Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big South Camping Ground Roosevelt National Forest | Campsite | 40.63257, -105.80781 | Top of the canyon, at the Big South trailhead on CO 14. |
| 2 | Sleeping Elephant Campground Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.68266, -105.77340 | |
| 3 | Big South Falls Waterfall in the upper Poudre canyon | Dam / hazard | 40.53594, -105.75355 | Not a boatable drop; the upper canyon above it is wade water. |
| 4 | Hagues Creek Campground Roosevelt National Forest | Campsite | 40.51743, -105.74145 | |
| 5 | Desolation Campground Roosevelt National Forest | Campsite | 40.51767, -105.73519 | |
| 6 | Glen Echo Resort Private resort and campground, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.69912, -105.58250 | |
| 7 | Kelly Flats Campground Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.68219, -105.48367 | |
| 8 | Mountain Park Recreation Area Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.68182, -105.46716 | Large riverside campground and day-use area in the canyon. |
| 9 | Dutch George Flats Campground Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.69581, -105.44595 | |
| 10 | Narrows Campground Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.68973, -105.43228 | In the Narrows, the tightest water in the canyon. |
| 11 | Stove Prairie Campground Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.68371, -105.39700 | |
| 12 | Stove Prairie Landing Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Access / boat ramp | 40.68248, -105.38916 | Canyon river access at the Stove Prairie Road junction; a standard whitewater put-in. |
| 13 | Ansel Watrous Campground Roosevelt National Forest, CO 14 | Campsite | 40.69018, -105.34779 | |
| 14 | Gateway Natural Area City of Fort Collins | Park / conservation area | 40.70074, -105.24468 | Day-use natural area at the mouth of the canyon, where the North Fork comes in. |
| 15 | Picnic Rock River Access Larimer County | Access / boat ramp | 40.67063, -105.23088 | Take-out at the bottom of the canyon run below Gateway. |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Watson Lake State Wildlife Area Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Bellvue | Park / conservation area | 40.63584, -105.17119 | CPW wildlife area with river frontage below the canyon. |
| 17 | Jackson Ditch diversion Irrigation headgate | Dam / hazard | 40.63268, -105.16861 | A working diversion on the plains reach; give it room. |
| 18 | Lions' Open Space Larimer County | Park / conservation area | 40.62327, -105.14086 | |
| 19 | Arthur's Ditch diversion Irrigation headgate, Fort Collins | Dam / hazard | 40.61167, -105.11294 | |
| 20 | Fort Collins / Lakeside KOA Holiday Private campground | Campsite | 40.61525, -105.10733 | |
| 21 | Larimer & Weld County Canal diversion Irrigation headgate, Fort Collins | Dam / hazard | 40.61205, -105.10681 | |
| 22 | North Shields Ponds Natural Area City of Fort Collins | Park / conservation area | 40.60815, -105.10092 | |
| 23 | Shields Street River Access City of Fort Collins | Access / boat ramp | 40.60403, -105.09601 | Town access on the Poudre River Trail. |
| 24 | McMurry Natural Area City of Fort Collins | Park / conservation area | 40.60189, -105.09034 | |
| 25 | Canyon Lakes Ranger District office Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, Fort Collins | Agency / conservation office | 40.55914, -105.08601 | The ranger district for the whole Poudre canyon; campground and fire status here. |
| 26 | Salyer Natural Area City of Fort Collins | Park / conservation area | 40.60042, -105.08401 | |
| 27 | Lee Martinez Park City of Fort Collins | Park / conservation area | 40.59650, -105.08184 | The main town park on the Poudre, on the Poudre River Trail. |
| 28 | Legacy Park City of Fort Collins | Park / conservation area | 40.59935, -105.08088 | |
| 29 | St. Peter's Fly Shop Fly shop, Old Town Fort Collins | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 40.58537, -105.07518 | Placed from its street address at 202 Remington Street, not from a mapped storefront on the water. |
| 30 | USGS 06752260 - Cache la Poudre River at Fort Collins USGS streamgage | USGS gauge | 40.58808, -105.06922 | Flow reference at the bottom of the run; canyon flows upstream are lower. |
Gauge: USGS 06752260 — CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER AT FORT COLLINS, CO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cuttbow, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Highway 14 canyon pull-offs - continuous roadside access along forty miles of pocket water.
Poudre Park and the Mishawaka reach - popular lower-canyon walk-in water.
Rustic and the catch-and-release section - restrictive-tackle water in the upper canyon.
Big Bend and Kelly Flats campgrounds - Forest Service access with parking.
Stove Prairie Landing - a well-marked mid-canyon access point.
Picnic Rock and the canyon mouth - the lowest canyon water before town.
Fort Collins Poudre River Trail - urban bank access on the plains reach this gauge reads.
Spring: snowmelt from late May into early July makes the canyon high, cold and largely unfishable.
Summer: prime pocket-water season, with attractor dries working well and burn-scar mud a real risk after storms.
Fall: low clear water, aggressive brown trout and the most pleasant canyon fishing of the year.
Winter: ice in the upper canyon, with the lower reaches near town open on warm afternoons.