The Gore Canyon Festival is the premier whitewater event in Colorado. Focused around the Class V
downriver race through its namesake Gore Canyon on the upper Colorado River, GoreFest has brought
the worlds elite whitewater athletes, families, anglers and river enthusiasts together for an awesome
end of season event that celebrates the upper Colorado River.
In addition to the famous Class V downriver race through Gore Canyon, the event also includes a family
fun float through class II/III Hartman Canyon (aka Little Gore Canyon), a freestyle rodeo at the Gore
Canyon Whitewater Park, and SUP downriver and cross races. Online registration closes Thursday
August 24 th at midnight (https://store.americanwhitewater.org/collections/2017-gore- festival). On-site
registration at Rancho del Rio is available at a $5 price increase. See our website
(https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Project/view/id/Gore+Fest/) and Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/gorecanyonfest/) page for more information.
Festival amenities, including camping, food, and entertainment, are located at Rancho del Rio, 10 miles
downstream of the BLM's Pumphouse Recreation Site. We encourage competitors and attendees to join
the festival at Rancho del Rio, where we will be coordinating event logistics and registration, shuttles,
and hosting movies, live music, food and drinks, and all things fun!
American Whitewater is heavily invested in the protection of the Colorado River and has negotiated
flows for Gore Festival, long-term flow protection through BLM and Forest Service management
planning, and played a critical role in securing the Gore Canyon whitewater park or Recreational In-
Channel Diversion (RICD), which gives boating flows in the Colorado River legal protection under State
water law. AW is also the leading representative of the recreational community on the Upper Colorado
River Wild and Scenic Stakeholders group where flows for the Colorado River are negotiated by AW and
our stakeholders. American Whitewater is presenting the Gore Festival to celebrate this beautiful place
we work hard to protect, and as an opportunity for paddlers, industry, and partners to enjoy and
support our cooperative stewardship efforts.
All or part of this operation is conducted on Public Lands under special permit from the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management.
The Gore Canyon Whitewater Park was built in 2015 as an effort by Grand County and its stakeholders
(including AW) to protect up to 2500 cfs in the Colorado River for boating. This project was a huge
success, especially for all of us who love to play on the Upper Colorado. The park is located between
launch 1 and 2 at the BLM's Pumphouse Recreation Area. It creates a perfect transition from the Class V
canyon to the family float to Radium or Rancho del Rio.
GoreFest now has an event for everyone. With the Gore Race as our main event, we now offer freestyle
rodeo events, a SUP cross and downriver race, and a family float make up this festival weekend
(Schedule below). American Whitewater would like to think our headlining sponsors, Down River
Equipment and the Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholders Group for their support!
Friday, August 25
6 pm – 9 pm Late on-site registration
8:30 – Film Screening
Saturday, August 26
7:30am Safety Teams leave for Put-in
8:00am Racer meeting
8:30 Racer shuttle leaves for Put-in
8:30 am – 12 pm Free shuttles to put in are in operation (racers get priority!)
12 pm Gore Race Starts
1 pm SUP Cross starts at Pumphouse
2 pm Shuttles begin rounds between Pumphouse back to Rancho
5 pm – 9 pm Slow Groovin’ BBQ at Rancho available for purchase
6 pm Sky Pilot first set starts
8 pm Results and Slideshow
Sky Pilot second set to follow
Sunday, August 27
11am Start 1st round kayak freestyle at Pumphouse wave
12 pm Downriver SUP race starts
2pm Final rounds for kayak freestyle at Pumphouse
