Don't Rock the Boat, Baby

Boise River is Open for Business

By J. Gelband, 6-14-07

If you have no air conditioning, like me, there are only a few things that alleviate the excruciating heat of Boise summer days like today.

You can go to the mall, which is plain awful; you can set up camp in the frozen foods section of Albertsons, which is what the Bundy family did on Married With Children; or, if you want to be outside, you can float the Boise River.

And thank goodness the Ada County Parks and Waterways Department finally opened the river for public floating. They can’t close the river, per se, but it doesn’t really open until the County unlocks the raft and tube rental office at Barber Park, the put-in point, which they did on Thursday.

This is about the time of year that the season generally opens each summer. Barber Park officials report that the current river flow is a little over 750 cubic feet per second, which means there are only a few spots along the river where the water is high enough to flow into the treeline along the riverbank. All river floaters know what it feels like to flow into a tree, so the fewer the better.

“Even though we’re at a manageable flow right now, floaters still need to realize the water is swift, quite deep in some places, and very cold,” Ada County Parks and Waterways Director Pat Beale said in a statement. “The Boise Fire Department has worked hard to clear the major snags and downed trees, but recent years of high water have changed the character of the river and floaters should always be on alert for any dangers that lie ahead.”

The kind folks at the County remind floaters to wear lifejackets, use durable floatation devices capable of floating the river (um, I think they are talking specifically to those kids on the inflatable air mattress), notify family members that you’re floating, and to never consume alcohol before or during a float.

The no-booze rule is in part because it’s dangerous and in part because the alcohol ban that pooped a lot of parties last year is still in effect. Watch out for the special river patrol folks who are going to monitor the river for violators.

However, Barber Park officials – perhaps feeling sorry for the jaded, sober floaters – have expanded service hours at the raft and tube rental facility; it was only open five day a week in years past, but this year floaters can rent every day of the week.

Barber Park rents inner tubes, rafts, inflatable kayaks, and life-vests.

Also, the shuttle bus service between Barber Park and Ann Morrison Park will run every day. But neither the rental office nor the shuttle bus will run if temperatures are forecast below 80-degrees that day.

Floating the Boise River in either an inner tub or a raft (it is not a good idea to do it on an air mattress, for the record) is one of the most special and fun summer events in the City of Trees. It’s relaxing and exciting at once, and it definitely affords a respite when the Fahrenheit is clambering past the nineties.

But any moving water can be dangerous, even when it’s shallow, so the county offers some river float safety tips:

River floaters should
• Make sure everyone knows how to swim
• Wear life-vests and appropriate clothing and shoes
• Be aware of your surroundings and where the river is taking you
• Be alert of dangers ahead
• Use the buddy system if floating in a group
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
• Wear sunscreen
• Notify family and friends when you’re leaving and when you expect to return from floating

And should not
• Drink alcohol or use drugs while floating
• Bring small children or infants
• Bring pets along
• Bring glass containers

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