Read the permitted launch method
At Rifle Gap, low water closed the ramp to motorized boat access for the rest of the 2026 season, while hand-launched kayaks, canoes and paddleboards remain permitted. Crawford also distinguishes closed ramps from hand-launched human-powered craft. These notices concern particular methods of access. Check the exact language for your boat rather than treating a map marker or an activity badge as permission to launch.
Official visitor information · Official visitor information
Do not assume every lake makes the same exception
Barr Lake's notice closes all boating, explicitly including hand-launched paddlecraft, and directs people and pets to avoid the water because of toxic algae. Boyd Lake's low-water notice instead permits hand-launched kayaks and paddleboards and swimming. A paddleboard exception at one reservoir says nothing about another reservoir. Read the water-quality notice as well as the ramp notice, and follow the current managing-agency instructions.
Official visitor information · Official visitor information
A beach closure has its own boundary
Ridgway's Dutch Charlie swim beach is closed and swimming is prohibited in that beach area. The same notice discusses paddlecraft, boating and fishing elsewhere on the reservoir separately. Ridgway also has a November 1–March 31 motorized-boating restriction. Keep the beach, boating season and individual launch location distinct when planning a visit; a partial closure should not become a claim that the entire park is closed or that other activities are safe.
Official visitor information · Official visitor information
Account for inspections and the return trip
Lake Pueblo requires boats to launch and load during inspection-station hours; gates close when the stations close. Weather can shorten those hours. At Mancos, hand launching remains possible during the ramp closure, but motorized craft still require inspection. Check both the access method and the inspection arrangement before departure, and leave enough time to retrieve the boat within the official operating window.
Documented current impacts
These notices are shared with affected park pages. Regional guidance is labeled separately.
Vega State Park: Early Settlers and Island boat ramps
Park-specific information
- Early Settlers and Island boat ramps
Both boat ramps are closed for the remainder of the season because of low water.
Stagecoach State Park: Tailwaters below the dam
Park-specific information
- Tailwaters below the dam
A full-day fishing closure is in effect in the tailwaters below Stagecoach Dam because of reduced flows. It remains in effect until further notice; this does not establish a reservoir-wide fishing closure.
Spinney Mountain State Park: North boat ramp
Park-specific information
- North boat ramp
Spinney Mountain’s north ramp is closed because of low water. The reservoir remains available for hand-launched motorized vessels according to the current notice.
Rifle Gap State Park: 2026 motorized boat access
Park-specific information
- 2026 motorized boat access
Rifle Gap’s boat ramp is closed for the rest of the 2026 boating season because of low water. Hand-launched kayaks, canoes and paddleboards remain permitted.
Ridgway State Park: Winter motorized boating
Park-specific information
- Winter motorized boating
Ridgway Reservoir closes to motorized boating November 1–March 31. This restriction is separate from the Dutch Charlie swim-beach closure.
Nov 1, 2026 – Apr 1, 2027
Ridgway State Park: Dutch Charlie swim beach
Park-specific information
- Dutch Charlie swim beach
The Dutch Charlie swim beach is closed for the season and swimming is prohibited there. CPW lists paddlecraft, boating and fishing elsewhere on the reservoir separately.
Sep 25, 2026 · No end date confirmed
Paonia State Park: Boat ramp
Park-specific information
- Boat ramp
Paonia’s boat ramp is closed. CPW permits hand-launched human-powered craft, but visitors should also confirm seasonal park access before traveling.
North Sterling State Park: Boat ramps and swim-beach season
Park-specific information
- Boat ramps and swim-beach season
Elks and South boat ramps are closed for the season. The current notice says the swim beach closes October 31; check for updates before traveling.
Mancos State Park: Boat ramp and hand launching
Park-specific information
- Boat ramp and hand launching
Mancos’s ramp is closed for the rest of the season because of low water. Hand launching remains allowed, but any motorized craft must be inspected before launch.
Lathrop State Park: Horseshoe Lake boat ramp
Park-specific information
- Horseshoe Lake boat ramp
The Horseshoe Lake ramp is closed because of low water and underwater obstacles. Hand-launched boats remain permitted. The current notice lists Martin Lake’s motorized ramp separately; verify its seasonal arrangements.
John Martin Reservoir State Park: West boat ramp
Park-specific information
- West boat ramp
Low water has closed the west ramp to trailers. Hand-launched canoes and kayaks may use it. CPW directs smaller boats to the east ramp and warns large boats not to attempt that launch.
Jackson Lake State Park: 2026 boat ramp
Park-specific information
- 2026 boat ramp
Jackson Lake’s boat ramp is closed for the 2026 season. Hand-launched canoes, kayaks and paddleboards are still permitted.
Harvey Gap State Park: Boat ramp
Park-specific information
- Boat ramp
The Harvey Gap boat ramp is closed for the season because of low water.
Elkhead Reservoir State Park: Motorized boat ramp
Park-specific information
- Motorized boat ramp
The boat ramp is closed to motorized boats for the season. Hand launching remains available at the northeast access and Greenwood Cove.
Eleven Mile State Park: North Shore and Witcher’s Cove ramps
Park-specific information
- North Shore and Witcher’s Cove ramps
Witcher’s Cove boat ramp is closed for the season. CPW lists North Shore ramps as operating until October 31, from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; check for changes before towing a boat.
Crawford State Park: 2026 boat-ramp closure
Park-specific information
- 2026 boat-ramp closure
Crawford boat ramps are closed for the rest of 2026. Hand-launched, human-powered canoes, kayaks and paddleboards remain permitted.
Cherry Creek State Park: Reservoir: all boating from November 2
Park-specific information
- Reservoir: all boating from November 2
Cherry Creek Reservoir closes to all boating, including paddlecraft, at the end of Sunday, November 1.
Nov 2, 2026 · No end date confirmed
Cherry Creek State Park: West boat ramp
Park-specific information
- West boat ramp
The west boat ramp is closed for the season. Check the official park page for other access and the upcoming reservoir-wide boating closure.
Boyd Lake State Park: 2026 boating closure
Park-specific information
- 2026 boating closure
Boyd Lake is closed to boating for the remainder of 2026 because of low water. CPW specifically permits hand-launched kayaks and paddleboards and swimming; check the current notice before going.
Barr Lake State Park: Reservoir boating and algae advisory
Park-specific information
- Reservoir boating and algae advisory
Barr Lake is closed to all boating, including hand-launched paddlecraft, for the remainder of the 2026 season. CPW also reports high toxic-algae concentrations and directs people and pets to avoid contact with the water.
Curecanti National Recreation Area: Iola boat ramp and shoreline
Park-specific information
- Iola boat ramp and shoreline
Iola ramp is closed, and poor shoreline conditions prevent hand launching there. The inspection station remains open; a working inspection station does not establish launch access.
Trinidad Lake State Park: Walleye and saugeye consumption advisory
Park-specific information
- Walleye and saugeye consumption advisory
CPW reports a health-department consumption advisory for walleye and saugeye longer than 18 inches at Trinidad Lake. Consult the official advisory for the affected groups and serving limits before eating these fish.
Curecanti National Recreation Area: Toxic Algae Found – Blue Mesa Water Quality Advisory
Park-specific information
- Toxic Algae Found – Blue Mesa Water Quality Advisory
Cyanotoxins are currently present in the Iola Basin. Until further notice, the park recommends that no person or pet swims in, or drinks from, reservoir waters in the Iola Basin. Cyanotoxins may be present in the Cebolla and Sapinero Basins. Use caution when fishing, boating, or recreating in Blue Mesa Reservoir.
Lake Pueblo State Park: Boat inspections and ramp gates
Park-specific information
- Boat inspections and ramp gates
Launch and retrieval are limited to inspection-station hours. Boats must reach the station before closing, and gates close when inspections stop. Weather or other circumstances may shorten those hours.
Sources & further reading
- cpw.state.co.us: rifle gap state park ↗
- cpw.state.co.us: crawford state park ↗
- cpw.state.co.us: barr lake state park ↗
- cpw.state.co.us: boyd lake state park ↗
- cpw.state.co.us: ridgway state park park highlights ↗
- cpw.state.co.us: lake pueblo state park park highlights ↗
- cpw.state.co.us: mancos state park park highlights ↗