# Issues at San Juan River/Pagosa Springs daily take-out



## horseshoe33 (Mar 1, 2017)

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.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Thank you for the heads up. I usually try and get one lap on that run each season. Sounds like a good topic for Nathan and American Whitewater to get involved with to help find an amicable solution.


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## horseshoe33 (Mar 1, 2017)

lmyers said:


> Thank you for the heads up. I usually try and get one lap on that run each season. Sounds like a good topic for Nathan and American Whitewater to get involved with to help find an amicable solution.


Good suggestion. I just sent Nathan an email. It would be a shame to lose that section.


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## GilaRobusta (Mar 19, 2015)

Gila robusta's swim that whole stretch and can concur with most of your story. Except it was blocked off last year by SUIT and the dumping that occurred was most likely not a boater... I cannot confirm nor deny the upstream ramp being private land, the power pole and proximity of the road make that a curious question.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Combined the two threads into one and put them in the access and safety alerts so it shows in both rafting and kayaking...


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## ColoradoDave (Jun 3, 2010)

It's probably an easement, which is the same as private except for the power company.


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