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Eleven Mile Reservoir

WEB LINKS: Info  Info  Info  Photos

SIZE: 3,405 acres, shoreline 23.9 miles

LOCATION: The reservoir lies on the South Platte River between Highways 24 and 9. To reach the park, travel 38 miles west of Colorado Springs on U.S. 24 to one mile west of the town of Lake George, then turn left (south) on County Road 90 and drive for six miles to County Road 92. Continue south on 92 for five miles to the park.

FEATURES: Camping, hiking trails, picnic areas, kayak rentals, showers, laundry, retail vendors

HOURS: The reservoir is closed to boating from one half-hour after sunset to one half-hour before sunrise daily.

COST: $7.00 day / $60.00 season pass

NOTES: No water skiing. The southeast corner of the lake (Witchers Cove) is generally the preferred put-in spot, but is more difficult to access. Nice coves and islands. Can be very windy in the afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WEB LINKS:  Info

Lake Pueblo

SIZE: 4,646 acres, shoreline 60 miles

LOCATION: Take I-25 to Pueblo. Turn west on U.S. Hwy 50 (Exit 101). Drive 4 miles to Pueblo Blvd. Turn south and go 4 miles to Thatcher Blvd (Hwy 96). Turn west and go 4 miles to the south park entrances. OR Take I-25 to Pueblo. Turn west on U.S. Hwy 50 (Exit 101). Drive 7 miles to McCulloch Blvd. Turn south and go 4 miles to Nichols Road. Turn south and go 1 mile to the north park entrance.  

FEATURES: Pretty much everything (no kayak rentals)

HOURS:

COST: $7.00 day / $60.00 season pass

NOTES: They allow jet-skis and water skiing. Very busy in peak season. A good paddle venue in early spring or late fall, or in the winter. This is one of the few lakes in Colorado that is usually ice free.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pikes Peak - North Slope Recreation Area - 3 reservoirs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEB LINKS:  Info

SIZE:  Crystal Creek- 136 acres, shoreline 3.31 miles | North Catamount- 210 acres, shoreline 6.58 miles | South Catamount- 120 acres, shoreline 3.96 miles

LOCATION: To reach the toll road, Exit I-25 at exit 141 (Hwy 24) in Colorado Springs, going west toward the mountains. Then take the Pikes Peak Toll Road exit in Cascade and follow the signs to get to Pikes Peak entrance.

FEATURES: Hiking, mountain biking, picnicking. No camping.

HOURS: 2008 highway info:  Opening Day, May 1st: 9 am to 4 pm / May 23 - September 1: 7 am to 8:30 pm / Closed: July 20th - Race Day / September 2 to September 30: Sat. & Sun. 7 am to 4 pm, Mon. - Fri. 8 am to 4 pm / Last day of Season: September 30

COST: $4.00 per person highway toll fee / PFD required

NOTES: No gas engine boats allowed! (smile)  North Cat is generally the pick of the litter. Incredible scenery!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rampart Reservoir

WEB LINKS: Info   

SIZE: 500 acres

LOCATION: Directions from Colorado Springs: Travel west on Highway 24 approximately 18 miles to Woodland Park. At the stoplight immediately before the McDonald's turn right. Travel on this road (Baldwin -Rampart Range Road) passed the schools around a corner to an intersection with Forest Road 300. Turn right on to 300 and follow signs to the reservoir.

FEATURES: Camping, hiking and mountain biking trails

HOURS: 7 AM - 7 PM

COST: $5.00 / $40 season pass

NOTES: No water skiing. Lots of coves to play in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spinney Mountain Reservoir

WEB LINKS: Info  Info

SIZE: 2520 acres

LOCATION: From Colorado Springs, take U.S. 24 west for 55 miles over Wilkerson Pass. Turn south on Park County Road 23 and drive 2.8 miles to County Road 59. Turn right and continue another 1.1 miles to the park entrance.

FEATURES: No camping.

HOURS: The reservoir is closed to boating from one half-hour after sunset to one half-hour before sunrise daily.

COST: $7.00 day / $60.00 season pass

NOTES: Located 5 miles northwest of Eleven Mile State Park. No water skiing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tarryall Reservoir

WEB LINKS:  Info

SIZE: 220 acres

LOCATION: From Colorado Springs- take Hwy 24 west to Lake George. Turn right (north) on Park County Road 77 (aka Tarryall Rd.) about 1/2 mile past Lake George. Proceed 22 miles to the reservoir.

FEATURES: Camping

HOURS:

COST: Free

NOTES: Nice secluded lake for a relaxing paddle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Headed west into the mountains past 11 Mile and Spinney, there are many more paddling possibilities outside of the immediate Pikes Peak region. Some of the nearest are listed below, with informational links. I'll try to add more details as time allows.

 

Antero Reservoir

Lake Dillon

Taylor Park Reservoir

Turquoise Lake

Twin Lakes

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Crystal Creek Reservoir

Local Water

     (alphabetical)

    To my reckoning, there are 8 significant lakes with paddling potential in the Pikes Peak region. There may be other possibilities out there, if so, let me know and I'll add them to the list.    

      Colorado Boating Regs require that your kayak have your name and address displayed and that you have an emergency whistle on person. Complete Boating Regulations

 

General Links:

Colorado State Parks   

US Forest Service   

Wildernet (satellite maps and general information for many Colorado lakes)

Note! An infestation of Zebra Mussels were discovered at Lake Pueblo in January 2008. Consequently, boat inspections are now required at many Colorado lakes. Some require inspection of ALL watercraft, and some just motorized/trailered boats. Some have restricted motorboat access (Rampart). 11 Mile, Pueblo, Pikes Peak,  Rampart, Spinney and Tarryall are generally open to non-trailered, hand launched paddlecraft without restriction. These policies seem to change often, so it would be wise to get updated information before heading to the water.  

 

For information on Zebra Mussels, click HERE

Water

For various reasons, the original version of this page does not render correctly (photo placement) on web browsers designed for the Linux and possibly the Mac operating systems. So, here is a re-coded page for those brave individuals who choose to compute outside the kingdom of Microsoft, of which I am one.