Local state parks areas such as Steamboat Rock, Osborne Bay, and Northrup Canyon are closed, while Spring Canyon remains open but without services.
State authorities, however, including Gov. Jay Inslee, are saying that if you have to drive to it, it’s too far and you should just stay home and take a walk around the block.
See the story at The Star’s site
It’s a long way to the water, but Lake Roosevelt is ready and waiting at the end of the ramp at Spring Canyon, the longest launch on the lake.
At this writing, the surface of the lake is 1253 feet above sea level, down 37 vertical feet from full pool.
The launch at Spring Canyon goes down to 1222.
Check the current lake level here.
I talked to three guys pulling out today, and they said it wasn’t a bad ramp. It’s concrete all the way down, and there is a good dock.
That dock is about even with red and green navigational buoys that mark the entrance of the marina in the summer.
This photo will have to suffice, but why is it that fishermen can’t resist saying the equivalent of “You should have been here yesterday!”
“You missed a great shot this morning,” one of the guys at the ramp said. His buddy had been reeling in a resistant rainbow trout that was leaping out of the water when a golden eagle swooped in to try to take it. The big raptor just missed only a few feet from the boat, and the trout eventually met a net >
I had a call from a guy on the coast wondering if he could still launch his boat on Lake Roosevelt this weekend if he brought his son over for a little winter fishing.
The answer: an emphatic yes, with footnotes.
Here’s the lake level situation and more.
Right now (about 3 pm, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014), the lake level is predicted to “stabilize” at around 1,271 feet above sea level, or about 19 feet below the completely full mark.
That leaves most launches open, including Crescent Bay and Spring Canyon.
That said, you might find your favorite cove iced over. Even Crescent Bay is solid, which hasn’t happened in years.
I’ve talked to guys catching rainbow at what we like to call Geezer Beach, and one fellow told me his group caught two limits on the shore at Swawilla Basin last week.
You can find current lake level in this chart under “Midnight Elevation Level.”
And here’s our list of boat launch elevations.
MINIMUM BOAT LAUNCH ELEVATIONS
Crescent Bay 1265′
Spring Canyon 1222′
Keller Ferry 1229′
Hansen Harbor 1253′
Jones Bay 1266′
Lincoln Mill 1245′
Hawk Creek 1281′
Seven Bays 1227′
Fort Spokane 1247′
Porcupine Bay 1243′
Hunters Camp 1230′
Gifford 1249′
Daisy 1265′
Bradbury Beach 1251′
Kettle Falls 1234′
Marcus Island 1281′
Evans 1280′
North Gorge 1280′
Snag Cove 1277′
French Rocks 1265′
Napoleon Bridge 1280′
China Bend 1277′
There actually is a way to get your boat onto Lake Roosevelt, even with all the National Park Service ramps barricaded during the government shutdown.
Bear in mind, ranger staffing on the 131-mile long national recreation area is minimal, so if you go, you’re on your own.
Get your boat on Lake Roosevelt despite govt shutdown.
