Fraser River (Colorado)
Encyclopedia
The Fraser River is a tributary of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...

, approximately 32.5 miles (52.3 km) long, in north central Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It drains large portion of the Middle Park
Middle Park (Colorado basin)
Middle Park is a high basin in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado in the United States. It is located in Grand County, on the southwest slope of Rocky Mountain National Park, approximately 50 miles west of Boulder.-Description:The basin surrounds the headwaters of the Colorado River...

 basin in Grand County
Grand County, Colorado
Grand County is the 21st largest of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 12,442 at U.S. Census 2000...

 in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

 west of Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

 and southwest of Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado.It features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails...

. It rises at the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...

 on the north side of Berthoud Pass
Berthoud Pass
Berthoud Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.The pass is located west of Denver, and provides a high route between upper Clear Creek Canyon to the upper valley of the Fraser River in Middle Park to the north...

 in the Arapaho National Forest
Arapaho National Forest
Arapaho National Forest is a National Forest located in north-central Colorado, United States. The facility is managed jointly with the Roosevelt National Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland from the United States Forest Service office in Fort Collins, Colorado...

. It flows NNW past Winter Park
Winter Park, Colorado
Winter Park is a Home Rule Municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 662 at the 2000 census, although tourists and seasonal workers significantly increase the population....

, Fraser
Fraser, Colorado
Fraser is a Statutory Town in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The population was 910 at the 2000 census. The town is in Middle Park in the valley of the Fraser River along U.S. Highway 40...

, and Tabernash
Tabernash, Colorado
Tabernash is a census-designated place in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The population was 165 at the 2000 census. The Tabernash Post Office has the ZIP Code 80478.-Geography:Tabernash is located at ....

, and joins the Colorado from the south two miles west of Granby
Granby, Colorado
The Town of Granby is a Statutory Town that is the most populous town in Grand County, Colorado, United States. Granby is situated along U.S. Highway 40 in Middle Park about west of Denver, Colorado, southwest of Rocky Mountain National Park...

.

Fishing

The Fraser holds wild rainbows, browns, and cutthroats. The Fraser River starts near Berthoud Pass
Berthoud Pass
Berthoud Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.The pass is located west of Denver, and provides a high route between upper Clear Creek Canyon to the upper valley of the Fraser River in Middle Park to the north...

. As it runs north for its first 8 miles, it is on National Forest land and is publicly accessible. The river is narrow and shallow here, but worthy of fishing.

From Winter Park to Fraser, the river can be accessed by the Fraser River Trail (hiking or mountain bikes), from USFS campgrounds, or road turnouts. The only exception is as the river flows through private land in the town of Winter Park. You can go fishing in the forested lands, or where the river starts into the valley.

Access to the Fraser River is limited downstream from the town of Fraser. Some of the best fishing is in the canyon downstream from Tabernash.
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