Lazy river/calm kayaking

[waltcolorado]

You were asking about kayaking.. but since the wind is important, here is my impressions about the wind in Colorado..

May in Denver was my favorite month for windsurfing as it was warming up and still somewhat windy. By summer, the wind drops off and its mainly thunderstorms where you would get wind (and lightning). Sept and October were also nice as less T storm and more consistent winds.

At Elevenmile, May and into June tended to be fairly windy, sometimes all day of white caps on the lake. Early July the monsoon would start and often lighter overall winds compared to May but a T storm would come through in the afternoon. Temps would drop and it might get wildly windy but the wind would come in strong and fast but also leave fast.

About mid August the monsoon would drop off. It would still be fairly warm but the winds tended to be a little more consistent and steady. Mid August to mid September is in my opinion the best time to sail in Colorado but that is also when the lakes tend to be at their lowest level. The lower level usually isnt a huge deal at least in my opinion. September and October can also be very pleasant for sailing or kayaking but the high country starts to get chilly into October. Not exactly always true.. but the higher in Elevation you go, the gustier the winds get.

You can get a nice pleasant day for kayaking anytime of the summer but your chance of less wind would be during the summer months earlier in the morning. Fall is also very nice but the mornings when you are likely to have less wind start to get chilly.

In the videos I posted of mountain sailing, everyone is wearing kayaking spray gear. I also own a dry suit for sailing but hardly ever use it anymore, generally just use the spray gear and try not to go into the water (which I have done several times in the middle of winter ice boating LOL Broke through the ice once at Antero and once at Aurora res).

One other real danger not mentioned is lightning.. Colorado can get a lot of lightning during the T storms.

[brk330]

Originally Posted by EricBabula

We would love some thoughts on lazy rivers where we could park our truck, get in the water easily, travel upstream for a couple/few hours, and then turn around and travel back downstream until we reach our truck.

I used to do exactly this on the Pemigewasset in New Hampshire. I never tried while in Colorado but I think there are some stretches of the Yampa around Hayden and Craig that look possible.
Steamboat/Pearl and Stagecoach are pretty nice. Pearl is the quietest. Dumont Lake on top of Rabbit Ears pass is small but beautiful.

[Brill]

Good info. I tried buying a kayak last summer, but they went the way of toilet paper and couldn't be found any where. Hoping to get one this year.

As a beginner paddler, what's the issue with wind? Is it just annoying to deal with(like riding a bike into the wind) or can it tip you? I plan on sticking to smaller lakes, like palmer lake.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by Brill

Good info. I tried buying a kayak last summer, but they went the way of toilet paper and couldn't be found any where. Hoping to get one this year.

As a beginner paddler, what's the issue with wind? Is it just annoying to deal with(like riding a bike into the wind) or can it tip you? I plan on sticking to smaller lakes, like palmer lake.

The issues with wind are these:

1. It can be nothing more than a PITA (or, for some paddlers using certain kinds of more specialized kayaks, fun). But unlike with most bicycles, you do not have the mechanical advantage of multiple gears! This cannot be overemphasized. Do not blast out going downwind unless you have both the skills and physical ability to return to where you started. Your one gear has to be compensated for by your body.

2. Yes, the waves caused by wind might tip some paddlers. In extremely high winds—the kind that no beginner would deliberately go out to paddle—the wind itself might literally blow someone over.

3. Another major risk distinction between cycling and paddling is that with paddling if you get exhausted or lack the skills to get back under difficult conditions of any kind, you cannot just stop and rest for a while. There is no shelter from wind or cold or wetness. You can walk a bike uphill or towards the shelter of a tree. Can you swim better than you paddle in high wind or cold water?

4. Often, strong wind comes with or just before a noticeable cold front. The cold front might bring hard rain, snow, or lightning, depending on the season. Other times, strong wind happens from diurnal differential heating and cooling of land vs water, and the attendant onshore-offshore wind changes. These should become second nature to you eventually. Lastly, monsoons can be hellish, so heavy that you can’t see more than a couple feet ahead. They usually include lightning and thunder, too. Mostly these occur in summer, but I’ve experienced years in which they started in May and ended in mid-September.

Smaller lakes still can be dangerous, but they’re generally safer than the biggies. Stay close to the shoreline if you are new to the sport, but also make sure to keep the state minimum distance from fisherman, 150’. Yes, this is freakin’ difficult when many fisherman like to hide themselves along shorelines that go in and out. And they, too, try to stay out of the wind.

Check ads for used kayaks if stores don’t have new ones coming in. And the above advice applies to canoes and SUPS, too.

[Wheatridger]

I had a nice canoe float there years ago, on the upstream side of Grand Junction. Try the 40-mile stretch below the town of Delta. It's in a conservation area, and camping is allowed.

https://rootsrated.com/stories/canoe...ginner-trip-on