Grape Creek (Colorado)

Grape Creek is a tributary of the Arkansas River that flows through Custer and Fremont counties in South-Central Colorado. The creek drains much of the Wet Mountain Valley, located between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Wet Mountains in Custer County.[2]

Grape Creek
The mouth of Grape Creek, at its confluence with the Arkansas River near Cañon City, Colorado
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationCuster County, Colorado
 • coordinates37°54′31″N 105°28′49″W[1]
Mouth 
 • location
Cañon City, Colorado
 • coordinates
38°25′51″N 105°16′07″W
 • elevation
5,374 feet (1,638 meters)
Basin features
ProgressionArkansas River—Mississippi River

Course

The creek rises in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Blueberry Mountain.[1] From there, it descends down the east side of the Sangre de Cristos to the Wet Mountain Valley and then flows northwards towards the town of Westcliffe. North of the town, it crosses under Highway 69 and heads northeast, where it is impounded by DeWeese Reservoir.

Leaving the reservoir, the creek flows generally north down a rocky and remote canyon, eventually emptying into the Arkansas River just west of Cañon City.

Public lands

After it leaves the DeWeese Reservoir, the creek passes through a canyon owned by the BLM, which has classified 16,600 acres (67,000,000 square meters) of the river canyon as an area of critical environmental concern.[3]

The creek also passes through a small portion of the San Isabel National Forest.

Next, the creek passes through two parcels of land (1,280 acres (5,200,000 square meters)) owned by the State of Colorado and managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. This State Trust Land is located in Fremont County and offers hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing.[4]

Finally, the creek is the centerpiece of the 600-acre (2,400,000-square-meter) Temple Canyon Park, owned and managed by the city of Cañon City. The park is located near the river's end, before it merges with the Arkansas.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Grape Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  2. "Grape Creek - Temple Canyon Park". Angler's Covey. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  3. U.S.Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Royal Gorge Field Office (2017). Preliminary evaluation of potential ACECs: Royal Gorge Field Office relevance and importance criteria (PDF). Cañon City, CO: United States Bureau of Land Management. p. 33-34.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (2019). 2019 Colorado State Recreation Lands (PDF). Cañon City, CO: State of Colorado. p. 34.
  5. "Temple Canyon Park". Cañon City, Colorado. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
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