Little Thompson River
Encyclopedia
The Little Thompson River is a tributary
of the Big Thompson River
and thence the South Platte River
in the U.S. state
of Colorado
.
The river's headwaters lie in the Roosevelt National Forest
. It flows east through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
in Larimer County through the town of Berthoud, Colorado
, between Longmont
to the south and Loveland
to the north. The Little Thompson joins the Big Thompson River near that river's confluence with the South Platte River, near the town of Greeley, Colorado
.
The Little Thompson runs 51.5 miles (82.9 km) from its headwaters to the confluence with the Big Thompson, and descends approximately 2500 feet (762 m) in elevation in its approximately 24 miles (38.6 km) course through the mountains. Its run includes at least one 15 feet (4.6 m) waterfall
and numerous granite box canyons. The river had no man-made dams
as of 2007. It is managed as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson project
.
The river is considered a Class IV+
waterway, marginally navigable by experienced kayak
ers, and then only when it is in flood stage during the rainy Spring season.
The most numerous fish
species observed in the river include brook trout
, mountain whitefish
, rainbow trout
, westslope cutthroat trout
, and sculpin
.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Big Thompson River
Big Thompson River
The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 78 miles long, in the U.S. state of Colorado.- Course of the river :...
and thence the South Platte River
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
.
The river's headwaters lie in the Roosevelt National Forest
Roosevelt National Forest
The Roosevelt National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Colorado. It is contiguous with the Colorado State Forest as well as the Arapaho National Forest...
. It flows east through the foothills of 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...
in Larimer County through the town of Berthoud, Colorado
Berthoud, Colorado
Berthoud is a Statutory Town in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Berthoud is situated north of the Little Thompson River, approximately halfway between the cities of Fort Collins, Colorado and Denver, Colorado along the Front Range Urban Corridor...
, between Longmont
Longmont, Colorado
Longmont is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Longmont is located in Northern Colorado. Longmont is the 13th most populous city in the State of Colorado. The word "Longmont" comes from Longs Peak, a prominent mountain named for explorer Stephen H....
to the south and Loveland
Loveland, Colorado
Loveland is a Home Rule Municipality that is the second most populous city in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Loveland is the 14th most populous city in Colorado. The United States Census Bureau that in 2010 the...
to the north. The Little Thompson joins the Big Thompson River near that river's confluence with the South Platte River, near the town of Greeley, Colorado
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
.
The Little Thompson runs 51.5 miles (82.9 km) from its headwaters to the confluence with the Big Thompson, and descends approximately 2500 feet (762 m) in elevation in its approximately 24 miles (38.6 km) course through the mountains. Its run includes at least one 15 feet (4.6 m) waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
and numerous granite box canyons. The river had no man-made dams
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
as of 2007. It is managed as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson project
Colorado-Big Thompson project
The Colorado-Big Thompson Project is a water diversion project in Colorado designed to collect West Slope mountain water from the headwaters of the Colorado River and divert it to Colorado's Front Range and plains...
.
The river is considered a Class IV+
International Scale of River Difficulty
The International Scale of River Difficulty is a standardized scale used to rate the safety of a stretch of river, or a single rapid. The grade reflects the technical difficulty and skill level required associated with the section of river...
waterway, marginally navigable by experienced kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ers, and then only when it is in flood stage during the rainy Spring season.
The most numerous fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
species observed in the river include brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
, mountain whitefish
Mountain whitefish
The mountain whitefish is one of the most widely distributed salmonid fish of western North America. It is found from the Mackenzie River drainage in Northwest Territory, Canada south through western Canada and the northwestern USA in the Pacific, Hudson Bay and upper Missouri River basins to the...
, rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, westslope cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...
, and sculpin
Sculpin
A Sculpin is a fish that belongs to the order Scorpaeniformes, suborder Cottoidei and superfamily Cottoidea, that contains 11 families, 149 genera, and 756 species...
.