BRIGHTON, Colo. — Boating season at Barr Lake State Park will begin right on schedule on Wednesday, April 1, joining other state parks across Colorado.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said boat ramps are opening across the state, and that the warm weather has played a role.
“If we don’t have ice, we’re able to open up a boat ramp,” Van Hoose said. “If ice is still on, maybe we’ll wait a week or two and see what the wind does, because if the conditions pick up… then that ice blows off and then we’re able to open up.”
Before heading out on the water, boaters must remember to get their vessels checked for aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and purchase a stamp. Van Hoose recommends getting your ANS check done ahead of time at any CPW office, but you can also get it done at your preferred state park while likely waiting for a little bit of time.
“We’re just trying to protect our waters in Colorado from things that shouldn’t be here,” Van Hoose said. “We have these zebra mussels or quagga mussels that can latch onto our boats and live in our waters, and then they just multiply like crazy.”
Life jackets are also strongly encouraged, especially at the beginning of the boating season when the water is still cold from snowpack.
“That water might be 50 or 60 degrees,” Van Hoose said. “When you go in, you’re not expecting it to be that cold. Your body goes into a shock, so it can be hard to rescue yourself, and that’s where the life jacket comes in.”
Many state parks have life jacket loaner stations for visitors who forget their own. They only ask that you return the life jackets when you are done using them.
Boaters should also check the specific rules for their preferred state park. At Barr Lake, for example, boats must be 10 horsepower or less to protect wildlife.
For those who have not operated a boat rececntly, CPW offers online boating safety courses.
“That’s just a good refresher to make sure that you have everything you need on a boat,” Van Hoose said. “Maybe there are some things that you have forgotten, it’s just to be the safest possible that you can be on the water.”
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