New Date! South Platte River: Brighton to Fort Lupton. Sunday,  March 10, 2024. (9 am to 2 or 3 pm)

Sunday  March 10th     from 9am to 2 or 3 pm

Sign up with trip coordinator Mat Bozek .  No sign ups before  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 also be  portaged depending on conditions. Meet at Veterans Park in Brighton (junction of Hwy 7 and 85 – W of 85, N of 7)  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 (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 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