The Grand Ditch

For the pioneers and settlers who invaded the American West in the late 1800s and early 1900s, water was in many cases more precious than gold and silver. And so it was, in the 1880s, that work began on the creation of a channel to divert water from the Grand River (later renamed the Colorado River) on the west side of the Continental Divide, and to deliver it to thirsty farms east of the mountains.

Considered an engineering marvel at the time, the channel began sending water eastward in 1890 with 8 miles of ditch across a high mountain pass, dug by hand primarily by Japanese and Mexican laborers. By 1936, with the help of machinery, the ditch extended to 14 miles, leaving what some visitors consider an unsightly scar through the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park. First called the Grand River Ditch, it was renamed the Grand Ditch after the name of the Grand River was changed to the Colorado River in 1921.

Still in use today, the ditch is about 20 feet wide and 6 feet deep, although the water is usually no more than 3 feet deep. It runs east from Baker Creek, at an elevation of about 10,300 feet, to La Poudre Pass, at an elevation of 10,179 feet, a grade of less than .2%. From Poudre Pass, water flows into a reservoir, then into the Cache la Poudre River, and finally to farmers and municipalities on the state's eastern plains near Fort Collins. However, the National Park Service has questioned the allocation of the water, and in recent years it has argued in court that the support of plant life, animal habitat, and other aspects of nature are just as valid as the needs of man for agriculture and drinking water.

An immediate effect of this water theft was a reduction in the fish population in the Colorado River. The water flow was cut in half, not only limiting the number of fish it could support but also causing an increase in the water temperature, which further endangered the fish.

Hikers will get a close-up view of the ditch, whether they want it or not, along the Grand Ditch Trail, which also offers some pleasant scenic views. The Ditch is also clearly visible from the Coyote Valley Nature Trail, a few miles south.