Colorado SUP Explore: Northern Front Range

Showing posts with label Northern Front Range. Show all posts

Thursday, April 22, 2021

McIntosh Lake

McIntosh Lake is an close, convenient stand-up paddle place for those in the Boulder County area. Located within a Longmont neighborhood park, it enjoys a scenic backdrop of Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker.

To minimize traffic and noise impacts for area residents, the city has implemented a 25 watercraft maximum on the lake. If there are more than 25 vessels on the water, please return at a less busy time, or instead visit another water body. Union Reservoir, 15 minutes to the east, is a good alternative when McIntosh is busy.

Vicinity Map

Location Info: [key]

   Scenery: 2
   Shoreline Interest: 1
   Use: High
   Fee: None
   Access: Paved
   Full elev = 5080;

   late season drawdown possible
   Rec. info
   Weather

Please be respectful of the community that shares this wonderful amenity with the public by adhering the the 25 watercraft maximum. Avoid busy times by visiting early morning, weekdays, or off-season. In late summer and fall, the water level may drop requiring a short traverse over mud flats to access the shore. Have fun and stay safe!

Please feel free to add observations of current conditions to the comments!

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Dowdy Lake

Dowdy Lake is an absolute gem as a stand-up paddle destination. It is non-motorized, small enough that its wind exposure is limited, but big enough to have plenty of coves, islands and outcrops to explore.

☆ One of many boulder outcrops in Dowdy Lake

Dowdy lake is in the Red Feather Lakes Community. At a little under 2 hours from Denver, it may seem a bit far for a day trip but is comparable to ski day at Beaver Creek and worth the travel time. It also offers camping right at the lake, but the reserveable sites fill up quickly once they are made available on the spring. Despite its distance from Denver and major highways, Dowdy Lake is quite popular in the summertime and the parking areas may fill up on weekend afternoons. Neighboring West Lake provides a nice alternative to Dowdy and sees fewer visitors.

Vicinity Map

Location Info: [key]

Dowdy Lake / West Lake

Scenery: 4 / 4
Shoreline Interest: 5 / 3
Dowdy - Wakeless

West - Non Motorized
   Use: Mod-High / Moderate
   Fees: $7/vehicle
   Access: Gravel
   Full elevs: 8150 / 8240

minimal variation; natural
Rec info

Weather

Horsetooth Reservoir

Horsetooth Reservoir is right in Fort Collins's backyard at the edge of the Northern Colorado foothills. The uniquely shaped lake takes advantage of long, natural valley behind a hogback to create a six-mile long impoundment with four separate dams. The resulting water body has a mostly linear, open shoreline on its east side but an interesting, complex western shoreline with multiple coves, inlets and islands. As an added bonus, there are several wakeless zones on lake's western shore that make it ideal for stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking.

The shorelines of Horsetooth Reservoir are contained in two separate recreation entities: Horsetooth Mountain Park (managed by Larimer County Open Space) on the eastern and southwestern shores, and Lory State Park (managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife) on the northwestern shore. Fees for both of these areas are $9/day (subject to change; check parks websites linked above). Season passes for Colorado State Parks and Larimer County are also honored at Lory and Horsetooth, respectively, but aren't transferable.

Horsetooth Reservoir