best lakes/reservoirs to swim near COS-need advice! (Denver: lawyers, live)

[otterprods]

I haven't been there yet, but I've been told that there are some nice swimming holes along four mile creek near Florissant. Look up "Paradise Cove" for details.

There's also the Camp Creek 'punchbowls' a the mouth of Queens Canyon which you can hike to relatively easily from the Navigators & Glen Eyrie Conference Center near Garden of the Gods.

The most beach like thing in Colorado, as well as the rest of the Western US (besides the coast itself) is probably Medano Creek in Great Sand Dunes National Park. This seasonal stream is famous for its intermittent surge flow when conditions are just right. Most visitors never get to experience that, and when it's on it's usually completely packed, but if you can get the timing right, there are few things more conducive for family fun in the sun.

Here is an NPS video about it

[Maynerd]

There's a small but swimable beach at Bear Creek Park in Lakewood. Sits right at Morrison Road and C-470.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by FemaleLogic

Thanks everyone for your responses!mtngigi, is the water pretty clear in Lathrop State Park's Martin Lake? Are there many sea weeds there? Is there sand on the beach? I was mostly looking into swimming because neither myself or my husband are into fishing. Thank you very much in advance!

Ha ... I just today saw this question from you - guess I wasn't subscribed to the thread!

Yes, it's a sandy beach but I honestly don't remember anything on the lake bottom that bothered me. Frankly it was so exciting to find a beach where I could swim that I don't think a few "sea weeds" would have bothered me.

It's worth checking out if you haven't by now.

Here's a photo ...

[landerson123]

Took the kids to Pueblo reservoir swim beach today. I don't recommend it. We are still trying to wash all the leeches off of us. They are tiny, pale colored... Hard to see.. But once they attach.. They hurt. We thought only our feet were affected.. Turns out they were all over.

[otowi]

I know this is an older thread, but fyi I believe even when posted and still true today the Punch Bowls in Queens Canyon are relatively destroyed and access from the Navigators is denied. You may be able to get there by hiking down from Rampart Reservoir, but I've heard people say that they are filled with debris and essentially gone for our generation.

[TCHP]

You can't find warm water swimming lakes in the mountains. The two are simply incompatible. Altitude and snow melt conspire to keep the water cold. This means most rivers and streams will be similarly cold

Prospect will warm up some in summer months as will Pueblo. As an urban lake, I've never used the swim beach at Prospect. All the items they drug out of it a few years ago when they drained would scare most folks off, never mind the constant possibility of stepping on glass, steel, and aluminum debris.

Never had any issues with leeches at Pueblo, but I've never used the swim beach. Most the shoreline there is either mud or rock, so outside the swim area the shore is always a challenge.

Anything else close is going to be higher in elevation and cooler. You have to head east to find warmer water. Close, if you consider 2 hrs drive close, then yes, there are some closer by.

Lathrop is nice. Warms nicely in the summer, has a sandy beach in the swim area and not too much plant life on the bottom of the swim area. Just west of Walsenburg, this is a 90 minute drive.

2hrs southeast is John Martin east of La Junta has sandy beaches and warm water. You can sometimes camp on the shore. Its southeast location means spiders and snakes are real possibilities.

2hrs out on I-25, C-470, then I-76 are several state parks and lakes. Barr Lake, Horse Creek Res., Milton Res., Empire Res., and Jackson Lake State Park all have warmer water. Even further out on 76 is Sterling and just over the Nebraska line is Lake McConoughey, which is gorgeous. A lot of people write off things not found in the mountains. In this case, the best water is found east of the Rockies. It will be much warmer and much less crowded the further you get from Denver. There also are more quantity of and more sizable reservoirs which means the people density is much less. IMO, the extra drive to Jackson, its shallow sandy beach, and large surface acreage means its is much more fun to visit than Pueblo.

[otowi]

I grew up swimming out at Prospect Lake. It isn't wow but it isn't terrible either. I don't think there's anything else like it town. I'd be more inclined to do the paddle boats than swim in it, though.

[TCHP]

I have water skiied in Prospect, and no it isn't disgusting gross. But then one isn't walking on the shore either.

Mike, maybe we should merge this with the recent water/swimming thread.

[shanen]

We take our kids to swim at Prospect. Having moved from Minnesota, where we had lakes all over, Prospect isn't that bad at all in comparison. It isn't a crystal clear, blue lake, but those usually are more dangerous than ones that actually support plant life

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by klamans

While there is a lot to love about Colorado, the way swimmers are treated here is downright atrocious. For god sake don't get in the way of the boating elite. You are generally lucky to get half an acre of 4 foot deep water. The only decent place anywhere remotely near the Denver area I have found is privately owned Wellington lake. You may swim the whole quarter mile across although the season where it is warm enough is short. It is near Bailey and a bit over an hour from Denver and probably about 2 from Co Springs. John Martin Reservoir by Hasty (way east) is also about 2.5 hours from Co springs and actually allows swimming so far as I know. Good luck and please share any findings.

Swimmers and nonpowered boaters both get treated as afterthoughts. Wellington Lake is good but chilly, since it is in the "foothills".