Colorado River, Smithville to Plum Park

March 13, 2022
Trip Report by Bruce Bodson

Put-in	Vernon Richards River Bend Park, Smithville, TX
Take-out	Plum Park, TX (Between Smithville and La Grange)
Fees or Permits	There is a $5 per person charge at Plum Park (LCRA)- $2 for over 65
Gage	Flow rate was 425 cfs, gauge height was 1.30 feet on the USGS Smithville Gauge, 08159500
Temperature	35 deg F at the start, increased to roughly 64 deg F in the afternoon
Sky	Mostly sunny, with some high, thin clouds in the afternoon
Precipitation	none
Wind	Still to light at start, but increasing to 20 mph+ by afternoon
Coordinator	Bruce Bodson
Participants	Tim Brooking, Christy Long, Michelle Waterman
Shuttle	Self-Shuttle
Craft	4 Kayaks
River Miles	16.80
Road Miles	Approximately 120 miles to Vernon Richards Park
Photos	Colorado River, Smithville to Plum Park

This section of the Colorado is a favorite of mine, and one of the first segments I ever paddled.  For those of you who remember the old Colorado River 100, this is the segment between the first and second checkpoints and is noted for gravel bottoms, fairly nice current flow, and lack of hazards, except the occasional sweeper or shallow spot.  This little trip was a return to the river for me after an eight-week layoff. 

 

We met at Plum Park, checked out the takeout (pleasant) and then shuttled up to Smithville to put in.  With the relatively low river, the sand bar at Vernon Richards Park was nicely exposed, and flat; making for easy staging of boats prior to launch.

 

Photo by Bruce Bodson: Christy Long at the launch

 

Photo by Bruce Bodson: Michelle Waterman, waiting for the rest of the crew to launch

 

Photo by Bruce Bodson: Tim Brooking with the yellow boats, at the launch

 

We launched in calm but brisk conditions and had an uneventful 2.88 miles of paddling before I decided to crash into a sweeper and roll the Valkyrie.  It took a bit of time to get everything extracted and emptied, but no harm done.  Christy even rescued my hat!  I can attest that the Colorado was still nice and cold, and that as the wind came up, it felt even colder.

 

Photo by Tim Brooking: Bruce after his swim

 

After we got underway, we had nice paddle until we decided to break for lunch, at roughly mile nine of our trip.  The wind had, by then, started blowing fairly hard, with gusts well in excess of 20 mph.  It did force the last of the moisture out of my clothes though.

Photo by Tim Brooking: Michelle, Bruce and Christy, at the lunch stop

 

After lunch we made the last roughly eight miles without any additional stops.  The wind, as often happens, contrived to be head on for much of that distance, no matter which way we turned, but the temperature did reach the mid 60s F, so while a tad hard, it was not unpleasant.

 

The takeout was on the flat cobble bar at Plum Park, which has vehicle access, so there was virtually no boat hauling involved. 

Photo by Bruce Bodson: Tim telling Christy to shut up and stay in her boat!  Or something.

 

As far as birds went, it was a fairly typical day for Central Texas.  We saw a nice selection of raptors including one juvenile bald eagle, red-tailed –hawks, red-shouldered hawks, coopers hawk, crested caracara, American kestrel, and both vultures.  There were a few shorebirds and waders, including great blue heron, great egret, greater yellowlegs, killdeer, and spotted sandpipers.  Some neo-tropical migrants were already getting on territory.  I could hear white-eyed vireos and northern parulas already singing.  There were also a few other odds and ends including belted kingfishers, neotropic and double-crested cormorants, wood ducks, and a few blue-winged teal.

 

Overall, it was a beautiful day on a beautiful piece of river, and quite instructive.  The days should get even more pleasant from here!

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The author, Bruce Bodson