Wave Description:

The Miracle Wave is a glassy wave that appears in the outflow of the Chatfield Reservoir during high-water releases, usually in the spring. Longer, faster boards tend to work better with most water levels.

With solid flows (1100-1200), the structure will produce a nearly riverwide, glassy wave, with two distinct faces separated by a bulging midsection that can make it challenging to travel from one section to the other. Eddies can be friendly but the shallowness of the ramp often is not – watch out for scraped knuckles.

Gauge Information:

The wave is entirely controlled by the dam outflow; look for 800+ cfs on the Union gauge to start surfing, but really you want1000+ for things to get good. It’s surfable at lower flows but the rocks are close. This is the dam outflow itself, but the Union gauge has better graphs and flow alerts.

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

Want flow alerts for the Union gauge? Sign up here.

Directions:

Park at the dog park and walk below the dam. Entry to the park is $9.