The top miles are more like III at peak and II in between. Once you get to 10 Mile, the action is legit non-stop though it ebs and flows harder and easier, but there are no pools and rarely backs up to class II, typically is III with several long sections of IV. So, this is a general write-up with the few standout sections called out by name. Note: There are too many miles and too many non-descript sections to call out each rapid individually. At take-out we had low 80s temperatures but we were wearing all the layers we brought on the trip, under our drysuits, and still were a little chilled. The water is fresh snowmelt, and the canyon walls limit sunlight into the river, and therefore the water is very cold. Dress warmly, use poggies, you will get cold. The river really is non-stop splashing and rapids. The whole run, with Rockwood took us 5.5 hours and that included pictures, one in our group scouting and portaging 10 miles, a lunch break, and scouting Mandatory Thrashing in Rockwood Box. Felt like the river was full, but it didn't feel overly flush drowny like I would assume it does at high flows (with that said, don't swim, they are long affairs and are dangerous). We had 775 cfs in Silverton and 1,500 cfs in Rockwood and I thought this was a great flow. So with that all laid out, I was super glad we could just paddle Rockwood Box out and do a short hike on a nice trail up to the Rockwood Depot.
Or, wait until after the last train has gone through at 5:30 pm and illegally walk the tracks.
ANIMAS RIVER CFS FULL
Instead, people with hitch a ride with the train from the power station, buying a ticket in advance for full price. It comes in near the Tacoma Power Station and is steep apparently, so not a favored option. There is a trail which I do not know the details of. So, if you don't run the box, what are your options. If you don't know the Box though, I would think the 2,000 range is likely about as high as you would want without a guide as the rapids would be tough or impossible to scout. It is commonly run down to 350 cfs (you aren't running the Upper this low) and up to 3,500 cfs or even higher. We had ~1,500 cfs at the bottom and this was a great flow for the box. If the water is not too high this is made simpler.
ANIMAS RIVER CFS HOW TO
Now, one of the hurdles of the run is how to take-out. It all just takes away from the solitude and commitment of the run, though I am sure for some kayakers the train is a welcome relief of the stress of being in a deep secluded gorge. Worse, some tourists get off and do rope swings and ziplines across the river. The only downside is the train which runs along the river for its length and brings tourists up and down the canyon to see the sites for a fee.
Throughout though, you have some spectacular scenery of the canyon around you, walls rising high, walls dropping sharply, and wooded forest encasing it all. Broken Bridge is the last standout rapid of the run and is class IV to follow someone through but probably class IV+ in its own right. Below No Name is another 2 miles of class IV whitewater that is just super fun read and run. No Name sneaks up on you and is the only class V rapid on the run at normal flows. Ten Mile starts with a class IV+ (ish) crux section before continuing as class IV- to IV for give or take, 2 miles. Though there are a few standout exceptions.
The river is mostly class III moves, just non-stop. After about ten miles, the river really begins and you will find yourself running approximately 20 miles of non-stop rapids to take-out. But now, you have spectacular scenery surrounding you. Once in the gorge you get several class III rapids and maybe one class IV before the river again opens up and mellows out. After a brief paddle on Mineral Creek we hit the Animas and floated through the valley towards the gorge. We got to put-in at 8 am and put on at about 8:30. As it was Memorial Day weekend, camping options were limited but thankfully Molas Lake Campground was open and had space, as they normally still have too much snow to open so they hadn't taken reservations but still opened early. We did this because the road from Silverton to Durango was going to be closed from 8 am to 1 pm for a bike race, so we knew we needed to be as close to Silverton as possible. The night before we camped at Molas Lake, near Molas Pass, between Durango and Silverton. While we were unable to overnight due to lack of drybags and not wanting to stick my parents with an overnight babysitting duty of Aster in their trailer, he mentioned they were likely only camping 1 hr downstream of put in and that we could meet them at camp if we got an early start. Our friend Dave Farkas had reached out and mentioned he planned to do an overnighter on the Upper Animas.