A new boat ramp will give people access to the Shoshone River downstream from the Willwood Dam. 

The Park County Recreation Collaborative is funding the $20,000 project as part of the organization’s goal of enhancing recreational opportunities in Park County. 

The ramp is planned to be built on some property by Highway 295, at the bridge where it crosses the Shoshone River. 

The property, which is near the area known as the dog ponds, is owned by the Wyoming Department of Transportation, but Game and Fish has an agreement with the department to use the area as access for the river. 

At the regular Powell City Council meeting in June, Mayor John Wetzel asked the council to approve the city acting as the official agency for the project, meaning it would oversee the construction and handle the permitting process. 

“The property is owned by WYDOT. They’re not going to build a boat ramp. They don’t want to own the boat ramp. Well, Game and Fish said they’d own the boat ramp, but Game and Fish said they aren’t going to build the boat ramp,” Wetzel explained. 

The Powell Economic Partnership will be the fiscal agent, and the city will not need to contribute any funding. The river access, the mayor pointed out, will provide another amenity for Powell and the neighboring communities.  

“There’s some pretty good fishing there. And I think it’s really good economic development for Powell,” he said. 

There is a gravel road down to the spot, though there will need to be some grading of the river banks to create access to where the ramp will be located. 

“It’s literally just a 75-foot long piece of concrete, but we’ll have to do a little bit of digging,” Wetzel said. “We’re getting community support, which is pretty cool.”

EA Engineering is donating the engineering for the project. 

The council unanimously approved the request. Construction is expected to begin when water level drops in October. 

“I’m excited about that. I do that float three or four times a year, usually in February, March and April,” Wetzel said.