Roaring Fork River

I LOVE 😍 The Roaring Fork.  It's that simple.  Something is special about the Roaring Fork Valley.  Maybe it's the hot springs in Glenwood Springs, maybe it's the wide valley with views of 14ers in the distance, maybe it's seeing the river as you make your way up in elevation toward Aspen.  It's a true outdoor enthusiast paradise - all year round. 

The river itself tumbles off Independence Pass, slips past Aspen's very expensive real estate, picks up the Fryingpan River at Basalt and the Crystal River at Carbondale, and rolls into Glenwood Springs as one of the best big-water trout rivers in Colorado.

What's not to love?

Variety. Up high it's a wade-and-pick-the-pockets kind of stream. The lower river is Gold Medal water, big enough to float as long as it's above 400cfs, with Mount Sopris hanging over the valley like it's trying to distract you from your indicator. It usually works.

The fishing

Rainbows and browns that grow fat on a steady menu of bugs. Nymphing is the bread and butter, streamers earn their keep when the water has a little color, and when the drakes come off, everyone on the river suddenly becomes a dry-fly purist.

When to go

Runoff (roughly May into June) is float-only, and only if you like your rivers the color of chocolate milk. Late June and July bring big stoneflies and the famous green drakes. Late summer and fall are prime wading season, with caddis, PMDs and BWOs and much friendlier flows.

Guide's note

The green drake hatch can make grown adults' hands shake while tying on a fly. Bring spares in sizes 8-12, because you'll donate a few to the cottonwoods. And if you're feeling too confident afterward, the Fryingpan is a short drive up the road to fix that.