Ridgway State Park is a state park located in Ouray County,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. The park is 21 miles southeast of Montrose, 14 miles northeast of Ouray, it is also 4 miles north of the town of Ridgway and 312 miles southwest of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The current wildlife consists of deer, mountain lions, coyotes, rabbits, and elk. Due to the park's variety of animal life, the park is used as a hunting ground although hunting opportunities are extremely limited due to proximity to developed areas.

Facilities

Three entrances to the park provide a range of options; Dallas Creek is a day-use only area, with facilities for picnicking, fishing in the summer, although it is not recommended. Dutch Charlie (the second entrance to the State Park) contains the camping facilities.

Yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia ...

s and cabins are available for rent nightly. Two Yurts are wheelchair accessible. Tent sites with Full RV hook ups are available. Several tent sites are wheelchair accessible. Lake access includes a marina for long term stays, boats docks, and a swim beach for the kids. Nature and hiking trails dot the area around the lake featuring great views of the Cimarron Range of the

San Juan Mountains The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...

. One trail leads you through all of the parks' areas and back. Several portions of the trails provide wheelchair access, including trails to fishing ponds. The third entrance is most visited for its fishing. Pa-co-chu-puk has an assortment of fishing areas, including two ponds connected to Ridgway reservoir. Brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout are commonly caught at Pa-co-chu-puk.

References

Protected areas of Ouray County, Colorado State parks of Colorado Protected areas established in 1989 {{Colorado-stub