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With all due respect to God and his handiwork, man has created marvels in Colorado. Hundreds of humanmade reservoirs dot the Front Range, providing drinking water, irrigation, and your launchpad for the best summer ever. Rally your crew, pack your floaties, and load your cooler.
Here, our 15 favorite close-to-home escapes for mile-high lake days.
Jump Ahead:
- Horsetooth Reservoir
- Lake Pueblo
- Shadow Mountain Lake
- Eleven Mile Reservoir
- Bear Creek Lake
- Evergreen Lake
- Gross Reservoir
- Carter Lake
- Chinns Lake
- Boulder Reservoir
- Big Soda Lake
- Union Reservoir
- Chatfield Reservoir
- Cherry Creek Reservoir
- Aurora Reservoir
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The Best Lakes for Boating
Horsetooth Reservoir
- Average mid-June high: 84°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 61°F–70°F
- Popularity: High
The perfect lake for boating should have long, unbroken stretches for riding waves; secluded coves for escaping the chop; and an epic backdrop for sneaking eyefuls between surf sessions. For all that, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot than Horsetooth Reservoir, just west of Fort Collins.
A 6.5-mile-long tongue of water splashed between walls of pink sandstone, Horsetooth (which provides drinking water and irrigation for the Eastern Slope) offers the longest straightaways near Denver. Advanced riders on wakeboards, surfboards, water skis, or hydrofoils can rip, while newbies can learn without the hassles of cross traffic or a constantly turning boat. This is not to say that Horsetooth is free of waves—it’s the third-busiest reservoir in Colorado—but there’s a predictability to it. For mirrorlike water, hit the reservoir at 7 a.m., then cruise until it gets cut up around 2 p.m. or when afternoon thunderstorms roll in, says Marcelo Rodero, a local boat owner who’s been slicing these waters for the past 15 years.
When it’s time to wait out rough water, seek refuge in any of the half dozen coves on the western shore, where shallow bays abut open space that greens up by June. Head to Orchard Cove, about two-thirds up the lake, for exploring sinuous channels by paddleboard. One inlet north, Eltuck Bay is where “the party’s at,” Rodero says. There, folks play their music a little louder and floating in unicorn tubes is de rigueur.
No matter where you go, don’t forget to look up. Horsetooth sits like an infinity pool above Fort Collins, serving up views to the east, where golden plains outrun your vision. To the west? Layers of sherbet-colored rock mingle with evergreen forests and meadows sprayed with singletrack. On clear days, you can spy 13,000-foot peaks clipping the horizon beyond. Not bad for a Front Range boat day.
Closest (large) city: Fort Collins, 8 miles Entrance fee: South Bay single vehicle day pass is $10 (plus $10 for a boat trailer). Marina: Inlet Bay Marina provides boat, jet ski, and nonmotorized watercraft rentals. Where to stay: Horsetooth Reservoir has 149 campsites (some with RV hookups, some boat-in, and some cabins) along its shores. Where to eat: The recently revamped Horsetooth Tavern, near Inlet Bay, serves the sort of hearty bar food (and, on Fridays, prime rib) you want after a day in the sun.
Lake Pueblo
- Average mid-June high: 87°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 66°F–75°F
- Popularity: High
Think of this sprawling reservoir—the sixth-largest in Colorado—as the poor man’s Powell. Two hours south of Denver, Lake Pueblo’s seven-some square miles of boatable water (with 60 miles of shoreline) are cupped in a Mars-like desert landscape with sedimentary outcroppings and nothingness on the horizon. Hop on a rope and get towed across blissfully warm bathwater, putter through a serpentine network of coves, or anchor down near a scrubby, high-desert campsite. The only thing that might make it more true to a Southwest experience would be the hum of houseboats, but, respectfully, we pass.
Shadow Mountain Lake
- Average mid-June high: 70°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 50°F–59°F
- Popularity: Low
This high-elevation pool is its own best protector: It’s a two-hour drive from Denver, a nine-mile jaunt past Lake Granby, and, oh yeah, it perches above 8,300 feet (brr!). Intrepid wakeboarders earn quiet waters and an empty shoreline, plus alpine scenery and massive Colorado cred when they ride waves at the foot of the Continental Divide (score a new perspective on thirteeners Isolation Peak and Mt. Alice from this side). Also dope: Shadow Mountain Lake connects to Grand Lake via a narrow, boatable channel—the only one of its kind in the state.
The Best Lakes for Fishing
Eleven Mile Reservoir
- Average mid-June high: 72°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 50°F–59°F
- Popularity: Medium
Backed by the 11,000-foot-tall Tarryall Mountains and surrounded by grasslands where pronghorn laze, Eleven Mile Reservoir (located in the South Park Basin, west of Colorado Springs, inside Eleven Mile State Park) is the stuff social media dreams are made of—particularly if you have a penchant for fish pics. “You’ll mostly find rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout, plus northern pike, in there,” says Danny Frank, owner of Denver-based Colorado Trout Hunters fly-fishing guiding service. “This is a trophy trout fishery because there’s a constant supply of food.”
Food, in this case, means bugs. Lots of them. Throughout the late spring and summer, there are reliable hatches of chironomids, callibaetis, and damselflies, the likenesses of which you can toss right from the shore for much of the season, so long as you have a valid fishing license. “The entire west end of the reservoir is a big flat, only about 17 feet deep, and there’s really good fishing there,” says Jon Easdon, director of services for Colorado Springs–based Angler’s Covey guiding service. “I like the areas near the Stoll Mountain Campground and the Cross Creek Campground. You can shore cast or use a kayak or belly boat.”
If for some reason you get tired of still-water fishing, Eleven Mile, whose H₂O is destined for Mile High City residents’ taps, is fed by the South Platte River’s Dream Stream. The three-mile-long section of tailwater is famous for its massive trout—and happens to drain into Eleven Mile Canyon, another public-access tailwater roiling with big hogs. On either section of the river, anglers can find a few more dry-fly opportunities than they might on the reservoir itself. “No matter where you fish, though,” Easdon says, “you could easily get into a fish of a lifetime.” Translation: Get your phone ready. —Lindsey B. King
Closest (large) city: Colorado Springs, 52 miles Entrance fee: Eleven Mile State Park single vehicle day pass is $10. Marina: 11 Mile Marina provides boat, mooring buoy, and slip rentals. Where to stay: Eleven Mile State Park has 325 campsites (some with RV hookups) in nine campgrounds as well as 14 backcountry sites. Where to eat: Zuccaro’s Kitchen, in teeny Hartsel, has far-better-than-average pizzas, pastas, and hoagies, but don’t miss the pies.
Bear Creek Lake
- Average mid-June high: 80°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 55°F–65°F
- Popularity: Medium
You wouldn’t expect glassy waters and mountain views just off C-470, but Bear Creek Lake Park delivers both. The eponymous reservoir (one of three in the Lakewood rec area) is stocked with bluegill, carp, smallmouth bass, perch, rainbow trout, walleye, and saugeye. A put-in and a wakeless boating policy make it ideal for trolling or casting from a kayak or belly boat, while shore anglers can take advantage of two fishing piers at Pelican Point. The reservoir’s namesake offers a scenic stretch of water upstream where you can cast for brown and rainbow trout in cooler months. —Heather Balogh Rochfort
Evergreen Lake
- Average mid-June high: 76°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 58°F–65°F
- Popularity: Medium
Just 30 minutes west of Denver, Evergreen Lake offers a tranquil setting for conventional anglers and fly-fishers seeking rainbow trout. Colorado Parks & Wildlife regularly stocks the 40-acre reservoir, and its calm waters—motors aren’t allowed, so only the occasional paddleboarder glides through—are ideal for casting from a canoe or along the 1.3-mile shoreline. Fly-tyers often find success near the inlet, especially during early morning hours. Note: Fishing is restricted around the Lake House (pictured). —HBR
The Best Lakes for Camping
Gross Reservoir
- Average mid-June high: 74°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 57–66°F
- Popularity: High
“Reservoir” and “best campsite” don’t often appear in the same sentence, especially in a state as flush with pretty patches of soil as ours. But on Winiger Ridge, a spruce-shrouded peninsula that juts into Gross Reservoir, a couple dozen secluded spots may have you reconsidering your criteria.
Just a 40-minute drive from Boulder proper, Gross Reservoir—which provides water to 1.5 million people in metro Denver—masquerades as a subalpine lake with teal water lapping against forested slopes pocked with granite outcroppings. “It feels backcountry,” says Andrew Bydlon, a documentary videographer and photographer who first visited Gross Reservoir when scouting scenes for local outdoor shoots. “Now, I’ll just head up there for a quick night out when I want to get away.”
Getting away is, of course, much of Gross’ appeal, and there’s no red tape, either: The 26 designated campsites scattered along Winiger Ridge are all first come, first served. Be forewarned that Denver Water is in the midst of a hotly debated project to raise the dam, and admittedly, the commotion can steal from the experience on a warm summer day. But Winiger Ridge sits on the opposing shoreline from the construction, so solitude is still up for grabs. Campsites 15 through 20 offer peekaboo lake views to the north, and campsites 21 through 26 grant vistas of a dogleg in the reservoir to the south. (All campsites can fill up on summer weekends, so it’s best to visit midweek, per Bydlon.)
When you claim your spot, pitch a wind-protected tent (or maybe a hammock) in the trees, then pick a course down to the water’s edge to launch a paddleboard or dangle your toes in the water. A high midday sun lights up the 440-acre, twisty expanse (with nearly 11 miles of shoreline to investigate), but come 8 p.m., it buries into the woods to the west, setting the water afire. And from this vantage, Gross most certainly is a “lake” and nothing less.
Closest (large) city: Boulder, 15 miles Entrance fee: None Where to stay: There are 26 designated campsites along Winiger Ridge; access them at the end of Forest Road 359 (high-clearance vehicle needed). Where to eat: Boulder Canyon leads you into the city proper, between downtown and the Hill, where opportunities for noshing abound.
Carter Lake
- Average mid-June high: 79°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 60°F–68°F
- Popularity: Medium
If you don’t want to risk getting skunked out of a first-come, first-served campsite, consider booking a spot at Carter Lake, a deep blue sapphire in the foothills east of Rocky Mountain National Park. There, 120 designated, reservable sites line paved (read: easy access) loops along the east shore. Large groups and RVs should go for the new-in-2022 Sky View Campground, which is walking distance from the swim beach. Smaller groups and tent campers should head for Carter Knolls: From the area’s bluffy strip, you may mistake the pine-hemmed reservoir for a lake in the Sierra Nevada.
Chinns Lake
- Average mid-June high: 67°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 49°F–54°F
- Popularity: Low
Have a high-clearance four-wheel drive and looking to get off the grid? Set your GPS for Chinns Lake, part of the Fall River Reservoir outside Idaho Springs. The alpine pool (it’s near 11,000 feet in elevation and can be snowy into midsummer) nestles beneath 13,131-foot Mt. Eva, west of St. Mary’s Glacier, in a wildflower-smeared basin where a half-dozen established sites frame the south shore. Cast a line from camp, find a good rock to watch the sun set over the Continental Divide, or if it’s warm, inflate your sleeping pad and go for a float.
The Best Lakes for Paddling
Boulder Reservoir
- Average mid-June high: 84°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 64°F–70°F
- Popularity: Medium
Leave it to Boulder to bundle a bucket list of things to do with life-list scenery at its local reservoir. Boulder Reservoir (more familiarly “the Rez,” in the People’s Republic) is a relatively low-volume (warm) 700-acre lake in the northeastern reaches of town, set apart from the suburban sprawl. Surrounded by open space and fringed with native trees like Rocky Mountain junipers and ponderosa pines, it feels natural, like something you might discover around a bend in a trail in the Lost Creek Wilderness. But with a backdrop that includes the Flatirons, it’s all Boulder.
For the best experience, operations supervisor Stacy Cole, who’s been with the Rez since 2006, recommends a multidisciplinary day of swimming, paddling, and noshing. Start on the 400-foot-long swim beach on the south shore, where you can splash in a lifeguarded zone seven days a week. “It’s the only body of water around here that is managed, lifeguarded, and open to the public—and it’s beautiful,” Cole says. The beach sees more folks on weekends, but it rarely fills up (“usually only during the annual Ironman event,” Cole says, in reference to the world-famous triathlon, which uses the Rez for the swim portion), so there’s always space to throw down a towel.
A tight permitting system for motorboats ensures that the open water stays open, too. Paddleboards and small boats can float the whole lake, and with only the occasional slalom water skier or competitive rowboat (again, Boulder) zipping by, harsh wakes won’t throw off your groove. (Permits are required for paddleboards, too; you can claim one in mid-June, after the Ironman event. Or hit up the Rocky Mountain Paddleboard shack on the southeast shore for a rental.) When you’ve worked up a solid appetite, complete your own triathlon by replenishing lost calories in the revamped Boulder Reservoir Café, which, new for this summer, is dishing up flatbreads, charcuterie, and soft-serve ice cream.
Closest (large) city: Boulder, 0 miles Entrance fee: Boulder Reservoir Regional Park day pass is $12/person. Watercraft rental: Rocky Mountain Paddleboard provides paddleboard, single kayak, tandem kayak, party board, and pontoon rentals, plus lessons and SUP yoga. Where to eat: From the Rez, head south on Diagonal Highway (or CO 119), a fast pass to anything in east Boulder. Our fave: VisionQuest Brewery for hoppy ales on a sunny patio where food trucks post up.
Big Soda Lake
- Average mid-June high: 80°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 66°F–70°F
- Popularity: High
Need a beach day? Skip the coastal flight and drive 20 minutes west to Morrison (not an autocorrect). A broad white-sand beach along the north edge of this pool (one of the trio within Bear Creek Lake Park) makes for a perfect base camp. From there, splash in the satisfyingly large swim area, hit the 400-foot lap lane along the shore, set sail on your craft into the big blue, or channel Ice Man at the volleyball courts. Kiosks for paddleboard rentals and concessions are within walking distance. The place does get busy, so arrive early to claim a parking spot. And note: Fido is allowed in the park, but not at Big Soda.
Union Reservoir
- Average mid-June high: 83°F
- Ambient mid-June water temp: 66°F–75°F
- Popularity: Medium
A handful of country roads lead to this 736-acre jewel, which hides in the east Longmont plains like a mirage. Stage towels, lunch, and shovels at a picnic bench on the sandy beach, then hit the water on your paddleboard to score in-your-face views of 14,259-foot Longs Peak and its pal Mt. Meeker. Though beach real estate at Union can get tight on weekends, there’s room on the water, so BYO craft or rent at the reservoir. (Sorry—no swimming outside of the designated beach area on the south shore. And your pupper is allowed to wade only at the designated shore.)
The Best Lakes in Denver
Chatfield Reservoir
Horseback riding and camping are two of the many activities at this 5,381-acre state park 30 minutes south of Denver. Hot air balloons often launch here, and there’s even a dedicated field for flying model airplanes. On the lake, you can boat or paddle (rentals available on-site) or fish for walleye and rainbow trout. $12 daily vehicle pass
Cherry Creek Reservoir
There’s something very Colorado about sunning yourself on a sandy beach while gazing out at snowcapped peaks. You can do just that at Cherry Creek, which also offers boat and paddleboard rentals. Kids will enjoy the recently upgraded playground by the water, while dogs can roam free in a 100-acre off-leash area. Swimming is allowed, but be aware of any algae bloom notices. $10 daily vehicle pass
Aurora Reservoir
Archery, scuba diving, and windsurfing are among the more unusual activities at Aurora Reservoir. Birders will find dozens of winged species to admire—gulls, grebes, herons, terns, and hawks—and the Senac Creek Nature Center offers educational exhibits and activities for all ages. The beach gets crowded, so arrive early and find a spot to throw down. $10–$15 daily vehicle pass (varies seasonally) —Rose Cahalan
Lake Gear
Zeal Optics Harbinger, $249
For long days on the water, you want polarized lenses (for clarity) and shield-style frames (for protection). Optionally, you may want something totally vibey, in which case you should set your sights on the Harbinger, released this spring, from Boulder-based Zeal Optics. The temples are thin, flexy, and comfortable all day.
OtterBox Elevation Can Cooler, $30
A foam koozie keeps your hand warm; a stainless-steel koozie keeps your hand warm and your drink cold. Go for a universal design like that of the Elevation from Fort Collins’ OtterBox, which accepts 12-ounce, 16-ounce, and skinny cans—if, you know, White Claws are your summer drink of choice.
Nite Ize RunOff Waterproof Hip Pack, $60
Keep your phone, lip balm, and snacks close at hand when paddling or boating with a waterproof hip pack like this one from Boulder-based Nite Ize. The adjustable tote is fully submersible and can be worn cross-body.
Flylow Nash Sun Hoody and Jessi Sun Hoody, $90
Few packing decisions will ruin a lake day faster than shirking sun protection. Invest in a lightweight sunshirt, like this new hoodie from Denver-based Flylow, which boasts the maximum UPF 50+ rating for blocking harmful rays. A longer-than-usual tail hem and generous hood (with drawstrings) keeps you covered—and it even has pockets.
RovR TravelR 24L Backpack, $150
Bevvies stay cold while your hands stay free with this soft-sided cooler from Boulder’s RovR. A structured bottom keeps it upright, and the clever top zipper flays open for easy loading. But it’s the details that make this pack worth the splurge: bottle holders, an opener, and a cushy back panel.
Kokopelli Platte Inflatable Kayak, $899
Storing and hauling a kayak can be a problem—unless you go with an inflatable boat. The Platte (the two-person version is $1,099) from Denver-based Kokopelli folds down to the size of a sofa cushion and comes standard with a four-piece paddle, barrel pump, foam seat, foot block, and fins.
Kelty Sunshade With Side Wall, $150
Block sun, wind, and haters with this easy-setup polyester shelter from Broomfield-based Kelty. Slip the three crosspoles into the sleeves, and, boom, shade. Use the included stakes for dirt or harvest some grapefruit-size rocks for setting it up on sand.
