Whitewater Run NM Class II-III

09. Purple Cliffs to State Line

Animas

Linked via: Proximity 73% confidence Synced 3mo ago

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Gauge Conditions
Runnable: 500.0 – 6,000.0 CFS
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Description
The Purple Cliffs (aka Dallebeta Park) to the New Mexico State Line section of the Lower Animas River is a class I and II Section. It is easy read and run at all levels. At higher flows there are a few distinct features that could flip a raft. About 2.5 miles into the run the river makes a sharp turn to the right. Here the private property owners have embeded fish ladders to the bottom of the river that can form somewhat rententive holes at high flows. The run is straight down the middle. Aproximatley 14 miles down the river there is a low head dam. It can be recognized by a pumphouse on the river right bank parralell to the hydrolic. The dam is capable of flipping a fully loaded raft at high flows. Run through the tounge on river left. Keep in mind the river bank is entirely private property until the New Mexico State line, aproximatley 20 miles from Purple Cliffs. The stretch can be done in 6-7 hours at flows greater than 4,000 cfs. At lower flows it is an overnight adventure with illegal camping. Some comercial outfitters have permits which allows for partial runs of this section. If interested in viewing this river section prior to boating it privatley, or if you're not up for a full 6-18 hour day on the river, I suggest reaching out to Mild to Wild Rafting here
Difficulty
Class II-III
Length
21.2 mi
Gradient
20 ft/mi
Rapids
0
Difficulty Classes
I Easy II Novice III Intermediate IV Advanced V Expert/Extreme VI Unrunnable
Permit Required
Current Conditions
5-Day Forecast
Whitewater data from
American Whitewater