I like it because it’s fairly centrally located, so it’s easy to get to and they have some great camping spots in various areas around the lake. They also offer boat rentals, which IMHO is the leisurely way to pass the time in this beautiful area. It’s also adjacent to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, which I hope to explore a bit more in a couple weeks.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit Curecanti National Recreation Area several times over the past few years and have camped at a couple different spots.

Lake Fork Campground was a great place for tent camping before it was remodeled. Apparently, Lake Fork is now an RV only campground as I could not find any tent sites for this campground at ReserveAmerica. It’s great if you like camping with all the comforts of home! This campground is right on the shores of Blue Mesa Reservoir and near the Blue Mesa Dam.

Gateview is another nice campground, and now my favorite so far, located in a deep, narrow canyon at the extreme south end of the Lake Fork Arm of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Getting there entailed taking CO Highway 149 7 miles west of Powderhorn, then 6 miles north on the gravel Blue Mesa Cutoff Road. I had the opportunity to get a close up view of two bighorn sheep scrambling on the scree above our campsite. It was an amazing experience! Brown trout are abundant in the river that flows through this canyon and we had a great time exploring the area and peering into an abandoned mine along the riverbank.

In a couple weekends, we’ll be testing out the Elk Creek Campground which lies amidst treeless sagebrush and provides views of the magnificent mesas that surround the area. Elk Creek is also where the marina is located and where we’ll be renting a boat for the day. I’m looking forward to having showers, which is a treat for any campground. We;ve already got our reservation for a spot near the water. Can’t wait!

Read more: Curecanti National Recreation Area

Jeff ran through the obligatory safety instructions for the beginners’ benefit and we split up into four groups of 6. Maverick, our river guide, gave us a few pointers on paddling properly and we started downstream. The high-runoff season has just started to peak since it’s been so hot so the conditions were just about perfect for great river rafting.

The first few minutes gave us a chance to get used to the scenery and the frequent Class III’s before hitting our first Class IV, Nomad. Anticipation was high for Phoenix, our second set of Class IV’s, but we powered through that section without losing any paddlers. The same couldn’t be said for our fourth boat. They lost a couple paddlers in the rapids and they were quickly scooped up by Josh and Joe in one of the other boats. According to the river guides, the rescue went by the book, which is good to know after the fact.

We also saw a guy that had lost his kayak and was running along the bank trying to keep up with it. He was pretty distraught. Another guide in our group grabbed his boat and ferried it back across the river to him.

Our last set of big rapids was the Outer Limits, a stretch of 50-60 yards of pure Class IV’s, which turned out to be the most fun. I was in front and my biggest concern was just merely staying in the boat which I accomplished with a little effort.

I think I can safely say after my first rafting expedition that I’ll be back on the water very soon. Hopefully, in the next few weeks. I’ll post pictures once the film gets developed. (Yeah, I know, stone-age.)

Peace,

Dwight