09. Brighton City Park to Ft. Lupton

Hazards: large omnipresent strainers, bridge abutments, and one dam which might be dangerous at some water levels. The following description is kindly provided by Nathan Packham: Putin: Go North from Denver on I-25 to I-76. Take I-76 East till Hwy-85. Go North on Hwy-85 until you get to the city of Brighton. Exit on Rte. 7 and put in at Veterans Park. Takeout: From the putin get back on Hwy-85 and go North 7 miles to Hwy-52 in Fort Lupton. Park in the dirt pull-off next to the river just at the bottom of the Hwy-52 off-ramp from Hwy 85. This run is a great beginner run. I took my wife who has only been in a kayak a few times - but I wouldn't hesitate taking someone who had never been in a kayak. We went on a warm winter weekend when it was running about 200 cfs. We actually put in a couple miles downstream of the recommended put-in because with the flow so low we didn't want to be on the river all day. The run flows through farmland and prairie but is banked by trees on each side. Only a couple times does it angle over close enough to the highway for the traffic to be a distraction. We saw a bald eagle and some geese and something large splashed into the water behind us before we could see what it was. The dam was runnable - a six inch non-breaking wave with no recirculation - maybe it was lowered or opened for the winter somehow. It would be good to scout to make sure. 200 cfs was probably around the lowest it could be run by a kayak - we dragged bottom a couple times when we lost the sandy streambed. There are a few tires scattered along the run - and in one section the river bank is made of blasted concrete chunks. There are some nice views of the mountains in the distance. There are large fallen tree root tangles at many points in the river but they are easily seen far in advance and avoided.