Black Canyon of The Bear

by | May 5, 2022 | Trip Reports

Trip Report: Multiple members of Team RMA recently made the trip to Grace, ID to enjoy the fruits of @American Whitewater’s nearly two decades of work to restore high flows through the Black Canyon of Bear River. 

It goes without saying that springtime in the Rockies can be distressing for paddlers. The window between water being locked up in the mountains and peak runoff seems to shorten more and more each season. Luckily, a longstanding agreement between PacifiCorp and American Whitewater provides the perfect opportunity for motivated paddlers to dust off the cobwebs. At a mere seven-hour drive from Fort Collins, the scheduled recreational releases through the Black Canyon of the Bear River present the only guaranteed opportunity to get wet before the Colorado season kicks off. From Grace Falls to the infamous Boo Boo, the Black Canyon feels like running nine miles of Kirshbaum’s (Gore section of the Upper Colorado) at healthy flows.

-RMA Team Athlete Cole Conger

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