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Surfing Stampede

The Stoner Stampede section of Colorado's Upper Dolores River rises as a "grinning and spinning" hot spot.

story and photos by Dunbar Hardy

For river boaters looking to get a surf on, look no further than the Dolores Valley just upstream of the wayside town of Stoner. In early-season runoff, intermediate paddlers will find the Dolores River stampeding from the mountains, flowing swift and strong down a 14-mile run called the Upper Dolores. In the heart of the run is the Stoner Stampede section, a 3-mile-long series of sloping sandstone shelves that create a plethora of shallow surf waves. For the playful paddler, Stoner Stampede has been described as "grinning and spinning" playboating, while downriver-oriented paddlers will enjoy a good ride of steady whitewater.

The Dolores, a tributary of the Colorado River, is a river of transitions. It covers approximately 250 miles over varied terrain as it travels from the aspen forests of the west side of Colorado's San Juan Mountains to where it joins the Colorado River in Utah.
Free flowing in its upper reaches, the Upper Dolores follows a short but steady course until it flows into McPhee Reservoir. Unfortunately, McPhee has been largely disastrous to boaters looking for adequate and consistent downstream flows. With adequate flows, the Lower Dolores offers numerous remote, multi-day sections for beginning/intermediate desert-loving paddlers looking to get away from it all.

However, near Stoner the Upper Dolores flows through a beautiful high-mountain, aspen-filled valley where, in spring/early summer, it flows free, strong, fast, and cold. The majority of this section offers up straightforward continuous waves and steady current but little technical difficulty. In high water, however, the steady, continuous current can make swimming and rescuing boats a long and unpleasant experience.

In Stoner Stampede, a cluster of great surf waves offers the most technical features. If surfing is not your thing, point your boat downstream and charge through the waves. Intermediate paddlers will find numerous surf waves for thrills and good challenges. Advanced paddlers will enjoy making their moves on a good variety of dynamic waves. The water is cold so dress warmly, and also be prepared to break big, wet smiles - there are a lot of surf waves in Stoner Stampede. After this section, the river settles down and the run ends in the beautiful little hamlet of Stoner. Now you can seek some relief for sore arms and neck, the cost of all the ruddering, surfing and spinning that put the wet smiles on your face.

Dunbar Hardy is the author of the newly released Paddling Colorado: A Beginner/Intermediate Guide published by Falcon Guidebooks (falcon.com). A well-known expedition paddler with adventures from around the world, the beauty and rivers of Southwest Colorado hold a special place to him (dunbarhardy.com)..