The Last Wild River
Matt Rice, Director, Colorado Conservation
March 20, 2013 | Wild and Scenic Rivers
Yampa River, CO at Dinosaur National Monument | Chris M. Morris
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to fly in a helicopter over the Yampa River, the last wild river in the Colorado River Basin courtesy of LightHawk; a fantastic organization that works with volunteer pilots to fly over priority conservation areas.
The Yampa River rises in the Flat Top Mountains near Steamboat, Colorado and flows through some of the most beautiful, rugged and barren country anywhere in America. The Yampa meets the Green River at Echo Park in Dinosaur National Monument.
Echo Park, one of the most interesting and spectacular places in the basin was the site of a controversial dam proposal in the 1950s but flows free today because of the dedication of a few early conservationists.
A short Iphone video of Echo Park taken in between handing video gear to Pete McBride and holding on for dear life. Warning- The video is loud, I recommend muting your computer.
Few people outside of Colorado are familiar with the Yampa River and fewer still understand its ecological importance to the Upper Colorado River Basin. While there is a small dam in the headwaters, the majority of the river and its tributaries flow free sending sediment downstream-vital to healthy riverside lands and habitat for endangered fish.
As climate change and population growth continue to push demand for Colorado River water to the brink, it is likely that the Yampa will again become a target to water the Front Range.
There are countless breathtaking places in the Colorado River Basin but if I had choose just one…I think would it would be Echo Park.
- Where is your favorite place, confluence, canyon, rapid on the Colorado?
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Submitted by Matt Rice at: April 29, 2013
While there is a mainstem dam in the headwaters, it does not significantly effect the rivers hydrograph. In Steamboat, the river does have characteristics of a regulated river but the reservoir does not have a ton of storage capacity and the major tributaries are all downstream (elk, little snake). The Yampa is the only major tributary in The Colorado basin whose peak flows are pretty much in an unaltered state, providing important sediment transportation to downstream reaches on the Green, even the Colorado River above lake Powell.
Submitted by GO at: April 28, 2013
Appreciate the attention paid to the Yampa but am perpetually flummoxed why it's continually referenced as the "last wild river." Stagecoach dam and reservoir south of Steamboat Springs is not an inconsequential impoundment. Catamount Dam just outside of town is not a beaver dam. Accuracy goes a long way toward building credibility. The Roaring Fork is a free-flowing river. So is the Crystal. The Yampa is not.
Submitted by Mike Estenson at: March 20, 2013
Cross Mountain Gorge has to be one of the best kayak stretches around-no permit and easily runeable in two days unless your shuttle drivers get lost riding back on the roads back to the put in.
Submitted by Greg Pinch at: March 20, 2013
I have whitewater rafted (with a local outfitter) on the Green to where it meets the Yampa. It is one of the most spectacular places in America.
Submitted by Tyler Callantine at: March 20, 2013
Great blog about the most amazing river in the Colorado River drainage. The Yampa River is truly a one of a kind place that any river enthusiast should visit.
Submitted by Evan at: March 20, 2013
Thanks for sharing! I love the Flat Tops, and it's good to see American Rivers watching out for the Yampa.
Submitted by LightHawk at: March 20, 2013
Great blog! Thanks for the mention and link.