Morrow Point Reservoir is an artificial reservoir on the

Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of the ...

in western

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. Located in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the lake was created in 1968 by the U.S.

Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it ...

as part of a larger plan to impound the upper section of the Gunnison and create opportunities for hydroelectric power generation, water conservation, and recreation. Morrow Point Reservoir is managed by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

as a unit within the

Curecanti National Recreation Area Curecanti National Recreation Area (Pronounced (locally) or .) is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti National recreation area, National Recreation Area is responsible f ...

, and is the location of the Curecanti Needle, a striking granite spire on the reservoir's southern bank whose unique shape was for decades a recognized symbol of the

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fr ...

Background

Morrow Point Reservoir is part of the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit of the

Colorado River Storage Project The Colorado River Storage Project is a United States Bureau of Reclamation project designed to oversee the development of the upper Colorado drainage basins, basin of the Colorado River. The project provides Hydroelectricity, hydroelectric powe ...

, a Bureau of Reclamation project that retains the waters of the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

and its tributaries, such as the Gunnison, for agricultural and municipal use. The second of three reservoirs impounded for the Aspinall Unit, Morrow Point lies between the larger

Blue Mesa Reservoir Blue Mesa Reservoir is an artificial reservoir located on the upper reaches of the Gunnison River in Gunnison County, Colorado. The largest lake located entirely within the state, Blue Mesa Reservoir was created by the construction of Blue Mes ...

to the east and the remote Crystal Reservoir, to the west. Morrow Point Reservoir was created by the impoundment of the Gunnison River approximately west of Blue Mesa Dam by Morrow Point Dam, a concrete double-arch dam built by the

. Completed in 1968, Morrow Point was the first concrete double-arch dam constructed by the Bureau.

The Needle

One of the most notable features of Morrow Point is the famed Curecanti Needle, a striking tall granite spire on the reservoir's southern shore. Located immediately west of the mouth of Blue Creek and directly across from the mouth of Curecanti Creek, the Needle was a well-known landmark to generations of rail travelers, who passed near to the spire on the Denver & Rio Grande Western's Black Canyon route between Gunnison and Montrose. Though difficult to access, the Needle is popular with climbers, who must either use a boat or cross the frozen lake in winter to reach the base.

Recreation

Morrow Point Reservoir is part of the

, a

administered area charged with developing and managing recreation facilities on the three reservoirs that compose the Aspinall Unit. Recreational opportunities at Morrow Point include boating (hand-carried craft only), camping, and hiking. There are three small developed areas with lake access, the Pine Creek Trailhead, accessible via U.S. 50 approximately 1 mile west of Blue Mesa Dam, the Pioneer Point Overlook, north of the reservoir on Colorado Highway 92, approximately 5.5 miles west of Blue Mesa Dam, and the Hermit's Rest Trailhead, on Co. 92 approximately 17 miles west of Blue Mesa Dam. Pine Creek Trailhead's 232 steps lead 180 ft. down to the water, where hand-carried craft can be launched. Once on the water, there are two developed and two primitive boat-in campsites along the north shore, and two primitive sites on the south shore. The two-mile (round trip) Pine Creek Trail follows an abandoned narrow-gauge railroad bed. Boat-in camping requires a Backcountry Permit, available at the Pine Creek Trailhead. Pioneer Point Overlook offers a scenic viewing area and is the trailhead for the strenuous Curecanti Creek trail, a 4-mile (round trip) trail with a 900 ft. elevation change. Two campsites with picnic tables, fire grates, and composting toilets are located at the end of the trail. Hermit's Rest Trailhead gives access to the steep and strenuous Hermit's Rest Trail. A 6-mile round trip with an 1800 ft. elevation change, the trail ends with lakeside picnic sites and two campsites with picnic tables, fire grates, and composting toilets.

External links

Morrow Point Dam
at the Bureau of Reclamation

at Curecanti National Recreation Area * *

References

{{authority control Reservoirs in Colorado Gunnison River Colorado River Storage Project Curecanti National Recreation Area Reservoirs and dams in National Park Service areas Lakes of Gunnison County, Colorado Protected areas of Gunnison County, Colorado 1968 establishments in Colorado

Background

The Needle

Recreation

See also

External links

References