Lake Pueblo State Park — Attraction in Pueblo

Winter Hiking

Winter Hiking

I had the chance to check out Lake Pueblo earlier this year while passing through town. I had come in late the night before and had an early morning appointment with a customer in the area and then had the whole day to get to Brighton. I heard on the news that there was a break in the weather for a few hours and decided to get in a few hours of hiking before the storm set in.

The area around the lake and the state park are great for photo ops. There are hills and pullovers on the side of the road, as well as trails in the area. I didn't have a whole lot of time so I decided to head straight into the park. My first stop was the Park Station to get some information on the park and to learn about its history. The reservoir was built back in the early part of the last century to provide water to the vast acres of farmland in the area. It was also known historically as home to many Indigenous cultures that lived in the area.

After my trip to the Park station and armed with info on where to hike, off I went. I headed down to the lake and walked around for a bit. I spoke to some boaters who even though it was still winter, were getting their boats ready for the opening of the fishing season. Luckily the howling wind had died down from the night before and the lake was very calm. I walked around the lake for a while and then walked around the area watching the mountains in the distance and the snow-covered hills that made up the landscape. I was out there alone and felt very fortunate that the sun would pop its head out for a few minutes and every so often and give me a real sense of the serene beauty that the area has. This was a great hike and I took more time to observe than I did take pictures, it was just that kind of afternoon. For those of you who haven't been there before, the lake has what most parks with lakes have in the US, like boating, swimming, camping and other facilities for showers and of course restrooms. I will make it a point to return once again in warmer weather and enjoy the...

We went with our 21 foot powerboat, the decontamination station at one end of the lake was really a mess, we waited nearly 35 minutes as the boat in front of us was being decontaminated, and they were only one third of the way done. It was a surf boat and I don't think they are geared up to fill the huge ballast tanks quickly enough to serve the rest of the boats. I did ask about progress and then suggested that we go to the other end of the lake and the person checked the other end of lake and let us know that that probably would be a good idea. It would have been helpful had the people doing this decon let the five boats behind us know that maybe they want to go to the other side of the lake also. Seems like if you're going to come in there with a surf boat, that takes an hour to decontaminate perhaps you should have to pay an extra charge. That way they could buy more equipment and personnel to accommodate surf boats. Also our initial check that was done at the entry for mussels was really poorly conducted, they asked to see my anchor but I had two anchors, they only looked at one side of the one anchor, this is how lakes get mussels. Also, the lake is very large and there is a couple of areas that are marked as no wake, which is great, but it was unclear to me whether one of the markers was no wake for the rest of the lake which was several miles, or if maybe they just need different markers. It would probably be helpful to have the people putting boats in the water advise captains of where the no wake zones are and where they begin and end. Finally, I have to admit one of the parts service personnel that was putting us in the water at the lawn tramp asked the most smart question anybody has ever asked me at a launch ramp, which was, is your drain plug in? Kind of a very important thing that a lot of novice voters forget, and really...

This is a very beautiful place to stay, many things to do and a very comfortable stay overnight. Keep in mind, the swim area gets packed and people will put all their cars where other people can set up. I also camped at Juniper breaks and it was amazing. I did call ahead and let them know we would be late to the 1 p m check in. Lady on the phone said it was okay! Because we had a reservation. We also have a dmv state pass so we do not need the giant green sticker to get in. It was NOT okay. We got to our reserved spot, to find someone already there. Said they had reserved it, until I asked for their confirmation stuff. Then they left. The next morning we were woken up by someone yelling " where is your reservation! Where is your state pass!" He definitely wanted everyone on the grounds to hear. I showed him our reservation and he said" that's one issue fixed, next" showed him our car registration (park pass can be checked by plates). And he said "well you can't be parked like that" next, " you can't use your mini bike here, or I'll give you fine. So I'm telling you, because either I or someone else can fine you". Our mini bike was still tide, on our truck, with lock, from a PREVIOUS event we had done. I understand you might be doing your job, but yelling at me at 7 a.m.? And I would also understand if the bike was on the ground or something. ( which we saw 2 cross and a 4wheeler at the grounds the previous day).

Obviously those are things that he might have started his day on the wrong side of the bed? Or he is drunk on "power". But we really enjoyed the park. There are so many beautiful views. Amd we didn't bump into anyone who worked there who had his attitude! So I...