The Cache la Poudre River is one of the most scenic and influential waterways in the West.

Preshistoric natives followed the river on their wanderings through northern Colorado. Today, hundreds of thousands of people rely on the river for drinking water, irrigating crops and recreation.

The stream in northern Colorado has shaped local and national politics, influenced laws and created controversy as communities battled for its water.

The Poudre River flowing on a foggy early spring morning through Gateway Natural Area in the lower Poudre Canyon.

All the while, the Poudre just rolls along as the last free-following river in Colorado.

The river originates in the tiny Poudre Lake near the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado.

A small stream–so narrow you can jump across it–comes out of the lake and flows through the mountain wildness to Poudre Canyon. On the way, numerous creeks flow into the stream until it becomes a healthy whitewater river. It tumbles rapidly for 60 miles down the canyon and onto the High Plains of Colorado.

The river passes through farm and ranch lands, the cities of Fort Collins, Windsor and Greeley, and empties into the South Platte River east of Greeley. Within the Poudre Canyon, the river is a popular recreation site for rafters, kayakers, hikers, wildlife watchers, and folks who just enjoy being out in Nature. The overuse of the river has created challenges that are difficult to solve.

The Poudre River played an important role in the development of western water law. Due to the scarcity of water in northern Colorado, agricultural, industrial, and urban water users have been at odds for more than a century over how Poudre Water should be allocated.

In 1986, a long stretch of the Poudre River in the canyon was protected under the federal Wild & Scenic law, making the stream the only river in Colorado to receive such protection. The designation, though, left the river in the lower canyon open for potential water storage projects.

This description barely scratches the surface of the history, value and importance of the Poudre River. Many articles and books have been written about the river. The one I recommend is Cache la Poudre: The Natural History of a Rocky Mountain River by Howard and Mary Alice Evans. It is available through online book sellers.

If you have questions, please send me an email at GaryKimsey55@gmail.com. 

Enjoy the Poudre!

–Gary Kimsey