The name of the Uncompahgre River comes from the Ute word that means red water, muddy water or a water that is slow moving. The Utes lived along the river since early times because of the water, plants and wildlife.
Flowing from the headwaters in the San Juan Mountains, the river is the artery of a large watershed and one reason many people choose to live here in Ouray County. Whether enjoying recreation on and around the river and the Ridgway Reservoir or using the valuable natural resource for irrigating agricultural fields, we rely on the watershed to support our lifestyles.
The Uncompahgre River drains 1,115 square miles of the Gunnison Basin in southwestern Colorado. This drainage area includes parts of Delta, Montrose, Ouray, Gunnison, Hinsdale, San Juan and San Miguel Counties in southwest Colorado.
The elevation ranges from 14,158 feet at the peak of Mt. Sneffels to 4,915 feet at the mouth in Delta. The Uncompahgre River originates in Lake Como at 12,215 feet in the Uncompahgre National Forest. It flows approximately 75 miles northwest past the City of Ouray, Town of Ridgway, City of Montrose, and Town of Olathe and joins the Gunnison River at Confluence Park in the City of Delta.
Download and print the basics about The Uncompahgre Watershed in Ouray County
Download the facts and figures about the watershed in the UWP Brochure .
Major tributaries to the Uncompahgre River in Ouray County:
Canyon Creek, Cow Creek, Dallas Creek, Red Mountain Creek, Corbett Creek, Portland Creek, Dexter Creek, Bear Creek, Oak Creek, Cascade Creek, Cutler Creek
Demographics in the Watershed
The Uncompahgre Watershed is experiencing rapid population growth. As the watershed’s population expands, additional demands will be placed upon the basin’s water resources.
The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) forecasts a doubling of the population from 2000 to 2035; increasing by 127%. Montrose is the ninth fastest growing county in Colorado. The statewide population is expected to increase by 80% in the same time period.
Learn about the lower Uncompahgre River watershed:
The Colorado River Connection
The laws that define water rights in Colorado follow the appropriation doctrine. Under Colorado water law, the right to utilize the waters of the State is based on the priority of a party’s appropriation of a specified amount of water, at a specified location, for specified uses. Local water commissioners, employed by The Colorado Division of Water Resources (DWR), are responsible for distributing waters of the state to satisfy the demands of legal water rights.
The Uncompahgre Watershed is located in the Gunnison River Basin.The Uncompahgre River is a tributary to the Gunnison River, which is one of the major tributaries of the Colorado River. Entirely located in the state of Colorado, the Gunnison flows from its distributed headwaters, primarily above the City of Gunnison, to meet the Colorado River in Grand Junction. After this confluence, the volume of the Colorado River is almost doubled in volume by the Gunnison River (on average the Colorado River receives approximately 40 per cent of its flow or 1.7 million acre-feet of its flows as measured by the USGS gage at the Colorado-Utah stateline.)
UWP collaborates with members of the Gunnison River Basin Roundtable, a group of stakeholders from around the basin who are focused on protecting and managing water resources in the basin. Find out more about the Roundtable .
With our watershed flowing into the Colorado River through the Gunnison River, UWP is also part of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, a public water policy agency chartered by the Colorado General Assembly in 1937 to be “the appropriate agency for the conservation, use and development of the water resources of the Colorado River and its principal tributaries in Colorado.” Ouray, Montrose and Delta, the three counties where the Uncompahgre flows, are active members of the River District. Find out more about the River District .
Many other organizations also keep track of and share information about the Uncompahgre River and surrounding watershed, and you can find those descriptions and details at the websites below: Colorado River Outfitters Association
Colorado Fishing Network
Orvis
American Whitewater Association
You can also find data about water flows at the following links:
Plus, find information about walking along the river below:
Uncompahgre River Walking Loop from Ouray
Uncompahgre River Trail Plants from Ridgway (Thank you Peggy Lyon and the Northern San Juans BroadBand)
Uncompahgre Riverway Trail
