New boat ramp along the Teton River

Boaters can expect a new boat ramp at the Bates Road Access on the Teton River soon.

Construction on the Bates Boat Ramp began this week. It is one of the more popular spots for boaters on the river. Conservation groups purchased the property for the ramp and then turned it over to Teton County, Idaho, which is now running it as a park. There’s also a conservation easement on part of the property. It is replacing the old ramp which was on private property and in a dangerous area.

“People had to park on one side of a road and put their boats in and walk over and put their boats in on the other side of the road,” said Amy Verbeten, executive director of Friends of the Teton River. “They had to cross a really narrow bridge. The capacity of the parking was very limited. That road is a 50 miles per hour road where people go even faster than that and there was a big blind corner where people had to turn around to back their boats in. So it was very unsafe.”

The ramp closed to the public on July 30th and is expected to be open early next week.