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24 Posts
Hey, just a head's up:
I went rafting on the San Juan River/Pagosa Springs daily stretch this weekend (the 15 mile run to Trujilo Road) and it looks like one of the two boat ramps at the take-out has been blocked off, barbed wire fence and all.
It turns out this second boat ramp is on Southern Ute Indian Tribe land, and it's illegal to take out a boat there. However, that boat ramp has been open to river runners for years. It was only closed within the past few weeks after tribal police found a bunch of trash dumped at the site and decided to close it off.
So, one person ruined it for everyone.
The other boat ramp, which is on private land, is actually only a few feet away from the Southern Ute take out, but that access is at risk of being lost too. I was told there have been confrontations between boaters and the private land owner, and there's always the risk he/she could block off access.
Without these two access points, I'm not sure there's anywhere else to take-out, so in essence, that stretch of river would be lost.
I suppose it's a good reminder to be respectful and clean at take-outs. I was told that the Southern Ute tribe may vote to open that second boat ramp, but it wouldn't take effect until next year. And it's not a certain thing.
I went rafting on the San Juan River/Pagosa Springs daily stretch this weekend (the 15 mile run to Trujilo Road) and it looks like one of the two boat ramps at the take-out has been blocked off, barbed wire fence and all.
It turns out this second boat ramp is on Southern Ute Indian Tribe land, and it's illegal to take out a boat there. However, that boat ramp has been open to river runners for years. It was only closed within the past few weeks after tribal police found a bunch of trash dumped at the site and decided to close it off.
So, one person ruined it for everyone.
The other boat ramp, which is on private land, is actually only a few feet away from the Southern Ute take out, but that access is at risk of being lost too. I was told there have been confrontations between boaters and the private land owner, and there's always the risk he/she could block off access.
Without these two access points, I'm not sure there's anywhere else to take-out, so in essence, that stretch of river would be lost.
I suppose it's a good reminder to be respectful and clean at take-outs. I was told that the Southern Ute tribe may vote to open that second boat ramp, but it wouldn't take effect until next year. And it's not a certain thing.
