Brighton to Ft. Lupton
From the Brighton put-in, it is about 9.2 miles to the to Ft. Lupton take-out. This section is runable with as little as 200 CFS (if you can deal with scraping bottom every now and again). There are two diversion dams which can be portaged river right if you are not comfortable running them.
Where is Veterans Park in Brighton (put-in)?
The above image of the put-in area is oriented with north up. The large, 4 lane highway running north-south along the right side of the image is hwy 85. The road running east-west near the center of the image is Rt. 7 (this section is called W. Bridge St. in Brighton). The South Platte runs from the south to the north left of the center of the image.
The Brighton put-in (Veterans Park) is located on north side of Rt. 7 and the east side of the S. Platte. On the photo Veterans Park is that green patch north of (above) Rt. 7 and east (to the right) of the South Platte.
What facilities are there at the put-in?
From the City of Brighton website:
Playground, shelter, grill, picnic tables, benches, restrooms, open play area, trail, parking lot, So. Platte River view. Next to Morgan Smith Nature Area for bird or animal watching with benches along the trail.
Where is the take-out in Ft. Lupton?
The above image of the take-in area is oriented with north up. The road running east-west near the center of the image is Hwy 52. Just to the right of the image (you can just see the beginning of the interchange) is Hwy 85. The South Platte runs from the south to the north right of the center of the image.
The Ft. Lupton take-out is located on the north side of Hwy 52 and the east side of the S. Platte. There is a large dirt parking area adjacent to the river where you can park your vehicle. Coming east on Hwy 52 from I-25, you take the first left into the parking area just after crossing the S. Platte.
Shuttle Route
From Veterans Park, head east on Rt. 7 for a short distance, then get onto US Hwy 85 North. Exit at US Hwy 52. Go east on US Hwy 52 for about one block. Pull into the parking area on the north side of the road just before going over the South Platte bridge.
Other Sources of Info
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