Below Durango, the Animas River offers nearly 40 miles of runnable river for boaters, which passes through a pastoral landscape as the San Juan Mountains give way to the high desert terrain of northwestern New Mexico.
So why has this stretch of river, prime for daily or overnight trips, gone virtually unused?
The answer, it turns out, can be chalked up to two main reasons: a lack of access to put-ins and take-outs and a perception that this stretch of river has dangerous, even deadly, hazards.
However, that’s all about to change.
Local groups are organizing in Durango to promote recreation on the Animas River between Durango and Aztec, and in turn, create a desire from the community to start making headway on river access.
“It’s a beautiful stretch of water that’s been underused historically,” said Marcel Gaztambide, the Animas River Keeper for the San Juan Citizens Alliance. “We believe that strong advocacy comes from a strong personal connection.”
Kent Ford, a professional kayaker and local legend in the boating world, will give a presentation about recreation on this section of river at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at 4Corners Riversports, 360 South Camino del Rio.
Lower Animas River
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Ford, who has lived in Durango for more than 30 years and has paddled countless rivers, said it wasn’t until about five years ago that he got curious about the Animas River below Durango and decided to go exploring.
“I just went for it,” he said. “Considering the amount of boaters in Durango, it was really surprising to me that not many people have done it.”
While not as wild a ride as the 9-mile run through Durango that includes a Class IV whitewater park, the stretch to Aztec is a fun, worthwhile float, Ford said.
The section has some Class II features, but mostly remains a mild ride with a constant current, through agricultural lands, cottonwood forests and the dusty piñon-juniper desert of New Mexico.
“You really feel like you’re entering the desert,” Ford said. “It’s not as remote as other river trips, but it’s got character nonetheless.”
What’s kept people off the river, however, is access.
“People don’t know where they can put in or take off the river,” said Gary Skiba, a boater who is president of the San Juan Citizens Alliance Board of Directors who has run the section a number of times.
While boaters are able to put in at Dallabetta Park, behind Home Depot downstream of the Durango Whitewater Park, there’s nowhere to take out of the river until Aztec, a nearly 40-mile run that’s not exactly doable in one day.
Now, Gaztambide and others are hoping to find landowners along the Animas that would allow boaters access to the river. Already, the effort has had some initial success with an RV park near the Colorado-New Mexico state line that allows river runners to park there for a small fee.
Gaztambide would also like to see fisherman take advantage of access points, too, where possible.
“It’s going to take a lot of contacts with individual landowners who may be interested in charging some money to work it out,” Skiba said. “But that’s the most likely option.”
Also, Gaztambide said there are three or four Bureau of Land Management parcels along the river they’re trying to get better marked. While the parcels don’t have road access, the spots could serve as camping sites for overnight trips or picnic spots.
“If the access issue can be worked out, use will definitely increase,” Skiba said, “especially once people are aware there is access.”
For years, too, there was a perception in the boating community that the river had fences across it (there aren’t any) and, perhaps more seriously, there were killer dams and other hazards that would destroy boats.
But in recent years, Aztec and Farmington have made great strides in cleaning up the Animas and removing these hazards.
Last year, the city of Farmington spent $1.1 million to remove the Penny Lane Dam, which had been responsible for numerous deaths. The spot is now a runnable, small rapid that also is a play feature for kayakers.
Cory Styron, director of the Farmington Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, said the dam removal, as well as other small projects to improve the river, is part of a cultural shift in northwestern New Mexico.
“We finally woke up and realized that the top 10 outdoor recreation activities are either in our backyard or within a 90-minute drive,” Styron said. “Now, there’s a full-blown effort to take our outdoor recreation industry to a whole new level.”
Still, there are some remaining hazards to look out for, such as rubble dams, an undercut rock near Bondad and one particular irrigation diversion that has old railroad metal sticking out of the river that could easily tear a raft.
“But most of the hazards are obvious and easy to avoid if you’re aware,” Skiba said.
An updated river guide was released this March, and the San Juan Citizens Alliance intends to post an interactive map to the group’s website in the coming weeks.
Another goal in promoting recreation on the Animas is to build the desire to improve water quality.
The Animas between Durango and Aztec has its own host of issues, said Ann Oliver of the Animas Watershed Partnership, including elevated levels of E. coli and nutrients, as well as heavy sediment loading that is detrimental to fish and bugs.
“Getting people in the river allows everybody to care about the river and want to protect it,” Oliver said.
The effort will continue to find landowners for possible access points, and the BLM office in Farmington confirmed Wednesday it is helping identify access points to public lands along the river.
In the meantime, the first step is getting people out on the river. On May 19-20, San Juan Citizens Alliance will host a float in Aztec.
“As more and more people see the river, they’ll want to take care of it and push for access,” Ford said. “I think it’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of time.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
If you go
Lower Animas River informational presentation, 6:30 p.m. April 12, at 4Corners Riversports, 360 South Camino del Rio.
Outdoor recreation industry initiative presentation, 6 p.m. April 26, Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington St.
Lower Animas Float, May 19. For more information, email Marcel Gaztambide at marcel@sanjuancitizens.org.
