collins to the intersection of Long Draw Road at N 40 34.776 W 105 51.214. Take Long Draw Road south for approximately 13 miles, past the Long Draw Reservoir, and park at the end of the road at the La Poudre Pass Trailhead. The round-trip hike for this EarthCache is approximately 1 mile, and almost all of it can be completed on existing trails or on the ditch service roads. Though most of the hike will be relatively flat, you will be above 10,200’ for the entire hike, so plan accordingly. Take extra water, some snacks, and rain gear. If you begin to feel the effects of elevation, take a rest and drink some water. The only real cure for altitude sickness is to get to a lower elevation.

This is a 3-part EarthCache showing the current state of the headwaters of the Colorado River. Water law, particularly in the western United States, comes into play, as does local politics and civic pride.

Stop 1: The Colorado Headwaters. N 40 28.603 W 105 49.296

At the given coordinates, you are standing on the ditch road for a captured stream. You are also standing on the Continental Divide, artificial as it might look, and the meadow to the west is the source for the Colorado River.

The Colorado River didn’t always begin within the State of Colorado. Prior to 1921, the Grand River was the name of the section of river between these headwaters and the confluence with the Green River in Utah. At that time, the Colorado River existed south of the meeting of the Green River and the Grand River. In 1921, the Grand River was renamed the Colorado River at the request of the Colorado Congressional Delegation, because it was felt that the Colorado River should have its source within the State of Colorado.

Even before the river begins, water is stripped away through the construction of dams, ditches, and diversions to move water to the eastern side of the Continental Divide. The stream behind you is diverted by a feeder ditch to flow into the Grand Ditch a couple hundred feet west of where you are standing.

Question 1: How would the marsh be affected if the stream were to be allowed to flow through it?

Stop 2: Headwaters Marsh and the Grand Ditch. N 40 28.557 W 105 49.387

From the first set of coordinates, head about 500’ to the southwest on the ditch service road. The marsh forming the headwaters on the south side of the ditch road is fed by springs and snowmelt. The marsh is still relatively flat at this location, but the slight slope helps direct the outflow towards the west.

To the north is the Grand Ditch. This water project was begun in the 1880s to bring water from the Never Summer Mountains on the west side of the Continental Divide, to the east side of the Divide. It was originally 8 miles long when it began service in 1890, and was extended to 14 miles by the mid-1930s. Water flows into the ditch from Baker Creek eastward to La Poudre Pass Creek, then into the Long Draw Reservoir, and finally flowing into the Cache la Poudre River a few miles below the reservoir.

The result of the Grand Ditch on the Colorado River is to greatly diminish the flow of water in the upper reach of the river. This has effects on the habitat of the river and the support of plant and animal life not just by reducing the flow, but also by increasing the temperature of the water in the river.

Question 2: Name one way in which the additional water from the Grand Ditch affects the Cache la Poudre River.

Stop 3: The Colorado River Begins! N 40 28.342 W 105 49.569

Continue heading west on the ditch service road, then walk over to the final set of coordinates when you are about 400’ away. This small constriction is where the water heads out of the marsh, and is commonly displayed on maps as the beginning of the Colorado River.

The Colorado River is the 7th longest river in the United States and runs for about 1450 miles to the Gulf of California. On its journey, the river drains portions of 7 states and provides water for irrigation, drinking, manufacturing, and countless recreational activities. Snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains provides for about 75% of the yearly average flow, with 65 dams helping to control the flow from the river and its tributaries.

From this location, the Colorado River quickly drops in elevation as it passes through the Little Yellowstone on its way to the Kawuneeche Valley. In the relatively short distance of 5.5 miles, the river drops over 1,200 feet. It will take an additional 1,445 miles and the loss of 9,000 feet of elevation before the Colorado River reaches its end in the Gulf of California.

Question 3: What is the width of the river at this point?

To log this EarthCache, send me an email with the answers to these questions:

1. How would the marsh be affected if the stream were to be allowed to flow through it?

2. Name one way in which the additional water from the Grand Ditch affects the Cache la Poudre River.

3. What is the width of the river at this point?

Please consider posting photos of yourself, or the local geology, when you log this EarthCache. Photos can be an additional rewarding part of your journey, but posting them is not a requirement for logging this EarthCache, and is strictly optional.

The above information was compiled from the following sources:

Fort Collins Now. Online at: http://www.fortcollinsnow.com/article/20080505/NEWS/911660996&parentprofile=search

Frommers Online at: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rockymountainnationalpark/1460028608.html

USGS. Lengths of the Major Rivers. Online at: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/riversofworld.html

Informational Display at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center.

Rocky Mountain National Park. Online at: http://www.nps.gov/romo

Rocky Mountain National Park was most helpful in the background discussion, aid in the choosing of sites, and review of this EarthCache. My thanks to the Park for allowing the placement of this EarthCache!