Trying To Avoid The Crowds

[hank franklin]

Looking at a trip to ONSR this weekend. Alley Spring to Two Rivers is my first choice. Round Spring to Two Rivers is second choice. Will these sections just be OVERRUN with floaters, or would you maybe call the crowds "moderate?' We'll be camping overnight so I won't mind some crowds during the day, just don't want to be in parade of idiots from morning to night.

Thanks.

[3wt]

My experience is that the mass of floaters is from about 9 or 10 till about 4. They generally move slowly. 99% are day trippers and are hitting the major input to major outlet points. IF you can float these stretches early, you'll be in better shape. It's tougher on the more popular rivers w/more access points, but on the current, if you put in at ceder grove at 7, you'ld pretty much miss the crowd until you hit akers. Then you'ld pick up the akers to pulltite crowd, but most would be alreay put - in by the time you hit akers and you'ld be behind that crowd...maybe...if you took a liesurely lunch...ah who am I fooling, you'll be disappointed if you try to avoid crowds on the weekend druing the summer.

I recommend weekdays or waiting until school starts up to avoid crowds. But I only like floating if it's pretty much perfectly serene.

Good luck

[Guest]

deleted

[Gavin]

Given the water level...pretty low...I'd head way upstream, pack light, and be prepared to drag...Otherwise...I'd go someplace thats not so well served by canoe rentals..

[hank franklin]

Given the water level...pretty low...I'd head way upstream, pack light, and be prepared to drag...Otherwise...I'd go someplace thats not so well served by canoe rentals..

So you think Alley to Two Rivers would be shoulder to shoulder?

[Flysmallie]

We floated a few weeks ago from Round Spring to Two Rivers and were surprised by the low amount of people. I saw more canoes during a five mile float on the James than we saw all weekend on the Current. And everyone was well behaved. Maybe it was just a weird weekend and we lucked out. That Park Ranger running up and down the river checking everybody out might have had something to do with the low numbers.

[hank franklin]

Thought I'd answer my own question here. Wound up floating the Alley to Two Rivers stretch. Crowds were "moderate," definitely folks up and down the river but not so much that you couldn't fish, or couldn't enjoy the stream, period. We did put on late in the day so we had the first stretch of river mostly to ourselves. By the time we hit Eminence it was nearing takeout time so we had our share of drunks, but tolerable for the half-hour or so we were in it. Plus, after all my trips this year on stream sections that see little if any traffic it was nice to get out among the masses again. And once we cleared Eminence we were back to having the river mostly to ourselves.

The stream of course is just excellent. Great floating, great fishing. Fishing was actually kind of hot and cold but all told an excellent trip