Modesto opens new Tuolumne River boat ramp in style. See how many paddlers turned out

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Paddlers came in kayaks and canoes and a 25-foot mock-up of a Viking boat to christen Modesto’s new launch ramp on the Tuolumne River.

It opened Friday off Neece Drive in west Modesto, which has lacked easy connections to the river that runs past it. This is the first paved ramp in Tuolumne River Regional Park, which stretches about 7 miles between the Mitchell Road and Carpenter Road bridges.

Neighborhood resident and kayaker Art Fabela took part in a flotilla that set out about a mile upstream and arrived soon after the ribbon-cutting.

“It worked great,” he said of the new ramp. “You don’t have to worry about climbing over the rocks or falling over.”

Harris Builders of Hilmar installed the ramp on a $1.8 million contract approved last July by the Modesto City Council.

The ramp is not for motor boats, which would be noisy and polluting and defeat the purpose of getting exercise. But any human-powered craft is welcome, as illustrated by Friday’s flotilla.

About 20 paddlers launched from an obscure path near the Ninth Street Bridge. The Tuolumne River Trust organized the trip, including the Viking boat borrowed from Friends of the River.

The new ramp has room for backing down with a car and unloading a large towed vessel. Nonboaters also can enjoy the amenity, which improves footing for visitors wading in the river.

“This achievement,” Mayor Sue Zwahlen said, “enhances the safety and convenience of entry for our residents into the river for non-motorized recreational activities.”

The upper portion of the site will soon get picnic tables and already has shade tree saplings. It had been a weedy field, much less scenic than the valley oaks and other native plants beside the river.

The city paid for the ramp with a $780,000 grant from the California Boating and Waterways Commission, $800,000 from fees charged on developers, and about $232,000 from the river park’s budget reserves.

Ramps serve boaters on other stretches

The Tuolumne has three other paved boat ramps outside the regional park. One is just upstream at River Bluff Regional Park in Ceres. The others are at the Geer Road bridge near Hughson and at River Park in Waterford. Downstream of Modesto, a dirt path provides boater access at Riverdale Park.

Another ramp could eventually be part of the new state park at Dos Rios Ranch, where the Tuolumne joins the San Joaquin River. The park’s first phase will open June 12 with picnic tables, trails and nature lessons.

Officials began in the 1960s to acquire pieces of Tuolumne River Regional Park and adopted the current master plan in 2001. It remains a work in progress.

The park has some promised trails, picnic sites, soccer fields, restored floodplain and other attractions. The part near the Ninth Street Bridge could someday be a central gathering place, an easy walk or bike ride from downtown Modesto.

The new boat ramp area already has dirt trails, used by hikers, joggers and mountain bikers. An upcoming project will add a parallel paved path for wheelchairs, strollers and bicycles. It could be completed by early 2025, extending from around Ninth Street to west Modesto.

The park is drafting a master plan update that could be released this summer for public comment. It is governed by a board with two council members from Modesto, one from Ceres and two Stanislaus County supervisors.

Right across from Nuts ballpark

The new ramp is just across Neece from John Thurman Field, home to the Nuts minor-league baseball team. Next to the ballpark is the former Modesto Municipal Golf Course. The city is studying reuses for the golf course that could include a mix of dense housing and recreation.

The Tuolumne ran relatively high during Friday’s event thanks to releases from Don Pedro Reservoir to help young salmon reach the Pacific Ocean. The flow also reflects the abundant snowmelt this year and last.

But drought years can make the river too low for boating under the current rules for Don Pedro. The Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts have offered to boost them somewhat. The Tuolumne River Trust and its allies have urged much more.

Boating advocates have suggested that higher flows could attract outfitters such as those on the Stanislaus River at Knights Ferry. That waterway has higher levels under state and federal rules on releases from New Melones Reservoir. The 2024 season will begin on Memorial Day weekend for both Sunshine Rafting Adventures and River Journey Adventures.

Tuolumne has trash and other issues, too

Kayaker and Modesto resident Juan Mariscal, who accompanied the inaugural party, said being able to play soccer at Thurman and to now have boating access added to the number of things to do in the area.

“It’s pretty nice because, I mean, we always float on the Stanislaus River but now we got the Tuolumne River to float on,” he said.

Mariscal also acknowledged there was still work to do to make boating a better experience on the Tuolumne. The place where boaters launched from, the bank where Dry Creek meets the Tuolumne, was littered with trash.

Mixed in with sights of local birds of prey, fish and even a river snake that was spotted by boaters, were the obvious signs of the area’s homelessness crisis and its consequences along the banks.

“You know, when you’re on the river, you see a lot of things that you wish you didn’t see,” said Mariscal. “But, it’s nice that they take care of this river and that we’re able to do this now.”