Treasure Island

Wyoming Game and Fish Department, North Platte River Public Access Area

(map link)

There are a number of public access areas along the North Platte River provided by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. They each have varying amenities and recreation opportunities. The one at Treasure Island is well appointed with bathrooms, boat ramp, and a bit of hiking, as well as allowing camping for up to five days. Upon discovering the bit of hiking, I decided I could put some long chores off an hour to explore the place. The parking area is open and rather exposed to the sun. The weather had been pretty stuck on the theme of record heat for all the lower areas since I got to Arapaho, maybe even before but they weren't telling me about it then, so it was hot but cooling in the late afternoon.

Panorama of the hills to the south. Land immediately surrounding is private, but the area is a checkerboard of Bureau of Land Management and private and those hills or some like them (check Caltopo's public lands layer and ask at the field office) are accessible for exploration, too. They looked like they could be fun to visit.

The boat ramp is the only paving. Across this section of the North Platte River is Treasure Island.

Stepping down to the river left the heat behind. There's a lot more shade and even where it isn't shaded it is more comfortable.

North Platte River flowing north.

The trail is not well marked, but the main portion heads south from beside the boat ramp. This is also fishing access, so there are frequent spurs (really, it only takes a few feet anyway) down to the water. There's also a pair of bridges, the first over the water and the second over the flood area, to access Treasure Island. Yes, there really is an island.

The steps are very steep to get up to the bridge and use it at your own risk.

Downstream (north) along the North Platte River.

Upstream (south) along the North Platte River.

The second bridge over the flood zone.

Bird watching is on the list of recreation activities and the brush absolutely erupted with birds as I crossed the bridge over the river's flood area.

Two (female) red winged blackbirds remain after the first eruption of birds from those perched on the bridge.

At the bottom of the steps off the second bridge, I set off on the most used trail which was setting off across the island.

A smaller trail heading south through the grasses on Treasure Island.

The second part of the North Platte River.

I wandered along well established trail going north for a while, then decided I had a much better chance of getting to the south tip of the island than the north since it wasn't a full mile away. I turned south instead.

A killdeer poking around for food in the shallows.

It's odd to find water control on a ditch in the middle of a small island.

Cottonwoods reflecting on the river.

Almost to the upstream tip of Treasure Island.

I found a sign stating I was "leaving access" before I got to the tip of the island. I guess it's moved upstream over the years? I was almost there. I turned back and pondered the damage beavers have done to the cottonwoods including one quite large one. Other than felled trees, I saw nothing of them.

Distant fields and higher mountains beyond. There was someone bailing hay out far off.

I returned across the bridges and poked a little way further along the side of the river before returning to the parking area.

A little way upstream of the bridges on the North Platte River.

There's a second trail going downstream that has no bridges to access beyond the one at its start. The bridge itself was fairly overgrown, but there's trail past it. I only went a little way along this before returning.

Access trail for downstream along the river.

It took a bit longer than the hour I'd left to wandering a bit. There's actually about two miles of island, so to really look it all over, it takes a little longer. Later, I enjoyed a bit of nice sunset.

There goes the sun.

Distant mountains under colored clouds.

*photo album*




©2022 Valerie Norton
Written 11 Nov 2022