The Arkansas Came Up: Fall High Water Just West of Canon City

The river that ran low all summer

In September we wrote about what a low-water year meant here. The Arkansas ran under 500 cfs at Parkdale, at the top of the Royal Gorge, nearly all season. Then, in the last days of September, the river came up.

The numbers from the gauges

• The week before: the Canon City gauge, at the bottom of the gorge, read about 170 to 190 cfs a day from September 24 to 28.
• The rise: the Parkdale gauge averaged 441 cfs on Wednesday, the last day of the month. Its last reading before it shut down for the season, at 1:00 AM on October 1, was 531 cfs and still climbing.
• The peak: the Canon City gauge topped out at 583 cfs on October 1 and 571 cfs on October 2, about three times what the river carried in town the week before.
• Saturday, October 3: the river was easing back, at 366 cfs at midday in Canon City, still about double the late-September flow.

What it means if you are visiting

More water covers rocks and gives the rapids in the Royal Gorge, like Sunshine Falls and Sledgehammer under the bridge, more push. If you have been waiting for a better day on the river, this is it. The Royal Gorge section is Class III to V and Bighorn Sheep Canyon is Class II to III, so families have a gentler option on the same water.

Check the river before you go

The Parkdale gauge is off for the winter. For current flows, use the Colorado Division of Water Resources station in Canon City, ARKCANCO. Rafting season here runs April 15 to October 15, so only a few days are left this year.

The full story

Royal Gorge Rafting, who run trips through the gorge, wrote the full account: The Arkansas Came Up: The Best Water of the 2026 Season.