Wave Description:

Lucky 7 is a standing wave that forms if the furthest-from-I-70 roller on the Cameo Dam is open. It used to be the 7th roller, but since the first was turned into a fish ladder it now looks like it’s the 6th. The wave needs the furthest-away roller, Lucky 7, to be up, and it works best when the other rollers are down. When things line up — usually it happens in the early spring or late fall — the feature forms a nice surf wave. SUPers may have an easier time with it, since pop-up surfers may have some tough paddling out of the eddy to catch it, but it’s worth a shot. The feature can vary a lot depending on flow and what other gates are open, and it’s a rare enough event that it’s tough to calibrate what to expect, but it could be anything from a friendly six-inch green faced-wave to an angry five-foot surging wave/hole. It’s rare for Lucky 7 to be open during particularly high flows, but if it is be cautious — too much water in the channel would probably create a drowning machine. Also, since it’s usually only open in the winter shoulder seasons, pack warm gear.

Gauge Information:

The Colorado near Cameo gives the gauge information here, but the bigger question is whether the 7th (looks like the 6th now, since the first was converted to a fish latter) is open. Note that the feature will change drastically depending on flows and what other gates are open, from a 7″ friendly green shelf to a monster sticky wave-hole you don’t want a part of.

For photos of the waves at specific flows, check out the River Surf Report.

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Directions:

Access here is a little tricky. Park roadside along I-70, just above the Cameo Dam, and check out whether the roller is up. If it is, access it from the base (don’t drop in from above).