Click the link to read the article on The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel website (Julia Wildman). Here’s an excerpt:
June 22, 2026
Normally, there are world-class rapids just an hour away down Westwater Canyon or approachable overnight fun just up-river in Ruby Horsethief Canyon. One of the most accessible sections of the Colorado River runs right through the heart of Grand Junction. However, low water levels could mean smaller crafts and shorter trips…At a gathering of local water organization leaders back in May, the attendees characterized the conditions as “bleak.” They identified an earlier snowpack peak in March at around 8.9 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE). That is less than half of the state’s median, which peaks in April at 16 inches of SWE…According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the cfs of the Colorado River near the Colorado-Utah state line peaked at around 25,000 cfs on June 10, 2024. In 2025, it peaked on June 4 at 12,000 cfs. This year, it peaked on May 19 at 4,280 cfs.