Northgate Canyon Float
August 9, 2018
It’s no secret that summertime is coming to an end and before we know it, fall will be here with us. While we love the changing of the leaves and looking forward to fall time browns, hunting season and football, it’s also time to start thinking about next May and June…float season. Here at North Park Anglers we offer three different float trips during the course of our float season. Each float trip season varies due to our freestone river system, but they typically all take place between late May and mid July. We offer floats on the Encampment river, the North Platte river through the valley here in Walden and the North Platte River through Northgate Canyon in Wyoming. While all three floats offer great experiences, scenery, good times and typically good fishing, our float through Northgate Canyon is our most highly demanded float.
Without giving too much of a spoiler, here’s a little information about Northgate Canyon and what you can expect when you float it with us:
Wilderness: North Park Anglers offers one of the only one-day wilderness float in the lower 48 United States. The float runs through 8.9 miles of the Platte River Wilderness, and although the wilderness area starts in Colorado and continues into Wyoming, our float runs completely through Wyoming.
Wild Trout: Unlike many floats offered in the United States, Northgate Canyon produces purely wild trout. The canyon has not been stocked since 1979, so anglers can expect to catch mainly browns and rainbows with the occasional brookie or cutthroat. Most fish range in size from 12-16 inches.
Wildlife: It is unusual to float through Northgate Canyon and not see wildlife. It’s not uncommon to see elk, deer, moose, bears, bighorn sheep and many more species during your float. In fact, it’s possible that you’ll see more animals than people while floating through the canyon. We’ve had multiple clients tell us that the scenery is so special on the float that they nearly forgot about the fishing. It’s true, in most people’s opinions, you can float the entire day without catching a fish and still be in awe when you return home that night.
Snapshot from our float through Northgate Canyon
Highly prepared and trained guides: Set aside the fact that our guides know the river arguably better than anyone else in the industry and are able to use both skill and knowledge to give clients opportunities at fish, they are also able to safely pull off the potential technicalities of the float and get you down the river. The trip begins before you even get to the put-in by our guides running your raft for the day down a 1/4 mile dirt path to the river. Throughout the float they safely navigate rapids, rocks and riffles all while doing their best to give you opportunities at fish and help you have a great experience. At the end of the day they load the boats onto a custom-built 4-wheel-drive truck and trailer and navigate their way up and out of one of the gnarliest roads in the canyon. The float on the water is an amazing experience, but the road out is an experience of its own.
So, why should you be thinking ahead to next May when you can barely think of what to have for dinner tonight? If you want the opportunity to experience one of the most special and pristine floats in the lower 48, you’re going to need to plan and book your trip soon. Our Northgate Canyon floats typically book up by mid March, and after that the only chance you really have at booking a trip is if we have cancellations (which you can check on by following our Instagram and Facebook pages). Do yourself a favor and book early to avoid the disappointment you may have next May if you don’t. Not only can we help you book your trip, but we can also help advise you with travel directions, lodging, food and other activities to do on your trip. Call the shop to book today, we hope to see you on our boat next summer!
Written by: Taylor Martin
