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Tag: Kuner

  • Paddling South Platte River from Evans to Kuner and beyond

    Paddling South Platte River from Evans to Kuner and beyond

    South Platte River paddling

    This year Annual Joint Club Paddle returned back to a traditional section of the South Platte River on March 26th. The trip started from the Riverside Park in Evans and eded up after 9 miles at Kersey or after 15 miles at Kuner. It was a nice weather and plenty of water for paddling at ~700 cfs flow at Kersey.

    stand up paddleboards on South Platte River

    There were 3 stand up paddleboards this year. I paddled 13.2’x30″ Voyager by Red Paddle, inflatable touring SUP with a pivoting fin by Frogfish. I paddled with the main group to the first dam, and then went a little bit faster reaching Kuner after ~3.5 hours and 15.4 miles.

    paddlers on South Platte River

    There were some changes on the river. Portages over dams were somewhat more difficult, especially, for larger groups. The group did a longer portage over the first dam on a left shore. I managed to do a short portage portage on the right. I wanted to be on the right shore for some photography.

    SUP portage over dam

    Is it possible to paddle downriver from Kuner to Fort Morgan?
    Is it worth it?
    My answer for both questions is yes.

    10-20 years I was actively training for marathon paddle races including Texas Water Safari and WaterTribe events. It motivated me to paddle in winter and spring when lakes in northern Colorado were frozen. During that time I explored different sections of the South Platte River all the way to Fort Morgan and a little further to the Snyder bridge.

    I still have some old pictures, stories and blog posts from this series of “paddling on wet sand”, probably, with many broken links. Sorry! At least, they can give some ideas what to expect.

    There are numerous dams and a lot of water diversion. So, it is really necessary to check river flow data and plan accordingly. Sometimes, it may be wiser just to paddle the Evans to Kuner section with a more reliable flow. It’s better to plan shorter paddling sections or/and have some exit strategy if your paddling is going slower that expected. I paddled at flows as low as 100 cfs at Masters, but it required a lot of kayak dragging.

    Good news: some dams may be opened and runnable, especially, in winter and early spring.

    Related posts:
    My First Paddling on the South Platte River near Greeley
    New Year Paddling – 22 Miles to Fort Morgan on the South Platte River
    Paddling on Wet Sand: Discovering the South Platte River in Eastern Colorado
    Paddling on Wet Sand: the South Platte River below Fort Morgan
    30+ Miles of South Platte River in Eastern Colorado

  • Scouting the South Platte River near Greeley, Colorado

    Scouting the South Platte River near Greeley, Colorado

    I haven’t paddled the South Platte since the last winter, so I decided to do some scouting around Greeley. There some changes …

    Riverside Park at Evans with a river access

    Riverside Park at Evans

    The park was rebuilt after flooding damages and reopened in October of 2018. The river access requires a longer walk than it used to be, but it is more comfortable. A concrete path leads directly to a huge sandbar. No more scrambling downhill through that concrete rubbish. The parking lot is accessible only from the 37th Street in Evans. You cannot drive around ball fields as before.

    Kersey – county road 53

    There is a construction of new bridge, so no parking along that road near the river. A little spot good for a couple of cars next to a water gage is still open. It looks like the main river channel is not obstructed, but I did not have a chance to check more carefully.

    Update: Weld County Road 53 will be closed from March 25 until April 29. The new bridge is built, and the are down to connecting the new roadway to the old roadway and then demolishing the existing bridge. I am sure it will change the river access.

    Kuner – county road 61

    It looks the same.

    Milliken – highway 60

    Another bridge construction. It used to be a good parking spot there with a not easy but doable river access. It’s gone now! This was the end of my favorite “Wildcat Mound” river section with a start at the lower St Vrain Creek. Of course, you can paddle further downriver to Evans, but it would be 17 instead of 7 miles with 2 additional dam portages.

    South Platte River at Evans looking downstream

    Self shuttle

    In the past, I did several river trips with a self shuttle using inline skates or bike to carry a packraft or towing a kayak. A traffic along, and, especially, across the river in Weld County has significantly increased during last a few years – a lot of farm and cistern tracks. It makes my self shuttling less attractive.

    Wildlife rangers

    In February of 2017 I had a long chat with a Weld County wildlife ranger under the Kuner bridge. I was lectured that I couldn’t legally access the river there, because the Kuner and Kersey bridges had no right off way and landowners could get upset. They also don’t allow to launch any boats from Mitani-Tokuyasu SWA above Kersey (I was using that spot 15 years or so). The ranger got some landowners complaints about trespassing, but none against paddlers. During my 20 years of paddling the South Platte I didn’t upset anybody except two wildlife rangers.

    A few years ago, a friend wanted to train with a racing canoe on the South Platte during winter, So he called Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department. He heard the same story. Yes, you can paddle the river. No, you cannot legally access the river anywhere (Kersey was specifically mentioned). However, they didn’t mentioned, that there were several public riverside parks along the South Platte below Denver including Brighton, Fort Lupton, Evans or Fort Morgan. My impression is that they really represent interests of hunters and landowners. Paddling or recreational use of the river is just a nuisance.

    I am still paddling the Horsetooth Reservoir this winter, but my first paddling on the South Platte will be the upstream/downstream workout starting at Evans Riverside Park. I am also checking water levels at St Vrain Creek.

    Related links:
    South Platte River below Denver, Colorado GPS/photo river guide (updates are required)
    South Platte River from Wildcat to Evans by SUP
    Wildcat Mound Run – the South Platte River by Bike and Packraft

  • 10 Winter Miles of Stand Up Paddling on South Platte River

    10 Winter Miles of Stand Up Paddling on South Platte River

    January 3, 2016. First SUP paddle of the year with Rob Bean. We paddled 10 miles on the South Platte River from highway 58 to Kuner. Great weather, river flow ~900 cfs at Kersey, several bald eagles and hundreds of ducks. There are no portages on this river section since we started just below the Plumb Ditch Dam (the second diversion dam if you paddle from Evans).

    We started from a gravel bar under the new bridge on highway 58 – a right river shore with parking on a wide shoulder, a shorter, steeper route with barbed wire fence on the upstream bridge site. Downstream bridge site may be more convenient without the fence, but with a little longer walk. You can reach the bridge by turning into the new highway 49 at traffic lights from Colorado highway 34 between Evans and Kersey.

    Rob posted his pictures on facebook. They actually show much better our launching site.

    I am paddling 10’6″ Badfish SUP during winter on the South Platte, typically, with a shorter 2″ NRS fin.

    Start at gravel bar under the new highway 58 bridge
    Start at gravel bar under the new highway 58 bridge
    Somewhere on the river around Kersey
    Somewhere on the river around Kersey
    Ducks, ducks, and more ducks. Hundreds of them.
    Ducks, ducks, and more ducks. Hundreds of them.
    winter SUP paddling on South Platte River
    Finishing 10 mile trip at Kuner
    A little bit icy landing at landing (left shore upstream of the bridge)
    A little bit icy landing at Kuner (left shore upstream of the bridge)
  • Paddling SUP on South Platte River from Kersey to Kuner

    Paddling SUP on South Platte River from Kersey to Kuner

    March 8, 2015. A short, 7 mile, stand up paddling (SUP) trip on the South Platte River from Kersey to Kuner with Rob Bean and a company of goose, deer, and bald eagles. It was easy paddling with a good flow of 1100 cfs and beautiful warm weather. After, paddling I did some river scouting around Evans Riverside Park and further upstream.

    Rob’s pictures from this paddling on facebook.


    paddling SUP on South Platte River
    Launching our paddleboards below Kersey bridge next to water gauge station

    paddling SUP on South Platte River
    I paddled my Badfish SUP with a short fin and never touched the bottom. Rob paddled with a regular fin and had to step out of his board once or twice, but I believe it would be possible to avoid any shallows with a more careful navigation.
    paddling SUP on South Platte River
    Finishing our run at Kuner on left shore above the bridge
    paddling SUP on South Platte River
    A typical bridge river access on the South Platte.
    A part of Riverside Park at Evans reopened in September 2014 with entry from 42nd Street. There is access to a small lake, but no access to the river.
    A part of Riverside Park at Evans reopened in September 2014 with entry from 42nd Street. There is access to a small lake, but no access to the river.
    Evans river access
    A bike trail going under hwy 85 bridge at Evans. Off road parking at the end of frontage road. The river access is not bad for the South Platte standards (no fences), but the under bridge scenery is pretty ugly.
    Bike trail destroyed by South Platte River flooding
    And, the bike trail ends just below the bridge. This is how probably the river shore looks further downstream at Riverside Park after the 2013 flooding.
    St Vrain Creek above confluence with the South Platte River.
    Let’s move 16 miles upstream: St Vrain Creek at Wildcat about 1 mile before the confluence with the South Platte.
    Access to the river from the county road 19.5 looks more or less the same as before flooding. River flow ~200cfs. I started paddling trips here with flow as low as 90cfs.
    Access to the river from the county road 19.5 (no fences) looks more or less the same as before flooding. River flow ~200cfs. I have started paddling trips here with flow as low as 90cfs.

  • Winter Paddling in Colorado: the South Platte River Near Kuner

    Another afternoon paddling on the South Platte River, this time near Kuner. It was warm, but windy. I packed again my DSLR camera with a tripod into Thunderbolt kayak, but didn’t have an opportunity to shoot to many pictures. The light wasn’t that great. So, all pictures below come from Pentax Optio W30, except the last one of old cars.

    I have several favorite “tight places” on the South Platte. One of them is a narrow channel a mile or so upstream of Kuner. The river forms a pretty big island there.

    There was enough water in the channel for careful paddling upstream, but in the middle I was stopped by a log jam.

    Paddling down the river under highway 37 bridge at Kuner. The landing spot in nowadays on the right shore behind the bridge pillar. Paddling downstream you will see first another bridge (further east on hwy 37) on a smaller river arm. Years ago I used to land there until the place was tightly fenced.

    I paddled further downstream to the Empire Reservoir dam hoping to shoot some pictures. It used to be a quite photogenic old style dam with a footbridge across the entire river. The dam was rebuilt recently and made taller. It will be not difficult to portage it on right, but right now it’s a mess with a loose sand where you can sink above your knees. I believe that they started to divert water to another reservoir here. Anyway, more than half river is going away.

    I finished my paddling with shooting some old cars on the river shore.

    South Platte River below Denver – GPS/photo river guide

    Returning Back to (Paddling) Life

    Old Truck, Young Eagle and the South Platte River Mysteries

    Paddling Thunderbolt Kayak in Tight Places – Lone Tree Creek

    Kayaking on Saint Vrain and South Platte Rivers near Platteville

    South Platte River – Another View or How to Photograph the River?