- elevation 12,215 ft (3,723 m) - elevation 4,915 ft (1,498 m) Basin area 2,885 km² Source Lake Como | - location Delta, Delta County Length 121 km Mouth Gunnison River Country United States of America | |
- left Red Mountain Creek, Canyon Creek (Colorado), Dallas Creek, Dry Creek (Colorado) - right Cow Creek (Colorado), Cedar Creek (Colorado) - location near Ouray, San Juan County | ||
Fly fishing the uncompahgre river montrose colorado
The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately 75 mi (121 km) long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at 12,215 ft (3723m) in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the northwestern San Juan Mountains is the headwaters of the river. It flows northwest past Ouray, Ridgway, Montrose, and Olathe and joins the Gunnison at Confluence Park in Delta.
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Map of Uncompahgre River, Colorado, USA
The river forms Poughkeepsie Gulch and the Uncompahgre Gorge. The major tributaries are all creeks draining the northwest San Juan Mountains.
There are two dams on the Uncompahgre River, a small diversion dam in the Uncompahgre Gorge, and Ridgway Dam below the town of Ridgway which forms Ridgway Reservoir.
The river is used for irrigation in the Uncompahgre Valley. Additionally, water from the Gunnison is diverted to the valley via the Gunnison Tunnel. The Uncompahgre is unnavigable except at high water.
The name Uncompahgre (/ʌnkʌmˈpɑːɡreɪ/) comes from the Ute word Uncompaghre, which loosely translates to "dirty water," "red lake," or "red water spring" and is likely a reference to the many hot springs in the vicinity of Ouray.