Summit County is poised to revive and protect a river put-in just below Green Mountain Reservoir.
It is known as Green Mountain Camp. It has been there since 1938, when the eponymous “camp” housed work crews building Green Mountain Dam. For decades the put-in has been open to the public and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, but it has fallen into disrepair.
At this week’s county commissioner meetings Summit officials talked about what it would take to manage Green Mountain Camp, like rebuilding the parking area and upgrading the ramp itself. Any work there is still several signatures and at least one or two years away. It would be Summit’s first county-operated river access.
Perhaps the most pressing part of this for river users is the future of access there. If Summit decides to give up the site, county staff warns the ramp could close for good to the public.
For years the camp ramp has been a hush-hush sort of thing. It gives sneaky access to several miles of Class II-III whitewater on the Blue River before it drains into calmer fishing waters at Spring Creek Road, just a few miles before the rowdy Class V rapids of Gore Canyon.
Below is a staff memo on Green Mountain Camp and what might come next. It is thorough, fascinating and, if you’re a boater or an angler curious about what might happen there, this is a great place to start. Summit will be taking public comments in coming months.
