Click the link to read the release on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website (Dean Miller):
April 3, 2026 GRANITE, Colo. – The Clear Creek Reservoir State Wildlife Area boat ramp remains closed through the 2026 season and the campground closes April 6 as dam improvements move forward. The reservoir remains open to anglers on shore and in hand-launched watercraft.Motorized boat launches are paused during the 2026 season as Pueblo Water lowers reservoir levels for work to take place. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is using the closure period to extend the boat ramp for improved low-water access and to complete campground maintenance and improvements.Heavy equipment is expected throughout the campground area, and with just one access road, the campground will close for public safety. Limited runoff and poor snowpack in the Upper Arkansas Basin also accelerated the repair timeline, prompting Pueblo Water to move forward with the project in 2026 rather than delay it. The boat ramp is anticipated to reopen for the full 2027 boating season.Hand-launched watercraft are permitted from shore but must comply with aquatic nuisance species requirements and cannot have motors of any kind. Anglers should expect changing shoreline conditions as reservoir levels drop for dam work. Mud and silt may make access difficult at times.“Clear Creek Reservoir is an important fishing destination in northern Chaffee County, and while dam improvements and low water conditions limit access this year, anglers still have opportunities to fish from shore or from hand-launched vessels,” said Zachary Baker, CPW assistant area wildlife manager. “The remaining water will continue to support the fishery and more than 20,000 tiger trout fingerlings were stocked there on Thursday.”Signs will alert visitors to the boat ramp closure and ramp access gates are locked. The Colorado Trail remains open west of the campground and a vault toilet remains open. The region offers additional boating, fishing and camping opportunities on nearby public lands.The wildlife area remains closed to non-hunting and non-fishing activities. Visitors ages 16 and older must have a valid hunting or fishing license or a State Wildlife Area pass.Pueblo Water owns Clear Creek Reservoir and the dam infrastructure, and CPW manages recreation and the campground through a lease.
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