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The Gunnison River: Bridgeport to Whitewater

Saturday, May 12, 2012 | Average CFS: 1,040

Over the winter I bought my own inflatable kayak so that I wouldn’t have to rent or borrow one anymore, and I’ve been looking forward to getting it on the river for the first time this year. Originally, Jackson and I wanted to go on a day trip through Ruby-Horsethief Canyon on the Colorado River, but because of the low river this year, we knew that it would not work very well as a day trip. Instead we decided to check out a new section of the Gunnison River that is very close to home.

We dropped off my Jeep at at boat ramp in Whitewater and then took Jackson’s car up to Bridgeport where we would get on the river. We knew this section of the river was going to be pretty flat, but it was much slower than we thought it would be. We ended up having to paddle much of the way to keep moving at a reasonable pace. Luckily, it wasn’t that windy today or it could have been much slower!

My new Tributary Tomcat Tandem ready for it’s maiden voyage down the Gunnison.

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Ready to Launch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Jackson and the rest of his family on the river.

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Jackson & Family by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Nice view down the river.

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Paddle by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Sandstone & Water by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Early in the trip we made a stop to hike up a side canyon to find a petroglyph panel. This was part of the reason I chose this stretch of river 😉

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Stopped for a Hike by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

It’s definitely one of the better petroglyph panels found in the area.

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Full Bear Paw Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Besides a few bear paw prints, there also appears to be a bear in this panel.

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Bear Paw Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Paw & People by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After finding the petroglyphs and taking a few photos, we were back on the river headed towards Whitewater.

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Around the Bend by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

View from my boat. From this point on, I didn’t end up taking many photos since I was busy paddling.

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Ahead by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Almost to the Whitewater boat ramp…you can see the Book Cliffs and Mount Garfield in the distance.

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Nearing the End by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Jackson getting his boat out of the river.

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Out for a Walk by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We ended up spending more time on the river than we had planned on, but we still had a nice time.

>> Bridgeport to Whitewater Photo Gallery

One Comment

  1. JJD
    JJD July 1, 2021

    Great photos!

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