# Gates of Lodore @ 850 cfs?



## Aldo (Jun 21, 2021)

Has anyone launched on the Gates of Lodore recently? How is the river at 850 cfs?


----------



## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

This water level is standard for low water years. You'll be fine. They sky isn't falling, you won't find yourself stranded and hiking out, but you'll have to dodge some rocks and may bang up your oars a little. I also recommend you leave the cast iron cook set and your bowling ball collection at home. Refill your water at Echo Park.

Have a great trip,

-AH


----------



## jgrebe (Jan 16, 2010)

But would be a good idea to remember your group dinner - unlike some who shall remain unidentified


----------



## unlucky (Sep 2, 2012)

850 is no problem. I wouldn't change anything for the trip as far as gear goes. Lodore is nothing like the MF at low water. Hells Half Mile is a bit tighter and will intimidate the beginner and some intermediate boaters and the risk of pinning a boat on bear rock may increase some. The sand bars below echo park may be a bit tricky and a section of Island Park but otherwise...


----------



## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

jgrebe said:


> But would be a good idea to remember your group dinner - unlike some who shall remain unidentified


Yes, you should always remember your group dinner or you may have to suffer having some wise ass remind you of it years later. This once happened to someone I know who shall remain unnamed....


----------



## jbLaramie (Feb 1, 2021)

River channel meanders in a few slow stretches between echo park and split mountain. Low water can (but not always) increase the chance you might have to get out and pull a bit here & there if you get away from the main channel(s). Send a kayak, duckie or SUP out ahead to map the channel if you can but don't sweat it if not. Lodore is spectacular with awesome campsites, have fun!


----------



## Iamquigley (Sep 6, 2020)

Relative newby here, where is the best place to check flows for this section? I will be launching in July and want to start keeping track of what the flow is doing.


----------



## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Iamquigley said:


> Relative newby here, where is the best place to check flows for this section? I will be launching in July and want to start keeping track of what the flow is doing.


Here is the gauge...its just below the Flaming Gorge Dam... USGS Current Conditions for USGS 09234500 GREEN RIVER NEAR GREENDALE, UT

850 is pretty mellow and boney in a few spots...but it all goes just fine. Less options in the big rapids but they are also slower and you have more time to make the moves.


----------



## Iamquigley (Sep 6, 2020)

Electric-Mayhem said:


> Here is the gauge...its just below the Flaming Gorge Dam... USGS Current Conditions for USGS 09234500 GREEN RIVER NEAR GREENDALE, UT
> 
> 850 is pretty mellow and boney in a few spots...but it all goes just fine. Less options in the big rapids but they are also slower and you have more time to make the moves.


 Thanks Mayhem, can someone explain the recent massive spike up to 4k to me?


----------



## MisterBob (Oct 18, 2016)

Flaming Gorge | Water Operations | UC Region | Bureau of Reclamation


Bureau of Reclamation - Managing water and power in the West




www.usbr.gov





smallmouth bass flow spike experiment?


----------



## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Iamquigley said:


> Thanks Mayhem, can someone explain the recent massive spike up to 4k to me?


Very likely a glitch with the gauge...I bet it corrects itself and will be the same pattern it has been for the last couple weeks.

edit: Just read that Water Operations report....seems like they did spike it...very surprised they did it like that. Hope the people downstream know that its gonna go up that quickly.


----------



## jbLaramie (Feb 1, 2021)

Usually something fish, irrigation or energy related. If they do it, you won't see a wall of water coming down the river at you but it may raise slowly over a few hours. Tie up the boats well and put your kitchen a bit up the beach and you're good.


----------



## Ripper (Aug 29, 2012)

No problems with 850... Hells Half mile is kind of pinball affair. The rock (can't remember the name) at the end of Hell Half Mile is sticky, and a move will be required to avoid getting hung up on it. Pot Creek 2 is my favorite campground for what its worth if you can grab it! My profile pic is from that camp...

The fishing is great btw!!!


----------



## jmo177 (Apr 17, 2009)

Any projections for how long it will take for the river to drop back to 850? I have a 6/27 put in.


----------



## Senor D (May 22, 2018)

jmo177 said:


> Any projections for how long it will take for the river to drop back to 850? I have a 6/27 put in.


----------



## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Somehow I can't imagine that dropping the flow 2,900 cfs, from 4,600 to 1,700 cfs, over 7 hours will be good for the beaches due to erosion as the river bank storage flows back into the river with such a high gradient. Anyone else know about this river gemorphology stuff enough to speculate?


----------



## BeltsnBoots (Mar 8, 2019)

Ran it last month at 860. It's low but totally fine. Had [3] heavy 16' do just fine. Lucifer is pillowy and the rock garden that waits afterwards takes some paying attention to. Nothing really unnerving. That spike was smallmouth bass related. 

The hardest part is the beach at launch ... enjoy!


----------



## BeltsnBoots (Mar 8, 2019)

Ripper said:


> The rock (can't remember the name) at the end of Hell Half Mile is sticky, and a move will be required to avoid getting hung up on it.


Huggy bear


----------



## nmjohn (Jul 22, 2004)

Is the fire at Echo Park affecting river runners?


----------



## BeltsnBoots (Mar 8, 2019)

this is what you'll be looking at


----------



## highbrace (Mar 27, 2007)

Aldo said:


> Has anyone launched on the Gates of Lodore recently? How is the river at 850 cfs?


I did a trip last week of this past March it was 800+/-. Never again. Yes there were slow spots, a lot of boat dragging off the rocks. Lucifer was not a good run for the five rafts. All five went right up on the rock itself. Myself on a 14 foot cat raft went 89 degrees before slipping off the right side. One raft went up and flipped. At that low level you have virtually no time to pull to the right. The other three rafts also went way up to 80 degrees before slidding off. Next time I do LaDore it will be 1500 minimum.


----------



## peernisse (Jun 1, 2011)

Aldo said:


> Has anyone launched on the Gates of Lodore recently? How is the river at 850 cfs?


yeah. That is the standard low water level. You will love it. The trickiest run at that flow is SOB in Split Mountain canyon. Have fun.


----------



## peernisse (Jun 1, 2011)

highbrace said:


> I did a trip last week of this past March it was 800+/-. Never again. Yes there were slow spots, a lot of boat dragging off the rocks. Lucifer was not a good run for the five rafts. All five went right up on the rock itself. Myself on a 14 foot cat raft went 89 degrees before slipping off the right side. One raft went up and flipped. At that low level you have virtually no time to pull to the right. The other three rafts also went way up to 80 degrees before slidding off. Next time I do LaDore it will be 1500 minimum.


Do you mean “Lodore”? As in the Irish mariner poem for which it was originally named by the John Wesley Powell expedition?


----------



## peernisse (Jun 1, 2011)

Iamquigley said:


> Relative newby here, where is the best place to check flows for this section? I will be launching in July and want to start keeping track of what the flow is doing.





Iamquigley said:


> Relative newby here, where is the best place to check flows for this section? I will be launching in July and want to start keeping track of what the flow is doing.


Use the Colorado basin river forecast center recreational river flows page and look for Green River at Flaming Gorge dam or at Jensen, which is near Vernal.


----------



## DurangoBardo (Mar 16, 2019)

Electric-Mayhem said:


> Very likely a glitch with the gauge...I bet it corrects itself and will be the same pattern it has been for the last couple weeks.
> 
> edit: Just read that Water Operations report....seems like they did spike it...very surprised they did it like that. Hope the people downstream know that its gonna go up that quickly.


We went last June just after the water receded from the big spike. The mosquitos were absolutely horrid at the put in, but not so bad in the camps. Still, a head net and massive quantities of bug juice will allow you to maintain your sanity.


----------



## pyropinup (Apr 24, 2021)

Aldo said:


> Has anyone launched on the Gates of Lodore recently? How is the river at 850 cfs?


I just got off of it last Friday. it was bony with lots of bonus rapids and rock gardens... the ones on the first few days seemed to give us more hangups than later ones. Hell's Half Mile ran pretty straightforward, and you'll likely go right around Lucifer. I hummingbirded it and got around it just fine as the least experienced boater of the group. Upper Disaster seemed fairly straightforward. People carried just as much weight as ever and it didn't seem to matter much... there were a few sand bars. Have fun!


I was wondering how the river was during the smallmouth bass flushes this week


----------



## pyropinup (Apr 24, 2021)

Ripper said:


> No problems with 850... Hells Half mile is kind of pinball affair. The rock (can't remember the name) at the end of Hell Half Mile is sticky, and a move will be required to avoid getting hung up on it. Pot Creek 2 is my favorite campground for what its worth if you can grab it! My profile pic is from that camp...
> 
> The fishing is great btw!!!


Pot Creek 2 was one of our favorite camps too!


----------



## dport (May 10, 2006)

Electric-Mayhem said:


> Very likely a glitch with the gauge...I bet it corrects itself and will be the same pattern it has been for the last couple weeks.
> 
> edit: Just read that Water Operations report....seems like they did spike it...very surprised they did it like that. Hope the people downstream know that its gonna go up that quickly.


Launched 6-20, wish it would have happened a day and a half earlier...lol.
Yes 850 is fine, 4600 is a total blast!!!


----------



## Ripper (Aug 29, 2012)

We caught the bump on our Deso trip about 2.5 days after it hit the flaming gorge gauge!!! Super excited to say the least when we were putting on and the Ranger told us it wasn't a fluke in the gauge!


----------

