Bozeman, Montana Area

Bozeman is a fun Montana city with a handful of good stand-up paddle places nearby.  Hyalite Reservoir, Fairy Lake and the Madison River are all well know locally as quick escapes on the water.  The Hyalite area, in particular, is surrounded by many miles of hiking and biking trails that easily roll into a multi-sport day.  

Hyalite Reservoir, view upvalley

Hyalite Reservoir

The Hyalite recreation area is one Bozeman's quickest escapes to Montana's forested high country.  It is understandably popular, but big enough to disperse a lot of the crowds.  It is accessed from Hyalite Canyon Road, 7 miles south from downtown Bozeman on 19th Street.  The first water access point to the water is 10 miles up the canyon, just before the road crosses the dam.   

Vicinity Map

    Hyalite Reservoir    

    Location Info: [key]

    Scenery: 3
    Shoreline Interest: 2
    Use: Moderate
    Fee: None for day use
    Access: Paved/Gravel
    Full elev: 6730

    Rec info 

    Weather 

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Monument and Palmer Lake

The towns of Monument and Palmer Lake are home to a couple of inviting paddleboard spots in the highlands between Castle Rock and Colorado Springs.  This area, along the Palmer Divide, is hillier and more wooded than most of the I-25 corridor.  At 7,000 feet in elevation, with the backdrop of the sharply rising Rampart Range, Monument Lake and Palmer Lake feel much more like the foothills than a roadmap would suggest.  State Highway 105 (the Monument exit) runs through both towns and offers the quick access from the interstate.  For a more scenic drive from points north, try Spruce Mountain Road through Larkspur or Perry Park Road out of Sedalia.  

Palmer Lake; Rampart Range beyond

The Colorado Springs metro area has notably less publicly accessible water than Denver or the Northern Front Range.  Monument and Palmer lakes make a nice change of scenery from Prospect and Quail Lakes in town.  Because of their reasonably close proximity to the Springs, they can be very popular on summer weekends.  

Vicinity Map [click to enlarge]

    Location Info [key]

    (Monument / Palmer)

    Scenery: 3 / 3
    Shoreline Interest: 2 / 1
    Use: High
    Fee: None
    Access: Paved
    Full elev = 6950 / 7250
    Rec. map: (Palmer)
    Rec. info: Monument / Palmer
    Weather: Monument / Palmer

Bear Creek Lake's Superpower

Bear Creek Lake is one of metro Denver's most inviting paddleboard places when conditions are good.  Despite the massive size of the dam that impounds it, the lake is fairly compact.  Its shoreline is interesting, with areas of trees and grassy shallows, and it is small enough that it doesn't get overrun by wind.  Furthermore, motorized boats are limited to 10 horsepower.  

Bear Creek water level up 20 feet

But Bear Creek's superpower is an obscure one.  The reservoir sees higher fluctuations above the normal water level than any lake in the region.  Above is the operative word here, because a rise in the water level means that the lake surface expands beyond the established shoreline.  And when there are lots of trees around the lakeshore, it creates a wonderful, shady overlap of lake and forest.  

Bear Creek Inlet, May 2023

Bear Creek Lake South Cove, May 2023