Finding the Beginning of the Colorado River
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2024
- The Colorado River travels over 1,400 miles, from the Rockies to Mexico, and supplies water to over 40 million people in the western U.S. and Mexico. Due to drought and increased usage the river has been under tremendous pressure over the last few decades and the water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead are at record lows. With the river being in the news so much recently, we wanted to go into the Rockies and see where the Colorado River begins. And we mean where it really begins.
We drove Colorado State Route 14 into the Rocky Mountains before driving down Long Draw Road, a 13 mile dirt road that is known for the amount of moose in the area. At the end of the road we reached La Poudre Pass, the Never Summer Mountains, the Continental Divide, and Rocky Mountain National Park, where we walked the rest of the way to the valley where the Colorado River begins.
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Even the Mississippi River has a modest begining. I think, many people, don't realize the enormous amount of watershed; any sloping hill may carry.
Yes it begins in lake Itasca Minnesota.
@@cassiusdio6048 And Mississippi used to drain the Great Lakes (until the Niagara river got unblocked).
Very true.
Itasca State Park in Minnesota is one of the most beautiful state parks you will ever see.
We walked across the Mississippi River at its source at Lake Itaska, MN some years ago. Very cool.
I doubt they'll see this, but just in case I wanted to make a note to thank the Ranger that we ran into in two different places that was super helpful. I didn't catch her name but she was great.
Cool vid. never knew that. I did watch a vid were people did a course I must have forgot but when they followed it down all the way to LA in the basins it trickled out short of the Pacific. OH Yeah THANKS
If you do these regularly, maybe try to find the origin of the Snake River or go to Two Ocean Pass where there's a creek that forms near Grand Teton and then splits into a creek flowing east known as the Atlantic Creek and the other flowing west as the Pacific Creek.
It was my wife.
These videos are relaxing and educational. Thumbs up!! Nice job
Great filming adventures captured for us.
Great video!
I’ve been in The Never-Summer Mountain Range, while fly fishing the Colorado River and its tributaries years ago.
One day on my trip, (it was late August) I was standing at a scenic overlook, way up above the tree line, and a National Park officer came over to me and started talking with me, he was very nice. I pointed to a large patch of ice and snow that was down in a valley, and shadowed by a mountain, and I said, “I bet that patch of snow and ice down there in that big shadow will take until next year to melt”, at which point he laughed, good naturedly, and said to me, “Well, that particular patch of snow has been there since 1960, so I’m guessing probably not!”
It was then that he told me that I was in The Never Summer Range, and that there were many patches of snow and ice in the range that had been there for decades.
It was such beautiful country, and I’ve always wanted to go back. Perhaps one of these days I will.
🙏
That's a very wonderful story. I'll bet you have some amazing ones from the places that you have been fly fishing. You should write a book of them . I definitely would love to read it
I live 6 miles south of Breckenridge Colorado, The Blue River's headwater at the top of Hoosier Pass is one of "The start of the Colorado River." There are many tributaries to the Colorado River. The Blue River flows north from here and confluences with the Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado. Thanks for highlighting the importance of this awesome body of water which is so important to so many animals and humans.
Very enlightening. Thanks
Gotta sample the fly fishing in the Blue before I get too old!
I've camped and did some trout fishing on the Blue River in the early Fall of 1975. AWESOME place..
Blue river is beautiful! Some of my favorite camp spots for sure.
Visiting your area in recent years.... some of the most beautiful country this nation has. You're blessed haha
I've lived in Colorado for 50 years and have just about seen it all. It was so incredibly beautiful but after the massive amount of people that are here now I don't go up much anymore. But I know what it was like when it was wide and open and free.
Indeed, I was born in AZ . After about a decade+ I went back for a visit and was deeply disappointed and won't return.
@@Vladviking so sad. Colorado and Arizona have special spirits. I love them both so extremely much.
Its not like the entire state has been taken over. There is plenty of wilderness in Colorado, you just have to drive over an hour. How terrible.
go to florida and you can feel some pain..yes its crowded in denver etc but you can get away pretty easily..
I have lived on the front range for 20 yrs, plus I lived in Estes Park for 8yrs. I used to spend every day in Rocky Mountain National Park, cleaning up after residents and tourists. They've trampled that beautiful park to death. I live in Loveland now. I may get up to RMNP once a year during the rut. It's a sad situation.
That’s how you say “Poudre,” alright. I live in Fort Collins and drive up 14 all the time.
Beautiful area
Interesting trivia: 101 years ago, the Colorado River didn't begin anywhere near here. The river whose source you're investigating was then known as the Grand River (whence the name of the nearby ditch). It didn't pick up the name Colorado until it reached Utah and its confluence with the Green River. A 1921 proclamation of Congress changed that: Grand became Colorado.
Yes! Thank you! Colorado actually stole the Colorado River. It should actually be called the Green River, which is much larger, even though it’s designated as a tributary.
They say all by design, but it’s actually all by redesign!
Actually, the Grand River had (and has) a larger flow of water than the Green River at the confluence. However, the Green River has a larger drainage basin. At least that is what Wikipedia says under the listing for the Green River. If you look at the confluence on Google Maps, the rivers appear to be pretty similar in size. Also, I think the Missouri River is bigger than the Mississippi River at their junction as well.
Texas also has a Colorado River that starts and ends in Texas.
@@SPR8364-0 No your thinking of the Ohio and Mississippi
Hydrologically speaking the "ohio river" is the river that flows into the gulf but due to ehh some flubbing of names to gain bigger territory via treaties.
Or you could say it in another way the Mississippi river starts in Pittsburg Pennsylvania. Because the Mississippi was named at its mouth by the French
I probably over complicated that explanation
I went to high school with members of a family born and raised in Poudre Canyon. They shared so many spots and facts shared by their grandparents to their parents and then them. I aways felt honored to learn from them. One thing I never knew was that sign marking the source of the Colorado River. Just shows there is always something to learn. Thank you for your videos!!
Timely and pertinent video!
I thought I was the only person obsessed enough to seek the headwaters of the Colorado. I hiked up to the meadow from RMNP.
You certainly added important context.
Thanks for showing everyone how important things can start in simple ways.
The hike looks great, I was really interested in checking out the Lulu City ghost town, but just didn't have the time unfortunately. Hopefully I can get back soon.
As someone who grew up in San Diego, I really enjoy your videos. Hope you enjoy Colorado.
Thanks. Colorado was great but we are back home in San Diego now.
Makes me think of Robert Plant singing that line from Ten Years Gone: "And though the course may change sometimes, Rivers always reach the sea" and how that no longer applies to the mighty Colorado ... the river that carved the Grand Canyon is so dammed and used, that it's now barely a trickle as it disappears into the sand several miles before it reaches the Gulf of California.
What have we done?
*Zeppelin!*
I think Jim Morrison said it in 1967
What have they done to the earth, yeah?
What have they done to our fair sister?
Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her
Stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn and
Tied her with fences and dragged her down
I hear a very gentle sound
With your ear down to the ground
We want the world and we want it (we want the world and we want it!)
Now
Now?
Now!
I thought the exact same thing. Funny how watching something can trigger lyrical memories.
It will see the ocean again. Once our dumbasses are out of the picture.
Grew up near there. Amazing the quality production one guy with a camera can put out. Excellent work all the way round my friend. Thanx for the video! 👍
Living in socal I occasionally find myself at the Colorado River by way of Bullhead, Needles, Parker, Blythe, etc and have always been curious about this. Thank you for making this beautiful and informative video
Good job and perfect timing. The Colorado has gone viral and you have provided a great perspective on the subject.
This is what RUclips is all about. Great video and great channel
I took a six-month road trip around the western U.S. and Canada in 2008, and during that trip I crossed the Colorado a few times. I was driving through RMNP and noticed on my map that the Colorado River started in RMNP! So I decided to hike up to the headwaters to this incredibly important river. As I came up to this engineered channel and followed it up to the divide (and what I learned was the Grand Ditch), it hit me that right from the very beginning of the Colorado, its waters are robbed and diverted away. There was a lot more water flowing in the Grand Ditch to the east of the Divide than in the actual Colorado River. Using our river and groundwater is part of our human existence, but it's still a little sad to see the water diverted right from the very beginning. Nice video, it brought back some great memories of that day and my trip around the West.
For those wondering about the blackened trees, this damage is from the Cameron Peak fire in 2020. Scorched more than 208,000 acres and started just a stones throw from Long Draw.
I searched the comments for the anser to that question, and you provided it. Thank you.
Some of the trees have signs of pine bark beetle damage too. I think all the dead trees caused by the infestation really helped contribute to the massive wildfires during that year.
The pine beetle infestation coupled with extreme drought conditions equalled a catastrophic 2020 fire season
Living on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, I have often wondered just exactly what the start of it looks like. Well, now I know. Many thanks for this enjoyable video.
Thanks Steve, very enjoyable. I'll be back again.
Thank you.
Another very enjoyable video. Thanks for taking us along!
Majestic things have humble beginnings. Thank you for this. I had the pleasure of living next to co river for a year in the western slope of the rockies. We have such a beautiful country
The Western Slope is great too. Really need to get back.
I've always wondered about where this river starts, and thanks to your energy, and willingness to make the hike, I'm better informed. It's remarkable that this rather small stream is responsible for providing water to so many people.
"willingness to make the hike" ...At 10K feet, even when you're in shape at sea level, you get Gassed quickly going up hills at 10K. You're saying "What happened?!"
Your pronunciation is correct. I floated the Poudre in 2010 out of Fort Collins. Had a great time.
Colin Fletcher walked/rafted the entire length. He backpacked the first 150 +/- miles.... and then rafted most of the rest until he got to Mexico where he went back to backpacking. Beautiful country!!!
The Man Who Walked Through Time, among other great adventures. I was sure someone would remember. Good for you.
I love source videos!! It's always amazing to me, how sometimes the tiniest things become the huge roaring necessities in life ;) Rivers and streams included! Thank you for doing this one, I always enjoy your vids.
I recently saw a video on the source of the Thames in England and it was so fascinating since there aren't huge mountains there.
yes man a small trickle turning to a raging river is amazing
It's fun finding the source of major rivers. The Salmon River in Idaho starts in a high basin near Galena Pass with a couple of creeks coming into it. Probably springs in the basin too.
Thank you Steve, excellent video. I live in San Diego, so I definitely depend on the Colorado River and have been closely monitoring the drought situation.
I've seen it rainin fire in the sky.
Talk to God and listen to the casual reply.
🎶 Rocky mountain high 🎶
Love the video! I’m a wildfire hydrology researcher and wildland firefighter. Collect TSS, water chemistry, and chlorophyll samples at long draw every week!
I'm a native Coloradoan and it's really special to be at the headwaters of the Colorado River. It's at the base of the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park. And yes, it's Poo-der (Poudre).
I’ve wondered about that pronunciation for decades. Finally!
I literally camped over there at Grandview campground and walked to the headwaters as well and lulu city site in July. It’s beautiful out there man
I wish I would have time to go to the Lulu City site. At least it gives me a reason to go back.
3:12 I love how right before you get into "haven't seen any wild life yet", a little forest critter runs by in the background
Thanks for going up there.
What a fantastic and fun little adventure, to think all the beauty that river meanders through and has helped create.
Thanks. It was so crazy to think of how that tiny bit of water was the start of such an important river.
Wow!! Great research Steve, I always learn something new from your videos 😊
Thank you, we appreciate it!
This was fascinating and beautiful. Thank you so much!
About 25 years ago I drove my Toyota Corolla (81) up the long draw road in May. There was so much snow that spring in the northern mountains. Pretty soon I was driving in one lane that was carved out between 12 feet of snow on each side. Felt like I was in a slit canyon, and I worried that the walls could cave in! I hit a point where they’d stopped plowing and fortunately they carved in a turnaround spot. One of the best drives I ever had!
Edit: slot canyon
Interesting video sir, it is astonishing for me that there is so much vegetation at an altitude of 10000 feet. In Europe you just find bare rock at this altitude. Shame that the Colorado does not reach the sea. Greetings from the Netherlands where the highest mountain is 1000 feet.
Your photography is great, your explanations and historical facts are well presented. It is refreshing to see a video that is so well put together. Thanks. It made me subscribe to your channel and I look forward to reviewing all your material.
I've been watching about 15 videos in a timespan of 2 days - they're all awesome!
Thanks! I appreciate it.
Thank you for doing this for those 0f us who cannot travel.
Love the scenery and music and history.
Interesting how you went up to the source of the Colorado from east of the divide. I always thought you would get to it easier from the west side since that's the way the river flows. Great content here! Thumbs up!
Thank you. We happened to be on the eastern side so it worked out for us. it looked like driving from the west you really have to circle around everything to get to the road.
That was awesome beautiful country
I grew up in that area. If you drive Hwy 14 at either dawn or dusk you will see hundreds of mule deer and elk and possibly bighorn sheep. If you didn't see any game then you were in the middle of the day.
As a Colorado native I say a hearty "well done". It's been several decades since I've been to the places in your video. I need to get back there.
Your not a native🤦♂️
Your best vid yet! Thank you, it was very informative! Beautiful country.
Wow, thank you!
I spent most of my childhood in Colorado --- we lived in Golden. I will forever appreciate Autumn colors to my grave because of living in Colorado.
Adding to my list!! My Fiancé would love this trip! Thanks
Awesome video, Steve! This one might be my favorite.
Awesome, thank you!
Absolutely fascinating video about natural history, human history, and the current significance and importance of the Colorado River. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank You Mr. Steve .
This has been on my bucket list for a while
You should go if you get the chance! its such a great job and the area around the Colorado River start was so peaceful.
Well done! It's always great to see things first hand. During our visit to RMNP, we found this spot to be very interesting too. Glad we found your channel! 👍
Thanks. Hoping to check out more of RMNP in the future.
We first visited this beautiful area in 71, the massive changes and beetle kill is both staggering and frightening.
Beautiful scenery, thank you.
WOW!!!!!! Dude, that was SUPER cool!
As someone who went to college in that area (University of Wyoming) you got the name of The Poudre right. Amazing area and it has been years since I have been there. Enjoy your videos, especially the history along the 8 and 10. I travel track and forth to San Antonio from SoCal and your videos help understand the history
Thank you. I have a few things planned out that way but have just been waiting on it to cool down some.
So the French pronounced powder as in gun powder the way it was pronounced in this video ?
@@SidetrackAdventures when you show the map and the line draws on the map along your route, what software are you using?
I’ve never been to this area but the name is French. It means powder as in gun powder. I’m French and in French « poudre » is pronounced : poo - dr . The last E is not pronounced (unlike in Spanish).
@@1STGeneral Hard to come up with an exact pronunciation in text form but it sounds like poo-druh with a tongue roll on the letter d
Great video.
I upvoted near the beginning. Then you showed us something else amazing, and I actually tried to upvote again.
To be honest, this happened a few times during the video. Granted, every time you showed us something cool, I'd look it up. So maybe my memory isn't quite as bad as it seems. I turned a 12 minute video into an hour long video doing this.
Wow, thank you.
Beautiful video. Thank you. I used to live in small town near Perth, Australia. The summer there is brutal. Driving one day I noticed one small stream flowing in the summer, all the rest had dried up.
On google maps I traced the tiny green areas by the stream until I found the source.
I got a few mates all excited so we jumped in the car. After a long drive and jumping over farmer's fences we found the source. It was a little green oasis with water bubbling up through some reeds. Behind the source there was nothing but the usual scorched summer ground.
Always wanted to go back but summer equals snakes and fences means farmers. In Australia the few left who have guns are the farmers😅
I have greatly enjoyed your videos. You are a natural host. Very informative, well-researched, and well-delivered. Thank you for all the time you dedicate to your channel, it is much appeciated.
Great video and content-thanks for your work putting this together and sharing! Mark
It reminds me of the Mississippi River. The starting point of it is a small creek that me and you could walk across. But if you get in it where I live in Southern Illinois, it'll take you with it. Great video, really enjoyed it!
I'm always surprised at how wide the Mississippi gets because I'm so used to our western rivers.
@@SidetrackAdventures the Mississippi river is a beast
Mississippi queen, you know what I mean..
Loved this video finding the Colorado River headwaters. I've sampled the fly fishing on a short section of the La Poudre but never traced the headwaters. I've explored the source of the Rio Grande and Arkansas Rivers headwaters but haven't ventured to the source of the Colorado River...yet. Thanks for some great Colorado scenery. Too, a great tribute to a very important western river.
Fabulous video. Than you Steve!
Every river and creek where I grew up I explored the headwaters of for fishing purposes mostly and discovered tributary after tributary builds these rivers into what they become
Great video. I'm glad you were able to breathe at that elevation. I was 29 when I moved to Colorado Springs and it was hard to jog.
No trouble with the elevation there. Went up higher later on and definitely got winded though.
This is great. You don't think of how much the water has to take care of and foster before any of it ever gets to Lake Powell.
Good one Steve
This Colorado native thanks you kindly.
Beautiful video, I haven't been up there in many years, might be time for a trip
You should if you get the chance. Aside from a few park rangers and someone from the water district we were the only ones around.
Amazing that it all starts with a little stream.
Great content. Fantastic video.
Thank you, we appreciate it.
Thanks I enjoyed watching. ✌🏻👊
I jumped across the Colorado river!
Very well done Steve. Hope you enjoyed your trip.
Thanks. We did. Wish I could have stayed longer.
OH THIS IS FASCINATING. With our news focusing so much on what's going to happen to our water source (and a recently trip to the Hoover Dam), this really puts some perspective on things. And the landscape of Colorado... 🤩 So fascinating to see the origin of the water that ultimately carved out the Grand Canyon over time. We've been talking about going to Colorado for a while (well, we tried and kind of did recently) but I think this needs to go on the list. It just looks so ... humbling? And beautiful. Great video!
Colorado is amazing. I wish we could have stayed longer and explored more. I guess that's the problem with everywhere though, so much to see and so little time.
Thankyou for explaining the proper pronunciation of Poudre!! Loved this video. 🤩🤩
Wow, this was pretty cool! Thanks
When I lived in Colorado, I'd go from Castle Rock to Fort Collins and then on Highway 14 to my fishing spot. Yeah, it took 2-3 hours to get there, but the drive through the Poudre River canyon and over Cameron Pass was worth the trip. I'd end up at Ranger Lakes which has spectacular scenery. I was devastated to hear about the Cameron Pass wildfire a few years ago.
When I lived in Colorado I bedded more broads than I expected the view was amazing mounds and gorges I went back for seconds it was spectacular. I heard about the beaver bush fire a few years ago, I was happy to hear that thing got a trim it was overgrown.
I really enjoy all your videos, but this one is extra cool. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoy it!
I've not hiked all the way up, but I've been there on US 34 where it runs along the river. At that location, the Colorado is a beautiful, clear mountain stream, and the surrounding vegetation is gorgeous.
I work the railroad line that follows the Colorado through the Rockies and really enjoyed seeing this! I also need to get back that way and film more off-road trails near Ft. Collins. Great vid!
Thank you, appreciate it. I imagine the railroad through there is amazing.
Seriously wanted to tell you, that I am so pleased by your channel. RUclips has gotten to the point where almost every single video annoys me, whether it be someone with annoying narration, pointless jump cuts, or general obnoxiousness, or poor quality/somehow misleading. This video did none of the above. It was exactly what was described in the title, plus good camera work, explanations, pleasant voice. Absolutely great job, keep up the good work!
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Yes - as a long time Coloradoan who lived where your video goes, it's pronounced, "poo-der". Locals don't use the full name, Cache La Poudre, we just call it "the Poudre River".
It's is beautiful up there and have hunted and cross country skied that area many times...
So true, all of us old Larimer County kin. And for those who don't speak french, the name "Cache la Poudre" translates to "powder cache". The French trappers named it such and apparently cached their gun powder in the area. The Poudre is one of the few rivers along the Front Range to be designated a "Wild and Scenic River", as it is not dammed. Thanks for the vid!
you know i was just talking to my sons about this steve! Thank you for making this video!!!
Our pleasure!
I traveled this route along the Poudre River many years ago. It’s very beautiful up there.
Nice! I'm in Idaho near where the Snake and Missouri Rivers begin. And the Yellowstone, etc! The world's humans settled along rivers.
lol, all of Idaho is west of the Continental divide your statement is a huge miss, the Missouri river starts in Montana east of the Divide, and the Snake River starts in in Wyoming in Yellowstone
@@twostop6895 the rivers I mention all begin in the MT, WY, ID juncture, a few hours drive for me. So yeah, I'm near, telling a guy out of San Diego
Some facts... the Green River in Utah contributes more water to the Colorado river as does the Gunnison River which flows thru Gunnison Colorado so where does the Colorado River really start
Up until 1921 it started where the Green River meets it but after some politics they declared the Grand River as part of the Colorado.
The Gunnison River flows into the Colorado at the town of ......Grand Junction. The Gunnison River starts about 10 miles north of Gunnison the town, at Almont, where the East and Taylor rivers meet..
Thanks for the journey and views. I enjoyed the vicarious visit!
Our pleasure!
This is a great insight. I love Colorado, lived there and fly fished all over. To see this spot is just amazing. Next visit to Colorado, I do need to get up there for sure!! Thanks!
Thanks for this video. I lived in Arizona for 36 years so I benefited greatly from the Colorado River. I just never knew where it started other than in Colorado.
Love my state still haven't explored it enough
I lived in Colorado for 8 years. As we headed west (from Denver highway 70 to San Diego destination) we stopped near Glenwood Springs at a rest stop next to Colorado river what a beautiful and mighty river, it was flowing very rapidly and the view surrounding it was spectacular😊❤.
Thank you Steve for such a tremendous and educational video. You did a great job of explaining to us so nice and very understanding about this great river in this great country of ours. Thanks again. JP
Nice, been up there many times fishing. Also the Rio grande headwaters... go up there a lot. I've lived all over Colorado for 20 years now. Near Durango now. I've also lived all over the US, and southwest Colorado is by far my favorite
One little piece of this beautiful country ! Thanks for sharing.
Our pleasure!
This is great! Thank You for making this! Wit all the lake Mead talk as of late, I hopped on maps a month or so back and started to explore this very subject.
I wish you'd shown us where the water actually starts flowing, but, none -the - less, great video. Love to see where it comes up out of the ground.
Great story, Steve. I see you sporting that SD cap. Slam Diego, baby! Just found your channel and subscribed. You have 141 videos and counting. I’m going back to the very beginning of your videos to December of 2019 at the Hawaiian villa and power watch to present day. See you at the end of the trail, partner. I left you a comment on that video introducing myself
Amazing, and grateful to you for getting this information condensed down to about 9 minutes. Great work.
AMAZING..THANK YOU..SAFE TRAVELS..
Thank you too!
Nice video, well done. I've been to Granby, CO and new it began up there somewhere. The Grand Ditch was something completely new to me. Thanks again for your quality presentation!!