Dolores River

The River of Sorrows only rarely floats boats. But when the snow does piles deep in the Disappointment Creek basin, the Dolores River feeds not just local agriculture but paddlers aplenty. With upstream users holding flows to feed parched farmers, a Dolores River paddling season often includes a five-year gap.

But when it flows, it’s one of North America’s most scenic river stretches, meandering through remote wilderness and stunning canyons. The untrammeled beauty of the Dolores River has fueled calls to protect some 400,000 acres around the river in Mesa and Montrose counties as a national monument, which worries some locals.