Exploring Carson River Canyon by raft
Floating down the Carson River in a raft on a semi-warm spring day, the beauty of blooming wildflowers dotting the canyon walls, it's easy to forget the sometimes-bad reputation this area has attained over the years.
Except for the gunfire.
State tourism and Carson City officials are anxious to show off the new Carson River Canyon, a place being transformed into a destination for whitewater adventure and sightseeing, rather than a dumping ground for homeless people and appliances.
Juan Guzman, manager of Carson City's open space program, talked about the city's recent purchase of the Sherpa property along the river, as well as another parcel they are in the process of acquiring. Guzman explained that this gives the city great opportunities to create recreation facilities, but also requires them to take responsibility for the land. They have taken measures to clean up the area, and to stop people from dumping trash. And they are working on getting people to limit their firearms discharges to the gun range.
But as Guzman addressed the group today, shots rang out in the distance.
When the V&T Railroad advances, it will cut off vehicle access, which will greatly reduce the illegal dumping an camping. In the meantime, the process of cleaning up the trash continues. Especially problematic are the abandoned cars, which are very expensive to remove. Park Planner Vern Krahn said that they had to spend more than $3,000 to rent equipment and remove two cars. Most of the cars found and removed are stolen, which adds an extra legal element to the task.
Those wishing to raft the class II-II rapids can put in at Morgan Mill Park near Empire Ranch Golf Course. The take-out is at Santa Maria Ranch Park in Dayton. For more information, see Great Basin Sports.
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