Steamboat Lake State Park
| Steamboat Lake State Park | |
|---|---|
 The north side of the lake towards the marina and the Dutch Hill Campground | |
  | |
| Location | Routt County, Colorado, United States |
| Nearest city | Steamboat Springs, CO |
| Coordinates | 40°48′31″N 106°57′09″W / 40.80861°N 106.95250°W |
| Area | 2,820 acres (1,140 ha) |
| Established | 1966 |
| Visitors | 564,010 (in 2021)[1] |
| Governing body | Colorado Parks & Wildlife |
Steamboat Lake State Park is a Colorado state park located in Routt County 27 miles (43 km) north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and near the community of Hahns Peak Village. The 2,820-acre (1,140 ha) park land west of Hahns Peak was acquired in 1966.[2] It and the 1,101 acres (446 ha) reservoir was opened to the public in 1972.[3][2] As of 2021 park facilities include a visitors center, Marina,[2] boat ramps, campsites, Cabins, picnic sites and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) of hiking trails. Plant communities include sagebrush shrubland, quaking aspen and lodgepole pine forests, willow carr and marsh. Commonly seen mammalian wildlife species include mule deer and red fox. The reservoir attracts many species of shorebirds and waterfowl, including sandhill cranes that nest in the wetland areas.
The reservoir creating the lake on Willow Creek was completed in 1967 and is fed by many streams including Mill Creek, Floyd Creek, Larson Creek, Dutch Creek, and Deep Creek.[4] Though used for recreation the construction of the dam was partly funded by the owners of the Hayden Generation Station to provide water to cool generators.[5]
References
- ^ "Colorado State Parks Region Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). Colorado Counties, Inc. 2023.
- ^ a b c "Steamboat Lake State Park". Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Springhorn, Anne (October 1972). "Embers: News and Events for Campers". Better Camping. 13 (10). Woodall Publishing Co: 15. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- ^ Kleinsorge, Martin G. (1992). Exploring Colorado State Parks. Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado. pp. 222–227. ISBN 978-0-87081-256-9. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Journalism, Aspen (January 19, 2021). "Toxic algae blooms in reservoirs near Steamboat detected thanks to new state protocol - Aspen Journalism". The Water Desk. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
