Starting near the top of Independance Pass on the western slope of the Continental Divide, the fabled Roaring Fork River runs for nearly 70 miles in a northwest direction. After passing through the town of Aspen, ‘the fork’ picks up volume from various tributaries such as Hunter, Castle, and Maroon Creeks, and continues on down the valley to be bolstered by the famous Frying Pan River and eventually to join the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs. Much of the Roaring Fork is designated as Gold Medal Water, and although there are several public access points to this top-notch trout habitat, much of the river is protected by private property. In the upper end of the valley, AOC has leased substantial stretches of private water for over 20 years. Once you get past the Woody Creek section of the river however, the average property size drops considerably and it becomes difficult to accumulate any useable amount of river footage.
Due to this situation, floating becomes the best way to access the choice spots on the middle and lower Roaring Fork. Although we are small in comparison to some of the larger generic fly-shops in the area, we have been incorporated since 1969 and we tend to employ the classiest and most successful float-guides in the area. Most float trips last all day (8 hours), and in addition to accessing a longer strech of the river, floating the river shows our guests a different and often superior perspective.