Blue Mesa Reservoir

The next lake that I wanted to talk about is one that I have never been to as an adult.  Blue Mesa Reservoir, part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, is Colorado's largest lake.  At twenty miles long and offering 96 miles of shoreline, Blue Mesa Reservoir has plenty of space for boating, fishing, camping or just enjoying the great outdoors.  Next week, my wife and I are planning a camping trip to Blue Mesa and I figured it made sense to write a little bit about it now, and hopefully once we get back I will be able to share more about the fish we caught and how the camping was.

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Blue Mesa is south west of Gunnison, Colorado.  It is near the famous Black Canyon of the Gunnision National Park.  Blue Mesa is the largest Kokanee Salmon fishery in Colorado, each year millions of salmon eggs are collected from the Roaring Judy hatchery located at the inlet to Blue Mesa and distributed all over the state for stocking salmon.  Blue Mesa is also one of the best Lake Trout fisheries in Colorado.  In 2007, Blue Mesa supplied the Colorado state record lake trout, which weighed 50.35 pounds and measured 44.25 inches. 


Blue Mesa offers plenty of camping opportunities as well.  With over 360 camp sites spread across numerous campgrounds as well as back country sites, perfect for boat in camping.  The best part of the back country sites are the fact that they are free.  You are also allowed to camp along much of the southern border of the lake as well as Red Creek Island.

9,200 Surface Acres Of Water

5 Boat launch locations

Two Marinas that include shops and rentals

Fishing for the following species:

Kokanee Salmon, Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Brown Trout

24 miles of trails

360 camp sites, plus free back country camping

The park is free to enter, but there are nominal fees for boat use.

For more information, check out the Blue Mesa Reservoir official site.  Also you can check out the live feed from the park here.  Don't forget to check back to see how our trip went. Let me know your experience with Blue Mesa in the comment section below.

Boats on Blue Mesa Reservoir