It’s tubing season on the South Platte River, and the weather might be finally warm enough to float.
Each year, we call South Platte Park manager Skot Latona for a vibe check on one of Denver’s best-kept secrets: the sublime route between the Chatfield Reservoir and Reynold’s Landing, near Breckenridge Brewery’s Littleton location.
Latona said this weekend is probably going to be the busiest of the season.
Here’s the deal with conditions this year:
The South Platte doesn’t work the way you might expect. It’s fed by headwaters south of the city, but that water is pooled above Chatfield’s dam. Flows out of the reservoir are mostly dictated by demand downriver, from farmers and other water rights owners who’ve asked for their rightful allotments each season.
Latona said the biggest dam release this year took place last weekend, when the river’s throughput at South Platte Park hit 300 cubic feet per second (CFS) — that’s a tubing Goldilocks zone. But because the weather wasn’t great, he didn’t see a ton of people floating.
That high-tide moment is mostly over, but throughput is still at 100 CFS. Latona says 100-500 CFS is safe for tubing, so while levels have dropped, you can still give it a shot. He expects people will show up.
“I think this weekend, we’ll see it,” he said.
Latona said flows could bounce back up to 300 CFS in the coming weeks, though he doubts it would last long.
You can check the Colorado Department of Natural Resources website for updates on the flow. Or, visit this handy tool we made to tell you whether the river is, indeed, tube-able.
Here are some things you should know:
The biggest thing, Latona said, is that there’s ongoing construction in the river at the end of our suggested route. That means the last few rapids are closed and tubers must exit the river a little earlier than in past years. He told us it’s very clear where your trip will end.
Latona also said there’s a new parking scheme where you begin at South Platte Park. Last year, officials instituted a reservation system for their parking lots, which in past years have been overwhelmed with demand.
Parking is now first-come-first-serve, but you’ll still be required to pay. Latona said attendants will be managing the lot and turning people away once it fills up. Get there early if you expect to leave your car at the top of the route!
And yes! The South Platte River does have pollution problems. But a lot of people — including this journalist — have found the bliss of drifting in its current, upstream and away from Denver’s impacts on its water quality.
E. coli is the biggest concern, which officials say can be more dangerous right after heavy rains. Considering how wet it’s been lately, it might be something to keep in mind.
