South Platte River: Brighton to Fort Lupton March 18th, 9:00 am – to 2:00pm

Early Spring Beginner Day Paddle! 

March 18th, 2023 @ 9:00 am – to 2:00pm (could reschedule to Sunday, March 18, depending on weather)

Sign ups begin March 1st

 The South Platte River from Brighton to Fort Lupton is generally a beginner friendly 9 mile trip that is lined with cottonwoods hosting numerous birds and other wildlife… a nice way to begin the paddling season. There is one mandatory portage at a dam and one boat chute drop early on that will most likely be  portaged depending on conditions. Meet at Veterans Park in Brighton and be ready to begin the car shuttle no later than 9 am.  Take out is at Fort Lupton’s ballfields park.  Bring Rain Gear, canoe floatation, painters, spare paddle and of course a PFD. Also bring a set of dry clothes in a water proof bag and a lunch or snack.  Don’t pack too heavy,  the two portages are not all that easy, and you need to cross  a boulder field and fence.

For a detailed description of the river and parking areas go to: http://boc123.com/Kayak/RiverGuide/South_Platte_Brighton_City.cfm

This will be an ACA trip – e-mail your aca # to Mat. If not an ACA member, bring $10 per person for the insurance fee.   Potentially the trip may be run on Sunday depending on the weather.

Warning! – there are now a very lot of strainers (trees) in the river with a lot of tight turns – you need to have good boat handling skills to avoid them.  The lower the water is, the tighter the gaps past the sweepers.  I expect the water to be on the low side of average

Sign up with trip coordinator Mat Bozek,   [email protected]  No sign ups before  March 1st