[Western Slope WaterMan]

...in a 14' oar rig? :?:
Thanks
WaterMan

 

[Andy H.]

Shoshone's at a great level for an oar rig. Its even better if you did a lot of boating back in 2002...

Here's the link to the flow:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09070500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

If you'll be there on the weekend:

Remember that things can be a real zoo at the put-in and the rangers can be overwhelmed. They almost imposed a permit system recently on Shosho due to the crowding -- if you can do some planning ahead it'll help prevent that kind of thinking by the USFS. You'll be in a 10 minute unloading zone at the boat ramp. It'll help to quickly and efficiently get your boat down the boat ramp to the water's edge. There's an electric blower you can use down by the water if you have to air up your boat.

If you've got a trailer and don't have a big crew with you, don't be shy asking other private boaters, or comms, for a hand carrying your fully rigged boat (without some of the heavy stuff) down to the water. All the better if you can toss 'em a couple of beers for the effort. Also, the shuttle's an easy hitchike from Glenwood Springs or just a 20 minute walk back up the bike path from Grizzley Creek.

You can call the Eagle Ranger Dist. at 970-328-6388 ahead of time to find out when large commercial groups are launching - times you'll want to avoid.

That said, have fun!

-Andy

 

[COUNT]

What's the deal with the permitting on Shoshone? That sucks. I hadn't heard about that.

COUNT

 

[Andy H.]

A couple of years ago the USFS (managing agency) floated the idea of instituting a permit system for Shoshone due to the overcrowding at the boat ramps (Shosho and Grizzley Creek). I can't remember the details or by what means it got resolved but they were talking about it pretty seriously at the time. There may be something in the archives on it, but I think it was before the Buzz changed over to a new system and has probably been lost.

Is anyone else able give us the scoop on the proposed permit system for Shosho?

The bottom line is that we're lucky you don't have to get a permit to run Shosho these days and doing what you can to cut down on crowding at the put-ins will help a lot.

--Andy

 

[WhiteLightning]

Waterman, Shoshone is almost always doable. They use around 1000 cfs for the hydro plant, and have some of the most senior water rights in Colorado. This is good news for us, because otherwise, the Colorado river would be dry and the water would be in Denver or somewhere else. You can almost always count on being able to run it, there are a bunch of die hards who even run it on New Years. If for some reason the plant is doing maintaince, it might be an exception to the rule for the flows, but anything over about 800cfs should be fine for your raft.