Posted: Friday, May 9, 2008 12:00 am
JACKSON (AP) - Jackson Hole kayakers have begun running area rivers and playing at popular spots in the Snake River Canyon, eagerly preparing for a spring that many are hoping will feature the highest peak flows since 1999.
On Tuesday morning, flows in the Snake River Canyon at Alpine topped 4,000 cubic feet per second for the first time this year, though flows are still more than 2,000 cfs below the average for early May.
"People are excited," said Aaron Pruzan, owner of Rendezvous River Sports. "It's like a powder year that you already know is there."
Despite low spring flows, paddlers are running popular river stretches including the eight-mile Snake River Canyon whitewater run, the 12-mile run on the Hoback River from Granite Creek to the Snake River confluence, and the Greys River near Alpine. More advanced paddlers have already begun heading over Teton Pass to test themselves on the technical challenges offered by the Teton River and Bitch Creek in Teton Valley, Idaho.
"The early-season runoff makes the water cloudy in the Greys, so not all the rocks are really visible," Pruzan cautioned. "It's a super-fun time to run the canyon right now, because there's not many people."
In addition to the traditional area runs, paddlers will have a new Class IV and V option in the Black Canyon of the Bear River near Soda Springs, Idaho, which will receive weekend recreational releases from the Greys Power Plant.
Jeannette Langston, lead river ranger for the Jackson Ranger District, said that once flows begin rising, safety should be a focus for all boaters.
"The river's going to get really high, really quickly, so people will need to be really aware of safety this season," Langston said.
The last time the Snake River Canyon peaked above 20,000 cfs was in 1999, when it reached 23,400 cfs on June 18. In 1997, the Snake had a record peak of 38,100 cfs on June 11, but the current snowpack in the Upper Snake is similar to 2006, when the Snake peaked at 19,607 cfs on June 10.
"As it comes up, the Snake could be at levels that people haven't experienced in a number of years," Pruzan said.
* Temperatures and precipitation this month will affect the Snake River's peak flows. For the latest levels, check www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/burtea.cfm.]]->