You might think of it as southern Colorado’s biggest bathtub, filled at times with boats—motor and sail— paddle boarders, jet skis, and at different spots along the shoreline, people just enjoying the water. Lake Pueblo State Park, for people wanting to recreate on the water or just enjoy nature, is southern Colorado’s place to go.
But with seasons changing and Pueblo’s summer heat no longer beating down, visits are thinning out. That, however, doesn’t mean the park is losing its appeal. It only means seasonal options are shifting.
“There aren’t as many formal things scheduled,” said Ella Trask, one of the park’s Seasonal Interpretive Naturalists. But that doesn’t mean there’s less to do. The park, after all, is one of the regions and nature’s most majestic spots.
But Trask highly recommends checking the park’s Facebook page for scheduled events. Still, just showing up could also mean something fun and unexpected, as well.Serendipity, after all, has no timetable.
One thing coming up toward the end of the month is the park’s monthly stargazing program. Held multiple times each year, the Southern Colorado Astronomical Society regularly holds court at the park. The lack of light pollution allows the ‘galaxy curious’ to scan the heavens. Trask says on a clear night, you might even get lucky enough to see Saturn or something else usually unseen or unnoticed with the naked eye.
Another popular Fall evening at the park can also mean joining others for campfire evenings. This time of year, chilling, both literally and figuratively, ghost stories are popular. But when the sun’s up, there’s fishing, walk- ing along the Arkansas, horseback riding and leaf pepping. Trask says the scores of oak trees are awash in gold. Then, there’s the park’s growing popularity of birding.
The changing seasons provide new viewing opportunities for birders to see the park’s amazing population of feathered visitors, from the tiniest varieties to birds of prey. Southern Colorado is one of the state’s most highly trafficked migratory routes for birds on their long- distance treks. Now and then, you might even see an unexpected visitor that’s been accidentally rerouted, a situation occurring more and more frequently as a result of climate change.
The park provides seasonal resting or nesting for Mergansers, Cormorants, Roadrunners, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures. As a bonus, visitors can also catch periodic sightings of pronghorn antelope, beavers and coyotes for whom the park provides habitat. There have also been bear sightings. Visitors are warned to keep their distance.
Less than two hours from Denver, Lake Pueblo is Colorado’s number one visited state park, said Donielle Kitzman, Vice President of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. “It’s year-round,” and offers something for everyone, she said. “People, from in state or anywhere, come her regularly.” Some dock their boats and make the lake an every weekend thing.
The Lake, located approximately fifteen minutes from center city Pueblo, hosts nearly three million visitors each year. And while the water, obviously, is the main draw, it’s just one of many things the state park offers.
The park covers an estimated 14,600 acres, including 60 miles of shoreline, along with 400 campsites, 150 picnic sites and, for those who prefer their fun on terra firma, nearly 15 miles of hiking trails.
While Kitzman said the park’s economic impact to the city and region was not available, with nearly two million visitors in 2023—slightly down from nearly four million two year earlier—Lake Pueblo is a significant economic driver.
Visitors, regulars to the park along with others, including out-of-towners, said Kitzman, dine locally, rent hotel rooms and otherwise, spend their money across the city. Since the park opened in the late seventies, the lake has been a consistent money maker for Pueblo.
If you’re planning a visit to Pueblo and Lake Pueblo, Kitzman and Trask recommend checking out the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website (cps.state.co.us) for a sched- ule of fees and events. A one-day single vehicle pass is $10. CPW also offers a $4 one-day pass for visitors “on foot, bicycle or horseback. Annual passes are also avail- able.
“There’s really always something to do no matter the time of year,” at Lake Pueblo, said Trask. “Winter is no exception.”
