Runoff

The snow is starting to melt and the creeks and rivers are on the rise. We are starting to see some bare ground in a few spots around the base area and on the south facing slopes. All the snow melt from the ski area drains onto the east side of the Continental Divide and into the South Fork of the Arkansas River. Much of the Cat Skiing terrain does the same except on the west side of the Divide in No Name Bowl. This area drains into No Name Creek to Tomichi Creek to the Gunnison River and finally into the Colorado. The Ark is running around 3500cfs in Salida and over 4000cfs in the Gorge. Things are trending upwards and it will be interesting to see what the high water level will be this year. A lot of people are comparing the State’s snowpack to similar high water years. The USGS maintains a great streamflow database to see the current level along with historical high marks.

Willow Creek at Monarch Mountain
South Arkansas River below the town of Garfield
South Arkansas River in Salida