ruby horsethief canyon, black rock campsites

[sofia]

A group of 15 of us are floating down the Colorado the week after next and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a blackrock campsite for a group our size. I've always picked #5 for some odd reason. It's a nice spot but not enough flat spots for 15 people to pitch tents.

Thanks.

[gapers]

Fuck,one Ruby-Horsetheif thread at a time....

How come nobody that floats this is capable of finding a spot on the river by themselves?

[sofia]

so your saying you don't recommend black rock #1 eh. thanks for the advice.


...dickhead

Originally Posted by gapers

Fuck,one Ruby-Horsetheif thread at a time....

How come nobody that floats this is capable of finding a spot on the river by themselves?

[baggins424]

I think #6 is the money spot and should accomodate a group of your size nicely.

[upshitscreek]

whatever site you want will usually be poached by some group of sperm burpers anyway. always have a plan b.... or a gun,duct tape and cement blocks....

there was also a genius idea i read here recently of taking a digital pic of the registry when you launch in case the poaching group is too large and you run out of bullets,ect.

[Matty]

I like #7 myself. The idea for taking a picture of the registry is great, except for the fact that it is not required to register. If you sign up for a spot and the spot is taken, obviously you will go to the next best site. Then, the folks who signed up for that one show up, and YOU are all of the sudden the assh*le. Not a perfect system, but do we really want a permit system?

[upshitscreek]

yeah, good point. the digi pic was mentioned for Gunny Gorge's registry, i think.

permits are a pain in the ass,no doubt. however, once on an otherwise crowded river and everything is set it's nice to have a campsite lined up and the "authority" to boot interlopers out,ect. and not appear like a dick if you snatch someone else's site because yours was poached. i really don't run H/R much anymore but wouldn't mind something like Gunny's basic system there. A few bucks is worth it to me in the big picture vs. abit of stress or potential confrontation.

I guess one thing you could use a digi pic for on the H/R run would be as a record of who did sign up at the time you launched and what spots might potentially be open still? Again, not ideal because people could be launching behind you but still a chance of not screwing anyone vs a confirmed screwing?

[jbminn]

Originally Posted by sofia

A group of 15 of us are floating down the Colorado the week after next and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a blackrock campsite for a group our size. I've always picked #5 for some odd reason. It's a nice spot but not enough flat spots for 15 people to pitch tents.

Thanks.

We had a group of 40 split between BR #5 & #6 last weekend. I personally camped at #6 and enjoyed it. There's plenty of room for 15 tents, and don't be afraid to hike up above the sandy beach area to discover several beautiful spots next to the juniper trees. A couple are perfectly flat & offer both a nice breeze & sun break for the late afternoon heat.

Be warned, however, that there are approx. 5 trains per day that come through just opposite the campsite on the canyon wall across the river. Though only one of these sounded its horn in the middle of the night, it was pretty loud.

And be advised that the river is running really slow. You'll be paddling a lot, but it will give you a chance to notice the Bald Eagles - we saw several.

- Edit - just noticed the post date of the original. Doh.

[Ture]

Can you let us know how it was in terms of crowds? I might do a late season run if the crowds die down.

I did it in Aug. and every single campsite was taken. Massive crowds. Toilet paper, fresh human feces, dog crap, and tampon applicators everywhere. It was filthy and crowded. The takeout at Westwater station was a complete zoo. Can't wait until they permit that section.

[jbminn]

The river itself was surprisingly empty, though not completely so. I didn't see any significant trash on the river or in the two sites at which we camped.

Yes, Westwater was a bit of zoo, but that's to be expected. The changing room was clean, as was the outhouse. Our cars, which we had shuttled from Fruita, were unperturded in the WW parking lots three days later, so it appears there are currently no security issues. There have been, it is reported, car break-ins at Loma recently.

As mentioned above, the river is flowing slowly. Be prepared to paddle, as we encountered numerous 'lake-like' sections that were almost glass-like to the eye.

Oh, and human waste? BLM recommends peeing in the river, so we did that, but we used two Groovers supplied by our outfitter for solid waste. We packed it out with us - no trace, police lines for campsites ensure we leave it as we found it.