Guide to Colorado Springs Kayaking
Located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs is surrounded by countless lakes, rivers and reservoirs. It’s a kayaker’s dream with every kind of waterway imaginable from perfect calm paddles to heart-thumping rapids.
Best Kayaking in Colorado Springs
Grab your PFD and some sunscreen and get ready for a fun-filled day on the water with these Colorado Springs kayaking destinations.
Quail Lake
Colorado Springs, CO
Quail Lake is a 22-acre lake surrounded by a scenic 113-acre park just south of Colorado Springs. It’s the perfect place for a summer sunset paddle with calm waters and staggering mountain views. There’s ample parking and convenient launching from the docks on the northeast corner. It’s popular for kayaking as well as standup paddleboarding.
Eleven Mile Reservoir
Lake George, CO
About an hour from Colorado Spring, Eleven Mile Reservoir is a stunning lake for kayaking in the center of Eleven Mile State Park. The park covers 3,400 acres and has a marina, a visitors’ center, hiking and biking trails, and over 300 campsites. The kayaking is very scenic with stunning granite rock lined shores.
Royal Gorge
Cañon City, CO
Royal Gorge is Colorado’s most famous whitewater destination. It is a ten-mile-long canyon with steep granite walls formed by the Arkansas River. It’s about an hour and fifteen minutes from Colorado Springs. Challenging and at times even dangerous, Royal Gorge has over a dozen Class IV to V rapids.
Colorado River
Glenwood Springs, CO
Beginning at the continental divide in Colorado and winding its way for more than 1,450 miles southwest through five American states and two Mexican states, the Colorado River is the fifth longest river in the United States. You can kayak either the Upper Colorado River in Colorado or the Lower Colorado River further south. You can find gentle waters as well as rapids. Through Grand Junction the river is mostly flat with significant rapids just upstream of the 29 Road bridge and the Glenwood Springs area offers mild to extreme whitewater experiences as the river flows through the high desert canyons.
Browns Canyon National Monument
Chaffee County, CO
The Browns Canyon National Monument is a 21,586-acre national monument in Chaffee County, Colorado that offers whitewater kayaking on the Arkansas River. Not as challenging as the Royal Gorge, it’s still an excellent option for experienced whitewater kayakers. Plus, the view is unbeatable. There’s a string of moderately difficult rapids that’s surrounded by some of the most stunning mountain scenery.
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