Ridgway State Park

Ridgway State Park is updating its Park Management Plan! More info about the plan and opportunities to engage are below.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) staff are updating the Ridgway State Park Management Plan. Ridgway State Park has been operating under its 1995 Park Management Plan. This new Management Plan will build upon past plans and serve as an overarching management guide for the park by outlining short- and long-term visitor, recreation, resource, and infrastructure management visions for the park. It will chart the management priorities and specific management directions for current and future park staff.

State Park Management Plans are intended to:

• Serve as a point of reference for current and future park staff, other partnering agencies, elected officials, and interested members of the public.

• Help inform future use and development and visitor recreation experiences.

• Guide management of existing natural and cultural resources.

• Provide a framework for monitoring and maintaining state park resources.

• Identify park enhancement opportunities, including possible facility upgrades, new park facilities, restoration and rehabilitation projects, and other important management initiatives.

• Help inform future budget allocations and annual funding requests.

Ridgway State Park Description

Ridgway State Park is located approximately 15 miles north of Ouray and 25 miles south of Montrose in the Uncompahgre River Valley. The park sits between an elevation of 6,600 and 7,500 feet, spans 2,200 acres of land, and is centered around 967 surface acres of water in the Ridgway Reservoir. The park was established in 1984 when a 25-year Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Colorado Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (now called Colorado Parks and Wildlife) and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). Currently, the park is managed by three project partners: CPW, the BOR, and Tri-County Water Conservancy District.

The park is a year-round haven for outdoor enthusiasts and invites adventurers of all kinds to explore the picturesque reservoir, over 15 miles of diverse trails, and convenient facilities. Common activities in the park include camping, fishing, boating, swimming, picnicking, sightseeing, wildlife watching, and walking. The park is divided into three main recreational sites: Pa-Co-Chu-Puk (the Ute term for Cow Creek), Dutch Charlie, and Dallas Creek. Each area provides recreational amenities for the 600,000 visitors that visit the park each year.

One of the park’s key features that draws visitors from all over the state and beyond is the Ridgway Reservoir. The reservoir is fed primarily by the Uncompahgre River which runs down from the San Juan Mountains just south of the park.

Upcoming Public Events and Meetings

There is currently no public meeting scheduled for this planning effort. We will update this space with more information when we get a meeting on the calendar! In the meantime, if you have any questions or thoughts regarding the update to the Park Management Plan, please reach out to the project’s Planning Manager, Izzy Petersen, at isabelle.petersen@state.co.us.