The Crystal River flows from headwaters in the Elk Mountains of Gunnison County and the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness to Carbondale where it joins with the Roaring Fork River in Carbondale. From there, Crystal waters flow into the Colorado River at the Roaring Fork confluence in Glenwood Springs. This region is home to abundant fish and wildlife populations, offers plenty of recreation opportunities, and supports ranching and agriculture economies.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act directs federal agencies to identify and evaluate potential rivers for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System during agency planning, such as Forest Plan revisions. The White River National Forest has found approximately 39 miles of the Crystal River to be “eligible” for Wild and Scenic designation, including the headwaters of both the North and South Forks. The Forest Service has classified the 39 Wild & Scenic eligible miles into 3 categories:
- Wild – Free of impoundments and generally inaccessible, except by trail. Their watersheds and shorelines are essentially primitive with unpolluted waters. These represent vestiges of primitive America.
- Scenic – Free of impoundments. Their watersheds and shorelines are still largely primitive and undeveloped, but accessible in places by roads.
- Recreational – Readily accessible by road or railroad. They may have some development along their shorelines and may have undergone some impoundment or diversion in the past.
Eligible segments are highlighted in blue below (please note the highlighting is approximate). If the Crystal River were to be designated a Wild and Scenic River, the actual segments of river and details of the designation would be determined through a collaborative stakeholder process.