Construction of a boat takeout point near Powell that will allow for better access to water sports on the Shoshone River is underway, giving the recently chartered Park County Outdoor Recreation Collaborative its first big win.

The launch is being built on Wyoming Department of Transportation land on the southwest corner of the bridge crossing the river on Wyo. Highway 295. The boat launch site is upstream on the opposite bank to the Game and Fish Willwood Access area, which recently closed to motor vehicle traffic due to vandalism, making the traditional takeout area nearly impossible to use for watercraft.

Powell Mayor John Wetzel, a collaborative steering committee member, has been pushing for the project to get underway and is excited to see the takeout get some use.

“Anybody who wants to put in up-river up will be able to play on their paddle boards, canoes, kayaks, boats and rafts,” he said, adding, “there's a boat ramp above this, below the Willwood Dam, where people can put in for fun all summer long and to get out of the heat.”

The launch is the first project nearing completion for the collaborative, a group of local stakeholders who organized to work on projects which encourage recreation in the county’s grand outdoor destinations. Wetzel has been grinding away to get the funds in line and volunteers scheduled to help with the project.

Park County Commissioner Lloyd Thiel and Ian Morrison, a project engineer with Engineering Associates, volunteered to help move dirt and shape the takeout to prepare for concrete to be poured. Ryno Rentals and Powell City Administrator Zack Thorington donated the use of equipment to get the job done. Funding was handled by the East Yellowstone Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Wetzel said the concrete could be poured before the end of the month — possibly earlier, depending on concrete crew schedules. He’d like to see it all finished prior to fall to avoid conflicts with volunteers’ and vendors’ hunting trips.

The project is intended to be a takeout point; there’s no public land for access further east on the river. The Penrose Dam is also downstream and doesn’t offer public access.

Mother Nature had been causing delays since the project was slated in 2022, but as the river levels calmed after the spring snow melt, Wetzel was excited to get news they could start last week. Once the concrete has been paid for and poured, there might be money left over to improve the parking lot and create signage, Wetzel said.

The Park County Outdoor Recreation Collaborative assembled its steering committee in 2022. Park County experiences high rates of visitation with diverse recreation opportunities, making it an ideal location for outdoor recreation collaboration, the group reports on its website. Seven Wyoming counties now have an outdoor collaborative, including Big Horn County.

For more information, visit wyooutdoorrecreation.wyo.gov/index.php/outdoor-recreation-collaboratives/park-county-outdoor-recreation-collaborative-pcorc.