South Platte

I did this stretch yesterday at 410 CFS on a SUP. From Denver this is an easy option for anyone looking for a class 1 float on a SUP. Yes, there is a lot of trash and broken concrete, and it is not all that terribly exciting, but to get out easily and log some miles it is convenient. If you overlook the occasional rebar, or errant tire, there is a lot of wildlife to be seen. The birds we saw included, blue herons, kingfishers, red tails, bald eagles, pipers, and red winged blackbirds. We also saw deer, fox, and two beavers. The wind picked up on us so this stretch took us 3 and 1/2 hours to complete so bring a snack just incase the wind gets you too. There is one rock dam towards the start that we had to portage but at higher flows it could be runnable on a SUP, and the dam further down was closed so we had to portage that too. I would not run it in a SUP any lower that 350. There are a few gravel bars, and strainers that if the water was any lower would be hard to get around. Would I do this stretch again? If I planned on bringing a few beverages, and went into it with the right attitude it could be a blast every time!