The main McPhee Reservoir boat ramp will open for the season on Friday, May 8, according to the Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest.
The McPhee boat ramp and aquatic nuisance inspection station will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days week until the end of September, then operating hours will change to fall hours, according to the Forest Service announcement released Wednesday by Montezuma County. The House Creek boat ramp remains closed.
ANS inspectors will be at the McPhee boat ramp site to conduct pre-launch inspections of trailered and motorized boat launches on the reservoir. All motorized and trailered boats are required to pass through an ANS inspection station prior to launch to prevent contamination of invasive mussels.
The Forest Service urges the public to be patient during this opening and to practice social distancing to decrease the risk of the transmission of COVID-19.
Boaters who are in need of a full inspection and decontamination are urged to visit the lake during the weekday when visitation is anticipated to be lower than during the weekend. Boaters who have tags from last year’s inspections on McPhee will be able to enter the lake more quickly than boaters who need inspections.
“At this time the main McPhee boat ramp (will be) the only open boat ramp on McPhee Reservoir. House Creek boat ramp remains closed but forest officials are working with the ANS inspectors in an effort to open up that ramp for use,” according to a Forest Service report.
The Forest Service encourages people to take local and state stay-at-home orders seriously, stay home when sick, and limit travel time wherever possible, even for approved recreation.
Hand-launched non-motorized and non-trailered watercraft are allowed to launch anywhere on McPhee. They are exempt from the Aquatic Nuisance Species inspection program but should follow guidelines for clean, drained and dry craft.
Shoreline access to McPhee Reservoir remains open. The Dolores River also is open to boaters using Forest Service launch sites upstream of Dolores.
Virus caused delaysBoat ramp access was delayed twice at McPhee Reservoir, which typically opens mid-April; and the House Creek ramp on May 1. The McPhee ramp was first delayed for two weeks to May 1. Then the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Lakewood delayed it to June 1 as part of a developed recreation site closure. That McPhee boat ramp was exempted from the closure.
Montezuma County officials, Doc’s Marina and local residents lobbied to reopen the popular lake, a main attraction for the area. A petition circulated by Mancos resident Kaleb Barkhurst on Change.org Friday had collected 1,026 signatures as of Tuesday from people in support of opening the boat ramp.
“It is a huge lake, great for social distancing,” Barkhurst said. “I’m a big fan of McPhee, and always look forward to spending the summer there. It’s part of our tourism economy.”
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