GENERAL INFORMATION

  Colorado Parks and Wildlife (License, Regulations)

  Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Fishing Maps)

  Colorado Water Conservation Board

  Roaring Fork Conservancy

  Colorado Fishing Network

  Roaring Fork Fly Fishing Article

UPPER ROARING FORK RIVER (Above Carbondale)

-Nearest Town

   Aspen

   Basalt

-Water Flow

  Roaring Fork near Aspen

  Roaring Fork near Emma

-State Wildlife Areas / River Access

  AnglersWeb

  Rio Grande Trail Map

  Public Access Map

-Fishing Report

LOWER ROARING FORK RIVER (Carbondale to Glenwood Springs)

-Nearest Town

  Carbondale

  Glenwood Springs

-Water Flow

  Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs

-State Wildlife Areas / River Access

  AnglersWeb

  Glenwood Springs Access

  Rio Grande Trail Map

  Public Access Map

-Fishing Report

FRYINGPAN RIVER

-Nearest Town

  Basalt

-Water Flow

  Fryingpan River Near Ruedi, CO

-State Wildlife Areas / River Access

  Colorado Parks and Wildlife Information

  Public Access Map

-Fishing Report

FACTS ABOUT THE ROARING FORK RIVER DRAINAGE

Roaring Fork River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 70 miles (110 km) long, in west central Colorado in the United States. The river drains a populated and economically vital area of the Colorado Western Slope called the Roaring Fork Valley or Roaring Fork Watershed, which includes the resort city of Aspen and the resorts of Aspen/Snowmass.

It rises in the Sawatch Range in eastern Pitkin County, on the west side of Independence Pass on the continental divide. It flows northwest past Aspen, Woody Creek, and Snowmass. It receives the Fryingpan River at Basalt. 1.5 miles (2 km) below Carbondale, it receives the Crystal River from the south. It joins the Colorado in Glenwood Springs. The entire area that drains into the Roaring Fork River is known as the Roaring Fork Watershed. This area is 1,451 square miles (3,760 km2) and about the same size as the state of Rhode Island. The river flows through canyons along most of its route and is a popular destination for recreation whitewater rafting. The river supplies water through the Sawatch Range to the Twin Lakes Reservoir via the Twin Lakes Tunnel. Roaring Fork Conservancy is the watershed conservation organization for the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries.

The Roaring Fork is a swift, deep, powerful river with very clear water. It is navigable by small craft throughout most of its length to its confluence with the Colorado. The mean annual flow is 1,206 cu ft/s (34.2 m3/s).[2]

The Roaring Fork Valley is a geographical region in western Colorado in the United States. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent regions in Colorado as well as one of the most populous and economically vital areas of the Colorado Western Slope. The Valley is defined by the valley of the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries, including the Crystal and Fryingpan River. It includes the communities of Aspen, Snowmass Village, Basalt, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs. Mount Sopris and the Roaring Fork River serve as symbols of the Roaring Fork Valley.

The Roaring Fork Valley is part of the larger Roaring Fork Watershed, which includes the Fryingpan and Crystal River valleys. The valley extends for approximately 50 miles (80 km) southeast to northwest from Aspen northwest to Glenwood Springs at the mouth of the Roaring Fork on the Colorado River, ranging in width between 1 mile (1.6 km) and 5 miles (8 km). It is surrounded by mountains on all sides, in particular on its southwest edge by the high Elk Mountains that are location of the popular Aspen/Snowmass ski resorts. The upper (southeast) end of the valley is sometimes called the Aspen Valley, but locals simply refer to it as "up-valley" - Aspen - and "down-valley" - Glenwood Springs. Mount Sopris dominates the lower (northwest) end of the valley and serves as an unofficial symbol of the region. Many think the Roaring Fork River, from which the valley was named, is the unofficial symbol of the region.

FACTS ABOUT THE FRYING PAN RIVER DRAINAGE

The Fryingpan River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, approximately 42 miles (68 km) long,[2] in west central Colorado in the United States.

It rises in northeastern Pitkin County, in the White River National Forest in the Sawatch Mountains along the western side of the continental divide. It flows westward along the county line between Pitkin and Eagle County. Below Meredith, it is dammed to form the Ruedi Reservoir.[3] It joins the Roaring Fork below Basalt. A portion of the river's water is diverted to the east side of the continental divide for irrigation and drinking water via the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

FACTS ABOUT RUEDI RESERVOIR

Ruedi Reservoir is a reservoir on the West Slope of the Continental Divide on the Fryingpan River. It sits about 15 miles (24 km) upstream of the town of Basalt, Colorado, near Aspen.[1] The reservoir is located within the White River National Forest, and straddles the county line between Pitkin County and Eagle County.

The reservoir and its Ruedi Dam.

39°21′48″N 106°49′08″W were built from 1964 through 1968. They're both owned and operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. One purpose of the reservoir is to help compensate for diversions to Colorado's East Slope, taken further up in the Fryingpan Basin as part of Reclamation's federal Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. Another purpose of the reservoir is to provide water for West Slope interests.[1] The dam is located in Eagle County.

Ruedi stores approximately 102,000 acre feet (126,000,000 m3) of water.[1] Water in the reservoir is released through Ruedi Dam down the Fryingpan primarily for municipal, industrial, and agricultural interests. A side benefit of the reservoir is recreation. Boating, fishing and camping are popular at the reservoir itself, while the downstream portion of the Fryingpan River has become well regarded as a Gold Medal fishery.

In the 1980s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the presence of four endangered fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin. After a lengthy public process, it was decided that Ruedi Reservoir would become one of the sources of water in the recovery efforts of the fish and their habitat.

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