With the holiday social season disappearing from the rearview mirror, river runners are focusing their attention on a less-celebrated January ritual known as the “permit party.”
Jan. 31 is the deadline for many Western river permit applications. Private boaters seeking a golden ticket to ride the runoff at desirable locales ranging from Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon to Colorado’s Yampa River through Dinosaur National Monument are marking the calendars and crossing their fingers for luck in the lotteries. The shrewd and seasoned often go a step further by gathering a group of trusted boaters and applying for predetermined dates en masse.
Not every river requires a permit for access, although a growing number of river users is leading to a subsequent increase in regulation. Most notable in Colorado is the new camping permit system recently announced by the Bureau of Land Management’s Grand Junction Field Office for the Ruby-Horsethief stretch of the Colorado River.
Beginning this spring, permits will be required to camp on the popular stretch of river between Loma, Colo., and Westwater, Utah, from May 1 to Sept. 30. Camping is allowed only in designated sites and the permit system will require overnight boaters to reserve a campsite before launching.
Currently, there is no fee for the permits — though that’s likely to change by 2013, when a fee based on group size is planned. The BLM is offering an advance on your deposit, however, by building additional campsites to be opened this summer to improve the quality of the experience.
“We’ve had tremendous growth in the use of this stretch of river in the past 10 years,” said Katie Stevens, manager of the BLM’s McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area. “We worked closely with private boaters and outfitters for several years to develop this permit system — and to identify and improve an additional four new campsites that are available for the first time this year. This summer, we’ll complete three additional sites, for a total of 35 sites.”
According to Stevens, the permit plan has been some three years in the making, necessitated by a spike in river users that grew to more than 9,500 boaters who took time to register at the Loma boat launch in 2010, recording more than 20,000 nights of camping.
For the time being, all camping permits for Friday and Saturday nights will be issued by the BLM Grand Junction Field Office by phone or in person from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. Permits for groups of up to 25 (including dogs) will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning the Monday that’s 60 days before the weekend of use (as they are for Westwater Canyon permits downstream). Permits will be issued to a trip leader and alternate trip leader and may be transferred between trip leaders.
Camping permits for Sunday through Thursday overnight use are self-issued at the Loma boat launch. Unlimited free day-use permits also are self-issued at the launch.
“We may develop an online permit system for future seasons,” Stevens said. “For now, look to our website for key permitting information, such as a weekend permit availability calendar.”
Scott Willoughby: 303-954-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com
On the river
Other river permits in West:
• Yampa River (Deerlodge Park to Split Mountain Campground): Lottery applications accepted through Jan. 31. 970-374-2468 or .htm.
• Green River (Canyon of Lodore): Lottery applications accepted through Jan. 31. 970-374-2468 or .htm.
• San Juan River (Bluff, Utah, to Clay Hills, Utah): Lottery applications accepted through Jan. 31. 435-587-1544 or .
• Selway River (Paradise to Selway Falls, Idaho), Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Main Salmon, Hells Canyon of the Snake River: Four Rivers permit lottery applications accepted through Jan. 31. 208-879-4112 or .
• Rio Chama (El Vado Dam to Adobe Ruins/Big Eddy, N.M.): Applications accepted through Jan. 31 for scheduled (but not guaranteed) summer weekend releases. 507-758-8851 or en/prog/recreation/taos/rio_chama_wsr.html.
• Grand Canyon of the Colorado: Lottery applications for 2013 accepted Feb. 1-22, 2012. 800-959-9164 or .
