Boat Launch Report - March 2015 (#3 of 3)

Legacy Island - high water side channel

Legacy Island & Carseland/Johnson's Island

It was time for our annual early-March tour of Bow River boat launches. Here is what we saw.

Carseland/Johnson's Island - boat ramp

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Boat Launch Report - March 2015 (#2 of 3)

Policeman's Flats. Boaters have been taking out here for a couple of weeks. Over the ice!

It was time for our annual early-March tour of Bow River boat launches. Here is what we saw.
 

McKinnon Flats. Downstream

View more photos here: http://on.fb.me/1EIdCVg

Boat Launch Report - March 2015 (#1 of 3)

17th Ave SE/Blackfoot Trail (Cushing Bridge). The gate to this launch has now been locked for more than a year. The Calgary Fire Department doesn't want to share. You'll need a boat that you can carry down to the river from the street (17 A St SE). That's the road that leads to the Bow Habitat Station & Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery.

It was time for our annual early-March tour of Bow River boat launches. Here is what we saw.

Glenmore Trail (Graves Landing). A few boaters have already launched from here over the past couple of weeks.

22X/Fish Creek Park. The gate is still locked. It's usually unlocked as soon as the snow and ice has melted from the road leading down to the launch. That could be any day now. In the meantime, you need a boat that you can carry down to the water.

View more photos here: http://on.fb.me/180Qzbw

Notice - Boat Launch Closure - Fish Creek - Aug 18, 2014

Notice - Boat Launch Closure - Fish Creek

The boat launch at Fish Creek Provincial Park will be closed to all users starting August 18, 2014 to repair damage from the 2013 flood.

The closure is occurring at this time so the in-stream work can be completed inside the fisheries window.

It will re-open on August 30, 2014 or earlier if construction goes well.

For more information call the park at 403-297-5293.

Legacy Island - Update

All photos, © Bow River Shuttles

We went downstream and had a look at Legacy today. The gentleman who lives there said that several 4x4s had crossed the channel. We walked across. The water was just about up to tops of our rubber boots. 

It looked like someone had dragged a flat bottom boat to the water. Or maybe out of the water.
 

Silt has been deposited in the boat 'ramp', although not as much as in some prior years.

That one noticeable pile of silt on the left, facing the water, is still very soft. If a few people took some garden spades to it, it could be leveled out. 

Otherwise, it will make for a bumpy take out, once it turns hard as cement.

22X/Fish Creek boat launch now open

Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

The gate to the 22X/Fish Creek boat launch was unlocked by a Conservation Office around noon today.

Just a reminder that this launch will be closed again in July or August for 'Phase 2' repairs. 

Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

A new concrete slab replaced the heavily damaged right hand side of the double ramp.

22X/Fish Creek Park boat launch closed

Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

This boat launch on the Bow River is closed for one week - Sunday June 8 to Sat June 14 inclusive. This is referred to as 'Phase 1'.  

We understand the boat launch will be closed for a second time, sometime during July or August. The exact date is not known at this time.

Boat Launch Conditions - April 05, 2014

Carseland/Johnson's Island  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

We provided a report back on Friday April 04 on the quick tour we did of Glenmore, 22X and Police.

After completing our shuttles on Saturday April 05, we headed downstream to have a look at the rest of the boat launches. 

Carseland/Johnson's Island  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

We headed straight for Carseland/Johnson's Island. All was quiet down in the valley - no equipment, no workers. There had been no further construction activity since our last visit in late February. 

Carseland/Johnson's Island Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

However, we did note that the side of the valley had experienced another slump. It followed the very same semi-circular path as the one that happened a couple years ago.

Legacy Island  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

Legacy Island was still locked in ice. The road down the coulee to the island was too muddy to risk descending with my shuttle van. However, we got close enough to see that the side channel was still blocked by ice. 

 Legacy Island  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

McKinnon Flats  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

On to McKinnon, only to find the switchback road down to the valley bottom was impassible for a front wheel drive van. 
 

McKinnon Flats  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

A 4x4 truck had descended part way, only to have a change of heart. He was attempting to back up the road. It took some doing, but he finally made it back up to the top. 

McKinnon Flats  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

We could see what appeared to be a fairly solid wall of ice fronting the McKinnon parking lot. 

McKinnon Flats  Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

It doesn't actually take long for the McKinnon switchbacks to dry out. All that's needed is a few warm and windy days.

But so far in April 2014, warm days have been few and far between.

Carseland/Johnson Island boat launch: No access until 2015

Carseland/Johnson Island on April 05, 2014. Photo, © Bow River Shuttles

We received the following information from Alberta Parks:

"I regretfully have to inform you that all access to Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park, including Johnson Island, is not allowed the entire 2014 operating season due to Flood Reconstruction. We hope to have the Park operational and open to the public again in 2015. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Legacy Island - Bow River boat launch - Flood 2013

All photos, Copyright Bow River Shuttles All rights reserved 
Click directly on photos for larger image

Bow River Boat Launch Report - April 02 2013

All photos, Copyright Bow River Shuttles All rights reserved

17th Ave/Cushing Bridge

Thus far, April 02 has been our only real day of 'spring weather'. And so it was that we picked that day for our annual early-April tour of the Bow River boat launch sites.

Glenmore Trail/Graves Landing

22X/Fish Creek Park

Policeman's Flats

McKinnon Flats

Legacy Island

Carseland/Johnson's Island

View more photos (total 20, all larger 1024X size) plus a bit of descriptive text HERE

Boat Launch Report - April 02 2012

Just prior to this past weekend, I began getting calls from my shuttle clients wondering about Bow River boat launch conditions, especially those below Policeman's Flats.

So we set aside a good part of Monday, April 02, to visit them all, from the top of the river to the bottom. The odometer clocked in at 194.5 kms.

The new, and very solid, red and white gate is still up at the Riverside Quays condo development at the 17 Ave/Cushing Bridge boat launch.

However, we've learned from two different sources, including Fly Fish Calgary Forum, that this gate was installed by the condo developer, and not by the City.

The condo developer had also installed a locked chain across the other entrance to the boat launch road. That chain has now been unlocked at the request of the City.

Stay tuned.  Things could get interesting at this location when the Harvie Passage officially opens later this spring. 

The 22X/Fish Creek Park boat launch was opened the weekend before last, as was noted on my Blog at the time.

We did our first shuttle to McKinnon Flats yesterday (Tuesday). These hardy fly fishers were willing to drag their drift boat over the ice, as they have done in past years.

If you'd like to compare the current boat launch conditions to what they were a month ago, you can see my March 02 boat launch report here.

Here is what conditions looked like in our early April 2011 report "It's S'no'w Joke". Quite a difference between last year, "The Winter That Wouldn't End", and this year, "The Winter That Wasn't"!

All photos: Copyright Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved

17th Ave/Cushing Bridge

Glenmore Trail/Graves Landing

22X/Fish Creek Park

Policeman's Flats

McKinnon Flats

Legacy Island

Carseland/Johnson's Island