Boulder Creek (Colorado)

Boulder Creek is a 31.4-mile-long (50.5 km)[2] creek draining the Rocky Mountains to the west of Boulder, Colorado, as well as the city itself and surrounding plains.

Boulder Creek[1]
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of North Boulder Creek and Middle Boulder Creek
 • coordinates40°00′15″N 105°24′21″W
Mouth 
 • location
Confluence with Saint Vrain
 • coordinates
40°09′33″N 105°00′35″W
 • elevation
4,852 ft (1,479 m)
Basin features
ProgressionSaint Vrain—South Platte—Platte—
Missouri—Mississippi

Route

The creek is formed by two main tributaries rising along the Continental Divide: North and Middle Boulder Creek; and later joined by South Boulder Creek.

North Boulder Creek forms in a valley between Navajo Peak and Arikaree Peak on the Continental Divide, in the Green Lakes chain of lakes. The creek flows 17.8 miles (28.6 km)[2] past the community of Switzerland Park to join Middle Boulder Creek.

Middle Boulder Creek rises as two forks from the Continental Divide: the North Fork rises in a cirque below Mount Neva and flows 7.5 miles (12.1 km) to the South Fork.[2] The South Fork rises at Rollins Pass on the Continental Divide and flows 5.5 miles (8.9 km) to the North Fork.[2] From the junction of the two forks, Middle Boulder Creek, 13.7 miles (22.0 km) long,[2] flows east through the towns of Eldora and Nederland into Barker Meadow Reservoir, a water supply for the city of Boulder,[3] before joining North Boulder Creek to form the main stem of Boulder Creek.

From its source at the confluence of the North and Middle Boulder forks, Boulder Creek flows down Boulder Canyon and through downtown Boulder. On the east edge of the city, the creek receives South Boulder Creek, which rises at Rogers Pass on the Continental Divide, just south of the Moffat Tunnel. South Boulder Creek flows 40.0 miles (64.4 km) through Rollinsville, Gross Reservoir, and Eldorado Canyon before leaving the mountains and curving past the south and east sides of Boulder to its mouth at Boulder Creek.[2]

After leaving the city, Boulder Creek flows northeast into Weld County, where it joins St. Vrain Creek, and on to a confluence with the Platte River. Its waters ultimately flow into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Recreation

Boulder Creek is a summer recreational spot for outdoor activities including tubing, fly fishing, and wading. The annual Boulder Creek Festival, held along the creekside civic area between the library and Central Park, opens the summer season on Memorial Day weekend.

Fish species

Fish surveys from 1990, 1995, and 2006 found the following species of fish in Boulder Creek.[4][5][6]

Common nameScientific nameNative to Colorado?Image
Sand shinerNotropis stramineusYes
Iowa darterEtheostoma exileYes
White suckerCatostomus commersoniYes
Creek chubSemotilus atromaculatusYes
Longnose suckerCatostomus catostomusYes
Fathead minnowPimephalus promelasYes
Longnose daceRhinichthys cataractaeYes
Largemouth bassMicropterus salmoidesNo
BluegillLepomis macrochirusNo
Common carpCyprinus carpioNo
Yellow perchPerca flavescensNo
Plains topminnowFundulus sciadicusYes
Black crappiePromoxis nigromaculatusNo
Brown troutSalmo truttaNo
Rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykissNo
Cutbow troutOncorhynchus clarkia × mykissNo
Golden shinerNotemigonus crysoleucasNo
Green sunfishLepomis cyanellusYes
PumpkinseedLepomis gibbosusNo
Western mosquitofishGambusia affinisNo
Central stonerollerCampostoma anomalumYes
Orangespotted sunfishLepomis humilisYes

See also

References
  1. "Boulder Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed March 25, 2011
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-06-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Haworth, M. R., & Bestgen, K. R. (2016). Survey of Fishes and Habitat of South Boulder Creek, Colorado, within City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Property (pp. 1–57, Rep.). Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University. doi:https://warnercnr.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/10/LFL-202-Haworth-and-Bestgen-2017-S-Boulder-Ck.pdf
  5. Bestgen, K.R., & Kondratieff, B. (1996). Fishes, Macroinvertebrates, and Habitat of South Boulder Creek, Colorado, within City of Boulder Open Space Property. 10.13140/RG.2.2.27446.29769.
  6. Steinmann, D. B., & Windell, J. T. (1990). Boulder Creek Fish Survey Application of Rabid Bioassessment Protocol V-Fish and The Index of Biotic Integrity at Boulder Creek Before and After Implementation Of Best Management Practices. E.P.O. Biology University of Colorado.
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