Northgate take out

[go2water]

Can any one decribe the take out for the northgate canyon run?
I understand that one take out is steep and dificult to carry a raft out,
But I heard there is a second take out that is better, any info appreciated.
Thanks,
GB

[the_dude]

after the long, sort of cliffed-in wave train at the end of the run, stay left. there is an island that sends about 80% of the flow right and 20% left. take the left side. eddy out near the top of the left channel. begin the hike out there. it's not bad. relatively short and only steep in one place. we carried three rafts and gear out of there last weekend in under 30 minutes, give or take.

i don't know of a second take out for northgate. the next take out is about 8 miles downstream. one side of the river requires a really long shuttle, and the other requires a serious 4x4 to get to the river. if it's rained recently, don't try it. after that you've got a long ride to the next takeout.

[Chip]

There were at least two recent threads on this topic. Try searching 'Northgate' and see what comes up.

[Chip]

For the Six-Mile Gap landing, the feature to look for is a rock tower on the left bank. The tail of Stovepipe Rapid has cliffs on river right and a rockslide on the left. You can see the channel slope decrease downstream as the river divides around a willow-covered island.

The beta above is right on. Keep hard left after the rock tower. Pulling into the rocky left channel you can see the trail on the left.

Here's a copy of an e-mail I sent in response to questions about the North Platte, with a few added blahs. Also, a link to the FS website.

USDA Forest Service, Medicine Bow & Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National Grassland - Recreation Activities

Re: Northgate
Is there good camping in the Northgate section?

There are camps at the mouths of tributaries (mostly right), mostly with steep banks, willows: nothing I'd call good. Very few people camp since it is most often done in a day to Six Mile Gap. At higher water the camp spots disappear.

Would I be able to get my 15 footer down and at what minimal level?

I've run a narrow 15 ft. cat (with two people and no load) down at 850 cfs and it was enjoyable but a lot of work, dodging rocks. For fun, 1000 cfs is a good minimum. The FS recommends 1200 for loaded rafts.

What is the mileage to Treasure Island?

Don't know. I figure Routt put-in to Six Mile Gap is about 4-5 hrs. with a lunch stop, at medium water (1000-1500 cfs). Best bet is to camp the first night opposite Six Mile Gap or below (The Waterfall camp is nice, but small). There's a lot of private land lower down, but there is a FS camprground on the right bank just above the private land boundary, and more public land with good riverside camping on river right, opposite the Big Creek confluence. For boundaries and ownership, get the BLM 1:100,00 series map for Saratoga (yellow cover).

Could I do both the Northgate and Treasure Island as a one nighter?

Yeah, but it'd be a push. At higher water (1800+ cfs) you flush through pretty fast. Better to camp below Six Mile the first night and between Corral Creek and the Bennett Peak ramp the second night. That gives you a half-day run to Treasure Island for the take-out day.

For a one-camp trip to Treasure Island, I start at Six Mile Gap (have to carry down a trail). For a one-nighter from the Routt ramp, the best take-out would be the Bennett Peak ramp. But the shuttle's a slow grind over dirt roads— don't do it the first time in the dark.

[nightingale]

The first take out is a bit of a bitch. You have to haul all your gear up a hill. It didn't look like fun when we floated by.

We took out at the boat ramp at Bennet. It was a nice boat ramp with a developed camp area and toilets. It's on river right. You'll start to see a lot of cars and trailers around. Most of the river down that way is just a pretty scenic float by a bunch of ranches, but I thought it was a really nice float. We also saw a few bald eagles down there! A lot of fisherman put in here to fish downstream. It is a bit of a long drive out on a dirt road, but I thought it was worth it.

So I think it really depends on if you don't mind a second day of just floating. If you just want the rapids, Six-mile is it. If not, Bennet.

It's a great run and I thought Narrow Falls was a hoot!