River Access

Rain falls gently over the Rocky Mountains this week with waves of dark clouds gliding softly overhead. The high mountains are shrouded in a dense fog. Snow continues to blanket the hills and peaks surrounding the river valley. With gas prices as they are I made my way to local fishing holes along the Henry's Fork of the Snake River looking for new areas to float this year.

With direction from a friend I found Bubble Bridge, a railroad bridge just west of St. Anthony. I also stumbled into the Red Road Bridge boat access area. Both locations offer easy access to several miles of river with public land lining the north shore. My friends and I are planning a float from Bubble Bridge to the Red Road access, a 3-4 mile trip. We are also looking into floating all the way to Warm Slough several miles southwest. The river at Bubble Bridge features two small waterfalls. To float safely you need to go down the middle of the main channel and stay away from the north and south shores until further downstream. The water level was pretty high due to the recent rain and warming weather, though I don't know if a prop on a boat would function safely as the river becomes shallow mid-channel without warning.

This week's adventures took me again to the Snake River at Cress Creek, a local favorite, for a several mile walk along the river to the railroad bridge there. The evening light cast long shadows and brilliantly accentuated the reds and oranges of the undergrowth lining the channel.

Where water is, life thrives! Few big game made appearances this week, only a couple of distant shy deer. Instead many rodents and raptors made their debut along the lotic ecosystem, with substantial treefall and tooth marks indicating abundant beaver populations in the area!

I will keep you posted on the coming float trips! For now, enjoy a few pictures from this week!