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Banks launch area maxing out
Submitted by Zimo on Mon, 08/18/2008 - 7:15am.
Saturday afternoon at the Banks launch area for the Main Payette was wild.
The parking lot was totally maxed with spill over across the highway at the parking lot at Banks Cafe and also down the county road downstream from the parking lot.
I got there early in the day. Big mistake. I got a parking spot against the hillside on the west side of the lot and by the time I ran the river and came back to get the car, there were two rows of cars stacked against the row I was in, leaving me trapped.
Luckily, there were a few people left near the other parked cars, blowing up rafts and getting equipment. They moved their vehicles and I zig-zagged my car out of the mess. I had to unhook the raft trailer and move it by hand between the cars.
The U.S. Forest Service might think about painting lines up there to organize the parking. The county road goes right through the middle of the parking lot, too, creating another problem.
More parking is needed up there for busy summer weekends but there's no place to go. Just upstream from the boating parking lot is the Idaho Department of Transportation warehouse and storage area.
Rafting the Main Payette on weekday is a better idea, if you can do it. But, if you have to do it on a weekend, you might watch where you park. You could be trapped three cars deep and not have a way out.
Good paddling, and parking.
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Maybe it's time to start a permit/reservation system
for floating the main. Either that or a remote parking lot and shuttle system. That area is a mess on the weekends, I usually drive about 15 MPH through that section just to be on the safe side, but not everyone does.
Shuttle for Payette River
The raft companies ought to start a weekend shuttle (& weekday evening please).
So many people take TWO vehicles that those two lots (Banks & Beehive) are overloaded. Drop half of those vehicles, and the lots will be manageable. And $5 for a shuttle is less than gas for the trip!!!!! I would pay $10 easily. At that rate, the USFS could even make a little dough if they have a van or small bus sitting around the Garden Valley area.
And, yes, paints some lines and drop some railroad ties to form the parking rows.
Someone start a shuttle.
This IS 2008...
I would've hoped for that much in 1988.
Funny!
You guys can't get your crap together can you. You just got done telling the Governer you didn't need any money for anything you do. Now your wanting lines painted, shuttles run, shoot you just sucked money out of the state for the pavement in the parking area. You guys sure ask for alot but want others to pay for it. I wish they would have passed the registation fee for float boats.
Interesting points
Perhaps there should just be a toll booth at the county line. Anyone with a boat, camper, kayak/raft, ATVs, snowmobiles, camp trailer or motor home pays a toll to come up to the woods. That would save all the hassle of different fees and stickers for this or that and eliminate the fee drop boxes that get vandalized. Maybe that would generate enough revenue for outhouses, boat ramps, trash pick up, trails and parking lots (but don't let the FS put it in their fire budget!)
I've got it.
Now that you have public confessed to making a traffic and hazzard. Maybe we can take that and your suggestions back to the governors task force and see if we can get those registrations on those float boats. Oh and for you that say you don't need it I have also been taking pictures of you guys all summer using the ramps that you say you never use. I have also dug up some nice applications that some of your floating groups have filled out asking the state for money to fund your needs. Oh wait I'm not done...it gets better....in your applications your reason was because of the damage you are causing on the river banks. :0) Hhhmmm maybe you have more impact then you say.
It's not deadly. Is It?
K...