Gunnison Gorge – Larry Franks and his stable of asses are our heroes.
Under a searing late-August sun, Franks’ team is carrying nearly 200 pounds of gear that would otherwise be loaded onto our already overburdened shoulders for the steep descent down the Chukar Trail into the heart of the Gunnison Gorge.
We were, as my partner Charlie Ebel so fondly noted, on a fishin’ mission. Outfitted with an inflatable raft, oar frame, camp kitchen, bivvy bags and – most important – fly-fishing equipment, we divided the load between us and the equine porters and humped it down the hill for a do-it-yourself overnight adventure in one of Colorado’s most gorgeous gorges.
About 2 miles west of Black Canyon National Park, the Gunnison Gorge is a semi-remote yet user- friendly wilderness canyon far more welcoming than its upstream counterpart on the Gunnison River. Unlike the Black Canyon stretch, there is no really difficult whitewater to speak of in the 13-mile lower gorge extending to the North Fork confluence, with intermediate rapids coming in the form of pool-and-drop Class IIIs. The catch comes in the hike to the put-in at the Chukar Trail between Olathe and Montrose. Dropping some 600 vertical feet in just over a mile, it’s not a bad trek, until you drag your own boat and overnight gear down it. That’s where Franks earns his $80.
There are plenty of area outfitters willing to take paying customers down the river too, but for those looking to go guideless, the Gunnison Gorge is the perfect place to start. You don’t have to be a grizzled Grand Canyon dory guide to navigate this stretch of river. Some intermediate river skills (like knowing how to rig a raft, recognizing where to scout and how to high-side) will get most boaters down the river without incident.
The reward is an opportunity to float at your own pace, stopping as you please to take a break, hike around, sleep on the beach or fish the array of deep pools holding large brown and rainbow trout – many in the 5-pound range – that see only moderate pressure by local river standards. Twenty-six designated camping areas offer plenty of room to pitch a tent and linger long enough to savor the outstanding scenery at the bottom of the canyon.
“I could get used to this river,” said Ebel, slapping a woolly bugger on the bank as his two retrievers, Thunder and Gale, sniffed out game birds in anticipation of a fall hunt. “It’s just got such great variety in terms of the fishing, the whitewater and the scenery.”
We floated the first 5 miles through nondescript rapids of the Class II variety before making camp in a broad basin known as Ute Park, catching and releasing healthy trout up to 18 inches on a variety of patterns that included streamers, dry flies and nymphs.
Swapping turns at the oars every couple of fish, the float through the Gold Medal-designated trout stream evolved into a dizzying round of musical chairs interspersed with quick scouts at Boulder Garden and Cable rapids – the largest on the river – on Day Two.
Ebel, whose previous rowing experience had been primarily relegated to broad swaths of the Upper Colorado River, willingly tackled the low-water lines through the Narrows section of the gorge without incident.
“That’s the most technical whitewater I’ve ever rowed,” he announced afterward. “Between the fishing and the rowing, I’d have to say that all my objectives have been met on this trip.”
Mission accomplished.
The skinny on Gunny Gorge
Wilderness regulations apply to all boaters in the Gunnison Gorge, including a maximum group size of 12 people and a maximum stay of two nights. Motorized craft are prohibited and user fees are required. For more information or a list of commercial outfitters, contact the BLM’s Montrose office at 970-240-5300. For pack horse reservations, contact Larry Franks at 970-323-5155.
