South Platte River: Brighton to Fort Lupton. Saturday, April 26th, 9 am to 2 or 3 pm

Sign ups begin April 20th. No sign ups before this, please.

 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 also be  portaged depending on conditions. Meet at Veterans Park in Brighton (junction of Hwy 7 and 85 – W of 85, N of 7) at 8 a.m.  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 flotation, 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 (20 min break).  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 many 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. 

Sign up with trip coordinator Mat Bozek.  matbozekx@gmail.com. No sign ups before  April 20th.