The Joint Club Paddle is scheduled for Saturday, March 25, with a snow/rain date set for Saturday, April 1st. It’s rescheduled to April 1! Rocky Mountain Canoe Club, Poudre Paddlers, High Country River Rafters, Flatwater Frogs, and Rocky Mountain Sea Kayak Club will be back on the South Platte River to start the 2023 padding season. You don’t need to be a member of any paddling club to participate.
The trip will start at Riverside Park in Evans and you can paddle 9 miles to Kersey or 15 miles to Kuner. This is an easy and fun trip for paddlers with any skill level. Typically, it’s more floating than paddling. You will see probably every possible kind of a paddling boat there. I am going to paddle one of my stand up paddleboards. If you are SUP paddler be prepared for a shallow river concerning your fin.
You can find all of details, cautions, and contingencies in the 18th Joint Club Paddleflier.
Some pictures from previous trips (in some years the trip was running from Brighton to Fort Lupton):
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Somewhere on the river around Kersey
Ducks, ducks, and more ducks. Hundreds of them.
Finishing 10 mile trip at Kuner
A little bit icy landing at Kuner (left shore upstream of the bridge)
March 14, 2015. 16 miles stand up paddling (SUP) trip from Wildcat on St Vrain Creek on the South Platte River to Evans Rob Bean. Beautiful, warm weather. Numereous bald eagles, turkeys and other birds, one turtle, and surprisingly a lot of people with children playing on the river.River flow: St Vrain Cr at mouth 230 cfs, South Platte River at Fort Lupton ~350cfs. Water level on the South Platte was lower than during my last trip. Some of rocks near Wildcat Mound visible in my aerial photos were exposed. I used a short fin on my Badfish SUP and paddled without special problems, but Rob was forced to remove his regular fin in the last miles of paddling..
We finished our trip at highway 85 bridge at Evans about 1 mile upstream from the closed Riverside Park. I was describing this place in my previous posts: comfortable parking (limited to ~10 cars) at the end of frontage road, a pretty good river access under the bridge, but the place has a lot of “urban” character (graffiti, garbage, beer bottles).
During my last paddling trip I made a stop to photograph the confluence of St Vrain Creek and South Platte River below Platteville. It was just before sunset. Hundreds of Canadian geese were passing by. I had my drone about 8 minutes in the air and some of flying geese were captured in my pictures.
Pictures of my drone (DJI Flame Wheel F550 with Panasonic Lumix GM1 camera) were shot earlier during my first stop at Wildcat Mound about 1 mile below the confluence.
My next visit to this river section with be probably on SUP and without the drone. I paddle Badfish SUP with a short fin which is probably safer at some shallow and rocky spots below the confluence.
Aerial view of the South Platte River with Sea Wind canoe and a paddler/pilot.
Aerial view of South Platte River and St Vrain Creek confluence looking upstream, i.e., south
Aerial view of South Platte River and St Vrain Creek confluence
DJI Flame Wheel F550 drone with Panasonic Lumix GM1 camera on a sandbar
Sea Wind canoe with DJI Flame Wheel F550 drone
I am adding the above pictures to Aerial Landscape gallery in my stock photography portfolio. They are available for license and immediate download as royalty free images.
A stretch of the South Platte River along Wildcat Mound below confluence with St Vrain Creek is my favorite river section for paddling. It can be accessed from the county road 19.5 bridge on the St Vrain Creek (north of the power station). This river access is relatively easy without a need to climb any fences. From here you have 1 mile of paddling to the confluence. This may be a start of a longer downriver trip or just downstream/upstream workout. The St Vrain current is pretty mild and you can easily paddle upstream. The South Platte is, in turn, much faster with some shallows and even little rock gardens (easy to navigate). It is more interesting for paddling downstream and more challenging for paddling upstream than the river section below Evans.
During my last trip (March 10, 2015) I shot some aerial pictures of the river at Wildcat Mound from a low flying drone. This place is about 1 mile below confluence. There is a shallow rapid just below the confluence. It gave a very good workout when I was paddling back upstream. River flow was ~120 cfs at St Vrain Cr and ~400cfs on South Platte at Ft Lupton (several diversion dams upstream). For comparison you can check pictures from my packrafting trip in June, 2011. The 2013 flooding cleared all previous log jams on the St Vrain. You can still see these huge cottonwood trees in the water, but they do not block the river.
South Platte River at Wildcat Mound looking up stream
South Platte River with Sea Wind canoe
South Platte River at Wildcat Mound with a little rock garden looking down stream
I am adding the above pictures to Aerial Landscape gallery in my stock photography portfolio. They are available for license and immediate download as royalty free images.
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.
Launching our paddleboards below Kersey bridge next to water gauge station
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.
Finishing our run at Kuner on left shore above the bridge
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 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.
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.
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 (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.
November 3, 2012. Paddling Bark Expedition SUP on the South Platte River near Kersey, Colorado. Camera: GoPro Hero.
It was my first time with SUP on a river – a short, but intense upstream / downstream workout starting at the Kersey bridge. A nice weather and good river flow. You can find more picture from that paddling in Fitness Paddling blog.
I will be back on the South Platte with SUP or other boat. The winter paddling season is open.
