Blue Creek (Gunnison River Tributary)
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Blue Creek is a tributary of the
Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...
in
Gunnison County, Colorado Gunnison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,918. The county seat is Gunnison. The county was named for John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer and captain in the Army ...
. It forms at the confluence of Little Blue Creek and Big Blue Creek adjacent to the intersection of
U.S. Highway 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
and Alpine Plateau Road (Gunnison County Road 867) in
Blue Creek Canyon Blue Creek Canyon is a narrow, steep-walled canyon in Gunnison County, Colorado. It lies between Fitzpatrick Mesa and Blue Mesa and is south of Morrow Point Reservoir and southeast of Cimarron, Colorado. U.S. Highway 50 goes through the canyon. G ...
.


Course

After it starts at the confluence of little Blue Creek and Big Blue Creek, Blue Creek flows under a bridge on Highway 50, it then flows north along the highway's west side, and then separates from the highway heading north until it eventually empties into
Morrow Point Reservoir Morrow Point Reservoir is an artificial reservoir on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Located in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the lake was created in 1968 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of a larger plan to impound ...
at the
Curecanti Needle The Curecanti Needle is a 700-ft granite spire located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. A notable landmark to generations of natives and pioneers, the Needle is located on the southern bank of Morrow Point Reservoir, an impoundment of ...
. The creek is long.


Other

Blue Creek is one of the two primary stream inflows to
Morrow Point Reservoir Morrow Point Reservoir is an artificial reservoir on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Located in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the lake was created in 1968 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of a larger plan to impound ...
(the other one is Curecanti Creek). Its mouth lies within the
Curecanti National Recreation Area Curecanti National Recreation Area(Pronounced (locally) or .) is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti National Recreation Area is responsible for developing and managing r ...
. The portion of the stream within the recreation area has good fly fishing and provides the best chance of catching fish, but access here is only by boat.


See also

*
List of rivers of Colorado This is a list of streams in the U.S. State of Colorado. __TOC__ Alphabetical list The following alphabetical list includes many important streams that flow through the State of Colorado, including all 158 named rivers. Where available, t ...


References

{{authority control Rivers of Colorado Rivers of Gunnison County, Colorado Tributaries of the Colorado River in Colorado