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Access Site CO

Coller State Wildlife Area

Rio Grande

Source: colorado_parks_and_wildlife Updated 1 year ago

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City: South Fork, CO
County: Mineral County
Type: Boat Ramp
Location: 37.73630652, -106.73567963
314 El Celito Dr, South Fork, CO 81154, USA
Air Temp: --
Location
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Nearby Gauge Conditions
Lake Fork below Lake San Cristobal near Lake City, CO 21.7 mi away
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San Juan River at Pagosa Springs, CO 22.3 mi away
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Real-time data from USGS Water Services
Whitewater Runs on Rio Grande
23 runs (5 nearby)
Difficulty Classes
I Easy II Novice III Intermediate IV Advanced V Expert/Extreme VI Unrunnable
Position relative to this access site: Put-in at this location This location is on the run Take-out at this location
Downstream from here Upstream from here
II-III+ This location is on this run 04. Wagon Wheel Gap to South Fork
11.4 mi 21 ft/mi
II Downstream from here (7.0 mi to put-in) 05. South Fork to Del Norte
20.9 mi 17 ft/mi
II-III Upstream from here (4.8 mi from take-out) 03. Creede to Wagon Wheel Gap
10.2 mi
II-III Upstream from here (13.6 mi from take-out) 02. Box Canyon to Creede
23.7 mi 24 ft/mi
III-IV Upstream from here (28.0 mi from take-out) 01. Box Canyon (CO)
8.1 mi 38 ft/mi
These whitewater runs are on the same river but located more than 50 miles from this access site.
II-III+ 632 mi away 7. Lower Canyons: La Linda to Dryden Crossing (83.5 miles)
84.3 mi 5 ft/mi
II 64 mi away 06. Alamosa to Lasauses
20.1 mi 15 ft/mi
I-II 75 mi away 07. Lasauses to Lobatos Bridge
20.0 mi 3 ft/mi
II-III 81 mi away 01. Lobatos Bridge(Colorado) to Lee Trail
24.0 mi 5 ft/mi
II 81 mi away 08. Lobatos Bridge to Lee Trail
21.0 mi 7 ft/mi
II-IV 93 mi away 02. Lee Trail to Chiflo Campground
9.9 mi 47 ft/mi
V 100 mi away 03. Chiflo Campground to Little Arsenic Trail
7.8 mi 69 ft/mi
II-III 104 mi away 04. Red River confluence to John Dunn Bridge
8.4 mi 12 ft/mi
III-IV 109 mi away 05. John Dunn Bridge to Taos Junction Bridge (Lower Taos Box)
15.0 mi 31 ft/mi
II 119 mi away 06. Taos Junction Bridge to Quartzite River Access
6.6 mi
III 120 mi away 07. Quartzite River Access to County Line River Access
4.4 mi 12 ft/mi
III 135 mi away 08. Otowi Bridge to Cochiti Reservoir
22.3 mi
II-III 599 mi away 1. Hoodoos: Redford to Colorado Canyon (15.75 miles)
16.0 mi 6 ft/mi
II+ 608 mi away 2. Colorado Canyon: Rancherias Canyon to Lajitas (21 miles)
21.2 mi 6 ft/mi
II(III) 619 mi away 3. Santa Elena Canyon: Lajitas to Santa Elena Canyon River Access (20 miles)
20.6 mi 7 ft/mi
I-II 632 mi away 6. Rio Grande Village to La Linda (34.5 miles)
34.6 mi 4 ft/mi
I-II 645 mi away 5. San Vicente & Hot Springs Canyon: Solis Landing to Rio Grande Village (19 miles)
19.4 mi
II 650 mi away 4. Mariscal Canyon: Talley to Solis Landing (10 miles)
10.2 mi 12 ft/mi
Whitewater data from American Whitewater
About This Access Site
The Coller State Wildlife Area offers excellent boat access to the Rio Grande River near the town of South Fork, Colorado. The area features newly constructed concrete boat ramps that provide improved accessibility for kayakers, canoeists, and small motorized boats.

The Rio Grande in this section is a medium-sized mountain river with a moderate flow and gradient, making it well-suited for recreational boating. The river flows through a scenic canyon setting with nearby hiking trails and wildlife viewing opportunities. Palisade Campground, located just off Highway 149, provides a convenient put-in and take-out point with parking available.

Boaters can access the Coller State Wildlife Area from various parking lots along Highway 149, which runs parallel to the river. The concrete ramps make launching and loading your vessel much easier compared to the previous dirt ramps. Whether you're planning a leisurely float or an adventurous day on the water, the Coller State Wildlife Area offers an excellent access point to explore the Rio Grande.
Federal Facility Information
Free Access

Wheeler Geologic Area is part of the La Garita Wilderness, within this area you will find many trails, some nearby peaks over 13,000 ft and amazing views. Located near the old mining town of Creede, Wheeler is accessible by a 7 mile hike or a grueling 14 mile four wheel drive road. Your efforts are rewarded by views of a remarkable geologic formation of moderately coarse volcanic tuff eroded into...

Wheeler Geologic Area is part of the La Garita Wilderness, within this area you will find many trails, some nearby peaks over 13,000 ft and amazing views. Located near the old mining town of Creede, Wheeler is accessible by a 7 mile hike or a grueling 14 mile four wheel drive road. Your efforts are rewarded by views of a remarkable geologic formation of moderately coarse volcanic tuff eroded into many different shapes.   Advice is to plan a whole day trip in order to travel into Wheeler, enjoy the formations, and then get back out.  It is not a short, easy trip. ROAD IS EXTREMELY ROUGH WITH DEEP RUTS      HIGH CLEARANCE JEEP OR ATV TRAVEL IS RECOMMENDED.In addition to trail # 790, East Bellows Creek Trail, from Hansons Mill, # 789 Wason- Wheeler Trail from north of Creede there are several trails  that either lead to Wheeler or from Wheeler on into the La Garita Wilderness. Check out the details for the following trails, 871, 912, 784, 783 and 888.There is a lot of information available on the internet, the following are two good sites to visit: www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-rio-grande-national-forest-colorado-sidwcmdev_066105.html and www.sangres.com/features/wheelergeologic.htmAt the end of the Wheeler Road #600 there are several dispersed campsites for the public to use.  You are not allowed to camp or have campfires inside the area of the formations. Dispersed camping is allowed at Hansons Mill site located just south of the East Bellows Creek trailhead.

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