Kannah Creek facts for kids

Kannah Creek is a special waterway that flows down from the top of the Grand Mesa. It travels southwest and eventually joins the Gunnison River. This meeting point is about 25 miles south of Grand Junction, Colorado.

Kannah Creek is super important for many reasons! People use it for fun activities like hiking and fishing. It also provides water for irrigation on farms. Most importantly, it's a major source of drinking water for the city of Grand Junction.

The Grand Mesa is one of the biggest flat-topped mountains in the world. It has over 300 lakes and reservoirs on its top. Many of these are part of the Kannah Creek area. These lakes help store Grand Junction's drinking water all year. They hold the water as snowpack melts and turns into runoff.

Kannah Creek is also the name of a popular local business, the Kannah Creek Brewing Company. This creek is a vital water source. It starts in a high, wet area, like an oasis, in a very arid (dry) region.

Fun Things to Do at Kannah Creek

The Kannah Creek area is a great place for outdoor adventures! The valley, shaped by the creek and its smaller streams (called tributaries), has four main trails.

These trails are perfect for hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and even pack riding with horses. The main Kannah Creek trail is almost 8 miles long. It goes from the base of the mesa all the way to the top, ending at Carson Lake.

If you love water sports, you can also go canoeing and Kayaking in some parts of the lower creek basin. These areas are rated as Class III-V by American Whitewater, meaning they have exciting rapids!

Wildlife and Nature

The Kannah Creek area is full of amazing wildlife. In the higher parts of the Grand Mesa National Forest, you'll find pine and aspen trees. Here, elk are very common. You might also spot deer, foxes, and coyotes.

Look up to see eagles and hawks soaring overhead. On the ground, you might see marmots, bighorn sheep, and even the rare canada lynx. Mountain goats and many different songbirds also live here.

For those who enjoy fishing, the creek is home to many kinds of trout. You can catch brook, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. Recently, moose were brought back to the area, and they are doing very well!

The trails start in forests of juniper and pinyon pine trees. As you go higher up the mesa, the trees change to pine and aspen.

How People Use Kannah Creek's Water

Kannah Creek gets its water from snowpack. This is snow that builds up all winter and spring. It acts like a giant, frozen reservoir (a place to store water). The snow slowly melts throughout the year, sending water into the creek.

The city of Grand Junction works with many groups to manage this water. They have built small dams and reservoirs on top of the Grand Mesa. These help store the snowmelt water all year long.

Water for Grand Junction

Water from these reservoirs is carefully released down the creek. It is then stored again at the base of the mesa. This happens in places like Juniata Reservoir and the other Purdy Mesa Reservoirs.

From these reservoirs, the water is taken to the Kannah Creek Water Plant. This plant is located in Whitewater, CO. Here, the water is treated to make it safe for drinking.

After treatment, gravity helps move the water. It flows through channels and pipes to storage points. These points are located all around the Grand Junction area.

This water system was created because people in Grand Junction voted for it. They really wanted a new, fresh, and clean water source. Before, their water came from the Gunnison River. That river often had a lot of sediment (dirt and particles) in it.

Water for Farms

The creek also provides water for irrigation. This means it waters the many farms in the lower part of the creek basin, below the mesa. This area is well-known for growing delicious fruit.